How It's Made (2001) s01e03 Episode Script

1
Narrator: Today
on "how it's made"
Toothpicks
acrylic bathtubs
helicopters
And beer.
Some people use them to
hold hors d'oeuvres together.
Kids make scale models
of famous buildings
and bridges out of them.
And some people
actually use them
for their primary purpose --
to remove food caught
between their teeth.
What are we talking about?
Why, the humble
toothpick, of course.
Logs -- lots of birch logs
are delivered to this factory.
They're the raw material from
which toothpicks will be made.
The heavy logs
are lifted by grippers
and placed into a debarker.
Bark isn't part of the
toothpick-fabrication process
and is recovered
by this machine.
But the bark isn't thrown away.
It's sold to a
neighboring factory
where it will be used as fuel.
The debarker works in two steps.
With two passes, it
produces a log roll
that's perfectly cylindrical
and easier to mill.
This log is being transported
to the next processing stage.
This unraveling
machine unravels the log
as if it were a roll of paper,
cutting it with 12 fine blades
each .04 of an inch thick
and 2 1/2 inches wide.
These same blades will be
used later to cut toothpicks.
Then these 12 blades,
positioned side by side
on the unraveling machine,
will form rolls of
strips called "billets."
These tiny cutters are used to
trim the ends of the toothpicks.
Knives placed here
and there on the machine
thin the ends of the toothpicks.
The roller rolls up the
cut strips, forming a billet.
Completed strips, or billets,
are taken out manually.
Each billet weighs 4 pounds.
The billets are
carried to the puncher,
the flat-toothpick puncher
cuts the billet strips into
small, equal-sized pieces.
The cut pieces come out
at this end of the machine.
The punch works very rapidly.
Knives come down
2,000 times per minute
to cut a total of 8,000
toothpicks in just 60 seconds.
Cut toothpicks fall into this
chute, then into a container.
At this stage, they're soft.
They have to be hardened
in a dryer for four hours
at 250 degrees fahrenheit.
Then the toothpicks are
transferred to the polisher.
Talcum powder and friction
help make the toothpicks
perfectly smooth.
This operation takes four hours.
Toothpicks exit the polisher
and pass through this sifter,
which filters out broken ones.
Those in good condition continue
on to an air-blower system.
Damaged ones are rejected.
Perfect toothpicks are
placed onto two conveyers
by an air-blowing system.
Drums at the end
of the conveyors
assure quantity distribution,
then they're carried to
the automatic packagers.
This machine
counts the toothpicks.
Boxes are made
up, ready for filling.
The number of toothpicks
included in each box matters.
The packager is calibrated
to place 650 toothpicks
in each container,
and it produces about
1,150 boxes an hour.
It handles 747,500
toothpicks an hour.
Some toothpicks are
individually wrapped
for distribution to
restaurants and airlines.
This machine wraps
1,200 toothpicks per minute.
It automatically wraps,
glues, and cuts the paper.
This facility can manufacture
more than 20 million
toothpicks every day.
And it all started from
several birch logs.
Narrator: Bathing daily is a
relatively new phenomenon,
historically speaking.
People used to take
baths only when necessary.
Today whiling away
the afternoon in the tub
is more than a way
to wash our bodies.
With bubbles and bath oils, it
can be an experience in luxury.
Modern bathtubs look nothing
like tubs of the middle ages
or those wooden tubs
we see in western films.
To achieve supreme comfort,
the designer explores new shapes
via computer and
design software,
tools which make for a speedy
review of various shapes.
Then a model is produced.
This one, produced on a 1/6
scale, is made of cardboard.
But other models can be
made of clay, polystyrene,
or by stereolithography.
Manufacturing begins
with an acrylic sheet.
It is heated to about
390 degrees fahrenheit
with ceramic elements.
The sheet becomes
soft and malleable.
So that it takes the
form of the mold,
thousands of tiny
holes in the shell
suction the sheet by vacuum.
The mold must cool
before it can be opened.
Powerful ventilators blow
air directly onto the mold,
lowering the temperature to
170 degrees in 4 to 6 minutes.
The ventilators
are then withdrawn.
Then the shell is easily
removed from the mold.
It weighs a mere 35 pounds.
To make a tub in another
shape, they change the mold.
They put in another
acrylic sheet.
The sheet is heated on the
ceramic and fiberglass mold,
the little holes vacuum
out air, and the job is done.
The molded acrylic sheet
is not sturdy enough
to be filled with water,
so it must be reinforced
with fiberglass.
This is the fiberglass.
Mixed with resin, it is blown
onto the mold by a robotic unit.
Stored in reservoirs,
the resin is carried
to the robot by pumps.
Here it produces
a chemical reaction
between the
fiberglass and the resin,
which produces
a reinforced shell.
Laminating is one of
the most important steps.
With brush and roller,
they eliminate all air bubbles
that could weaken the tub.
This makes the fiberglass
resin adhere perfectly
to the acrylic shell.
The process takes 75 minutes.
The shell is then transported
to the milling department.
The shell is dry and hard.
They can extract it manually,
but here they use digitally
controlled machines.
The operation begins
with the trimming of
the edges of the bathtub.
During this process,
the robot will pierce
openings for the drains,
the whirlpool jets,
and the air jets
for the overflow
and for ambient light.
The bathtub, almost completed,
is now sent to another workshop.
They can now install the
pump, the piping, and the blower.
These last operations
are done manually.
The pump is installed
for the whirlpool system,
as well as the pvc pipes,
whose joints have
been hermetically sealed
to prevent any leaks.
Finally, to make sure that
everything is functioning well,
each bathtub
undergoes a water test.
The tub is finally ready.
After 13 steps and anywhere
from three to five hours of work,
depending on the type of tub.
It almost invites
you to climb in.
Narrator: In the
world of aeronautics,
the helicopter is the ideal
go-anywhere machine.
Unlike airplanes,
choppers can move
in almost any direction
and take off and land
straight up and down.
Now that we've
"coptered" your attention,
let's see what goes into
building these whirlybirds.
Man has always wanted to fly.
And the versatility of the
helicopter has allowed him
to reach unexpected heights.
Plans for a
helicopter are created
with catia 3-d design-assisting
computer software.
It takes 700 hours of work
between the drawing stage
and the assembly of the pattern.
The helicopter is
made of carbon fiber,
a composite material lighter
and stronger than steel,
protected by two
layers of green plastic.
The fiber is cut with a blade
controlled by ultrasound.
They lay on several
thicknesses of fiber
to make the rear fuselage.
The green light of a laser
helps position the parts.
Then with a heat gun,
they apply a beehive web
which increases the
solidity of the structure.
But the carbon
fiber is still soft.
To harden, it must be
baked under pressure
for 10 hours in this autoclave
oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit.
The pieces exit the oven
and head for machining.
The door of the motor
housing is kept in a cutting jig
and is shaped with
a manual shaper.
Before installing the parts,
they strike the carbon fiber
with a resonance hammer
to detect any faults.
The electrical harness
is mounted on a pattern
before being
installed in the aircraft.
This particular helicopter
has 2,570 yards of wiring,
but others can
have almost 6 miles.
The wiring will be connected
to the flight-instruments panel,
the brain of the helicopter.
This aircraft has 9,964 rivets
fastened with a gun and a ram.
They also apply a sealant
to prevent
corrosion-creating humidity.
They now assemble the
helicopter's rear fuselage.
Piece by piece, the
aircraft takes shape.
They will install mechanical
components later.
The motor arrives.
This one weighs 260 pounds
and has to be carefully handled.
Among the other
parts to be installed
is the circular plate on which
the blades will be attached.
Safety is primary.
The screw-nut
holes are perforated,
allowing for the insertion
of the brake cable.
This tightly braided metal wire
prevents the nut from loosening,
due to strong vibrations.
Now they bolt on
the four blades,
which makes the helicopter fly.
Weighing 90 pounds each,
they're made of composite
materials and an aluminum alloy.
They're attached
to the main rotor.
The dashboard is
installed in the cockpit,
and all the wires are hooked up.
Contact is established, and
all is functioning properly.
The last step -- finishing
the interior of the craft.
They install seats,
safety belts, the consoles,
bulkheads, windows and
doors, as well as the trimmings.
The helicopter is
almost completed,
but it still has to be painted.
When done, the
helicopter is towed
outside the assembly hangar.
Flight tests are performed
to make sure that mechanical
and electrical components
are functioning properly.
It requires an
average of 110 days
to assemble the
more than 3,000 parts
of a helicopter like this one,
and they turn out almost
185 units each year.
These 3-ton engines are capable
of reaching speeds of 140 knots
and flying at a maximum
altitude of 20,000 feet.
Narrator: Beer has been around
for as long as
civilization itself.
Historical records show that
ancient peoples made beer
with barley, hops,
water, and yeast.
We still use the
same ingredients,
but as you'll see,
today's production
technology is far more complex.
Beer has been drunk since
4,000 b.C. In mesopotamia.
The sikaru made it
as a sacred beverage
from grains but without hops.
The gauls and the celts
drank a beverage made
with barley, wheat, and rye.
During the crusades,
Europeans discovered spices
and flavored the beverage
with cinnamon and laurel.
In the 15th century, nordic
peoples used hops as a spice,
giving rise to the
beer we know today.
Beer is a fermented beverage
made with cereals and water.
The company has its
own water-filtration plant.
It will be refiltered
before being used
to eliminate chlorine.
This materials tanks can
hold 21,000 gallons of water.
Between 11 and 16 tons of
malt and another grain are added.
They use dark malt,
which has been heat-treated
to a high temperature.
The mixture will
spend two hours here.
An agitator prevents malt husks
from settling to the
bottom of the tank.
Turbulence from the
pumps during the transfer
causes the formation
of this protein foam.
The wort is in the
process of being extracted
and will be boiled.
About five hours have passed
since the brewing process began.
Here they draw off a sample.
They will make
other control tests
at various stages of brewing.
This is the draff, a solid
residue extracted from the wort.
It will be used as cattle feed.
Here is a close-up
view of the draff.
Then the liquid is filtered.
Here's the filtration tank
where the wort is separated
from the malt husks.
A sample is withdrawn
from the wort heater
to verify the density of sugars
and the quality of the wort.
Now another
ingredient -- the hops --
is added into the wort heater.
The hops impart the bitterness
and aroma particular to beer.
The hops looks like this.
They can now start the brewing.
In the control room,
an operator handles
the data-control system
of the brewing process.
They add in the yeast, which
starts off the fermentation.
This process lasts
between 7 and 10 days.
This foam indicates that
fermentation has begun,
and sugars will now
transform into alcohol.
Each fermentation tank
is computer-controlled
to maintain a
specific temperature.
During fermentation,
chemical reactions create
the scum that we see.
Now aged for three weeks,
the beer is almost finished.
We see here the bottling tanks.
The beer has to be
filtered once more.
Exiting these filters,
the wort is clarified,
then rid of the components
responsible for the
cloudiness of the beer.
Here's the beer
filtered a second time
And finally finished,
as a clear product.
Used bottles are now washed.
After their wash cycle, the
bottles have become sterilized.
Empty bottles arrive on
this plate, ready to be filled.
About 1,000 bottles a minute
are filled while on the move.
Then they pass to the capper
before being sent
to the pasteurizer.
Only two steps remain.
Labels are glued
onto the bottles,
then they're sent by
conveyor to be put in cases.
Made from water
and cereal grains,
the beer is now ready to
be consumed and enjoyed.
--Captions by vitac--
captions paid for by
discovery communications, inc.
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