How It's Made (2001) s01e02 Episode Script

1
--Captions by vitac--
captions paid for by
discovery communications, inc.
Narrator: Today
on "how it's made"
Compact discs
mozzarella cheese
pantyhose
and fluorescent tubes.
Today there's virtually no limit
to the information we can
store on compact discs.
Millions of bits of data
representing words, numbers,
music, graphics, or even
video can be stored on the discs.
Let's take a "spin"
through a cd factory.
Compact discs are copies made
from an original
glass master disc.
A thin plate of glass is
first placed in this unit,
which brushes the surface clean.
Cleaning is done
with de-ionized water
and a small goat-hair brush.
The excess water is eliminated
by the rapid
rotation of the disc.
The disc then goes into
this surface analyzer,
where a laser beam inspects
the cleanliness of the surface.
At this stage, two
chemicals are applied --
a primer and a
photoresistant coating.
This operation is done
at a temperature of
70 degrees fahrenheit
and lasts three minutes.
The disc is carefully
retrieved from the apparatus.
Then the photoresistant coating
dries in an oven for 30 minutes.
This developer has two spouts.
One applies a de-ionized water,
and the other sprays a solution
to develop the data
etched on the glass.
The information is now
engraved on the disc.
Then the disc is placed in
this metal-coating equipment.
The next step consists
of applying a thin coating
of nickel and vanadium.
This electroforming
process results in the master
from which discs will be made.
The etched glass is
immersed in a chemical solution
for 70 minutes.
Then the plated piece is
removed, thus obtaining a die.
The die is sent
off for finishing.
It is stamped out into
the desired shape.
The excess material is recycled.
Next, the compact
discs will be fabricated
from this master unit.
Here we clearly see the
stamping-out technique.
The master is taken out.
A technician peels off the film
which protected the
data etched onto the die.
After a visual inspection,
the die is sent to the
pressing department.
The die is delicately
installed in the mold,
which will form compact discs.
Discs are made from
a very special plastic
called "polycarbonate."
The mold is closed,
and liquid polycarbonate
is injected into the die.
It comes out as a small,
hard, translucent disc.
It is now ready
to be metal-coated
so it can be read by a
compact-disc reader.
A robotic arm lifts
the disc from the mold
and places it on these supports.
This metallizing process is
extremely short and very simple,
taking but a second.
It consists of covering
the plastic disc
with a very thin
coating of aluminum.
Here we see the
inside of the mold,
where the aluminum
coating is applied.
In this facility, almost
everything is automated,
helping them produce over
100,000 compact discs per day.
Protecting the surface
of the disc is essential,
so a coat of varnish is applied.
This also helps silk
screening stick to the surface.
Ultraviolet lamps
quickly dry the varnish.
And here in the pressing
room, they apply the label.
This step is also very fast
since the machine prints
70 discs in 60 seconds.
Once the silk-screening
is completed,
the finished discs
leave for packaging.
Narrator: In a sandwich,
as a topping, or all by itself,
cheese has always
been a popular food.
This dairy product goes
back thousands of years,
and it's always started with
three basic ingredients --
milk, curds, and whey.
Just ask little miss muffet.
Like all cheeses,
mozzarella starts from milk.
To assure good milk quality,
the interior and exterior
of milk-transport trucks
must be washed
after being emptied.
A tank such as this one
can carry an average of
8,000 gallons of raw milk
at temperatures between
37 and 39 degrees fahrenheit.
Raw milk destined
for cheesemaking
contains 3.8% fats
and 3.3% proteins.
They store the milk and
whey, a milk by-product,
in these immense silos,
each with a capacity
of 59,000 gallons.
This milk separator
extracts surplus cream
to adjust the percentage of fat
according to the type
of cheese to be made.
Fabrication begins
with this tank,
which feeds the pasteurizer.
Pasteurization
sterilizes beverages
which can easily ferment.
Milk samples are drawn off
to accurately determine their
milk-fat and protein content.
Tests are carried
out in this laboratory,
where they impose controls.
These test tubes
contain milk samples
which will undergo
microbiological analysis.
Milk quality must be impeccable.
This is a curdler with a
capacity of 6,600 gallons.
Here milk and other essential
ingredients are introduced,
such as the enzyme,
rennet, that curdles the milk.
This mix must be
well-stirred and cooked.
The agitators are used to
cut the whey into little lumps.
This step takes
about 30 minutes.
The temperature of the tanks
depends on the type of
cheese they're making.
Agitators continue
stirring the milk.
Once cooking is done,
the whey is pumped
onto tables to be drained.
It stays there for
about 25 minutes.
The solid and the liquid
are now well-separated.
The liquid we see draining
is called the "lactoserum."
The lactoserum
will be concentrated
and transformed
into milk by-products.
The water has been
almost entirely extracted,
and the cheese particles
are now sufficiently dry.
This large automated blade
then moves cheese particles
towards the next step --
the molder.
In the molder, the
cheese is cut up
before being carried
to the cooker --
the final processing step.
It appears that this mozzarella
has just the right texture.
The cheese finally
arrives at the molder,
which will give it
the proper shape.
Each mold has a 5 1/2-pound
capacity and is rectangular.
Brine, a salt solution, cools
and salts the cheese blocks.
The blocks are unmolded
and fall into a brine tank.
The cheese blocks will
remain in another brine solution
for a while.
Then they're carried by a
conveyor towards another tank,
where they will be
immersed for 4 to 10 hours
at a temperature of
36 degrees fahrenheit.
Sprays of brine remove the foam
which forms at the
surface of the tank.
The 8,000 gallons of milk
we saw coming in by
truck at the beginning
have enabled the factory to
produce 1,400 blocks of cheese
in 8 to 12 hours.
Finally, the cheese
blocks are vacuum-packed
and ready for shipment.
Narrator: There was a time
when women wore silk stockings.
Then came the
invention of pantyhose,
a cheaper, more
convenient alternative.
Pantyhose are knitted
from strands of raw nylon.
It's no "stretch" of
the imagination to say
that when they go on sale,
there's usually a "run" on them.
Making a nylon stocking
takes only a few minutes.
However, it's a
complex operation
that involves the knitting
of five to eight threads
as fine as a hair.
The threads, usually
nylon and spandex,
are used along with elastic.
Sometimes polyester
or cotton are added.
The knitting machine
goes into action.
This one fashions a tube for
sheer stockings in 90 seconds.
In three minutes, it
makes a tube for tights.
Its speed is adjusted according
to the product being made,
varying between 750 and
1,200 revolutions per minute.
Once the tube is knitted, it is
sucked up and lands in a bag,
where it will be inspected.
More than 500
machines share the work,
each making a specific model.
The two ends must now be joined.
This automated machine
assembles the two tubes together
to form the pantyhose.
Then scissors cut the pantyhose,
a necessary step in
production of a pair.
This opening is enlarged
to allow for sewing,
which will join the two
tubes at the top of the leg.
The label with the
size or brand name
is sewn in place in 10
seconds by this robotic machine.
At this pace, it sews on
4,800 labels in 8 hours.
Installing a gusset
requires some preparation.
Scissors makes a
hole at the joining point.
Then the stocking is
turned inside out by suction
so certain stitching can
be done on the inside.
Thus, these stitches
will be less visible.
Now the foot must be sewn.
This robotic machine
places the foot in position.
Then a sewing
machine makes stitches
at the same time it cuts
away excess material.
This step takes only 10 seconds.
Then the pantyhose
is turned right side out,
again using suction.
Everything is ready for
installation of the gusset.
The pantyhose is placed in a
tub and taken to this department.
The stocking is again suctioned
and placed on a gusset
machine by the operator.
This method assures that
the gusset will be well-centered
without a pleat.
Putting in the gusset is the
final operation in the process.
A precut piece of cotton
is slid into the space
reserved for the gusset
and automatically sewn in.
Only aesthetic touches remain,
such as adding a little
color to the pantyhose.
They're placed in this machine,
which has a large drum
with four compartments
and a 99-pound capacity.
The pantyhose are
washed in soapy water,
then immersed in dye.
Temperature climbs gradually
to 200 degrees fahrenheit.
After a 5-minute rinsing
cycle, a softener is added.
This process takes 2 1/2 hours.
Once dried, they
proceed to inspection.
The pantyhose is
placed onto a form
which stretches it
to allow inspection
for any imperfections.
If all is well,
the pantyhose is transferred
onto another metal form,
where it will be pressed.
The pantyhose's position
is guided by a magic eye.
The pantyhose is then
carried toward a steam room,
where it will stay
for 2 1/2 seconds
before being dried in 7
1/2 seconds at 280 degrees.
They fold and pack
420 pantyhose per hour
and make 180,000 pairs per day.
Narrator: Throughout
the ages, artificial light
has let people extend
the convenience of daylight
long after the sun goes down.
Fluorescent tubes are
more energy-efficient
than light bulbs.
That's probably why they've
become a "fixture," so to speak,
in stores, factories,
and offices.
Once, the only source of
light was the flame of fire
in the forms of torch,
candle, and oil lamps.
It remained so right up
until the 19th century,
when gaslight made its first
appearance around 1840.
Almost 40 years later,
Thomas Edison invented his
famous incandescent light bulb.
In 1909,
the frenchman Georges Claude
developed the fluorescent tube,
a light that remains
unaltered to this very day.
Did you know that Mercury
allows us to see in the dark?
The production of fluorescent
lamps is highly complex.
The fabrication process
starts with glass tubes
that have been meticulously
cleaned with warm water
to remove dirt and impurities.
Then the tubes have
to be specifically shaped
with a folder-shaper.
They're heated for 30 seconds,
then quickly curved
using a template.
This automated machine
can bend 14 tubes a minute.
The bent tubes go into
the coating chamber,
where a thin coat of phosphorus
is applied to their
inner surfaces.
Phosphorus produces light by
transforming ultraviolet photons
generated by the
ionization of Mercury.
The surplus
phosphorus is removed
from the ends of the
tube to facilitate sealing.
They now move to the
electrical components.
The cathode mount is
made in this auto mount.
Here, they make the wire
that will carry the
current from the mount.
The wire carrying
the current is shaped.
And here, the wire is heated.
This prepares it
for the next step.
It's essential to prevent
the cathode coating
from spreading to the prongs.
The filaments are
inserted into their mounts.
The emissive substance
plays a crucial role.
When heated, it emits electrons,
which participate
in producing light.
The emissive substance
is actually this liquid.
The wiring mount is
transferred from the auto mount
to the sealing machine.
At this stage,
the wiring mount and
the glass tube are joined.
Sealing is done at a
very high temperature.
One important step remains.
This is where the glass
tube is emptied of air
and filled with gas.
This machine also
decarbonizes the tube
and introduces
the drop of Mercury
essential for producing light.
Once the very tiny
drop of Mercury
is injected into the tube,
the fluorescent lamp
is almost completed.
But one step remains.
This threader
positions the wires
for insertion of the tube cap,
which establishes
electrical contact.
The tube cap is
placed into position
in preparation for sealing.
The cap must be
securely attached
and installed in a
watertight manner
to eliminate any
risk of leaking.
The capper permanently
seals the cap onto the tube,
and it's all finished.
Each lamp is tested
on a large testing wheel
to verify its quality
and performance.
Once the meticulous
inspection is over,
the fluorescent
lamps are carried
to the packaging department.
A robotic machine
handles the lamps
and places them
into the packages.
The glass tubes have now
become fluorescent lamps.
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