Custom Running Shoes
Axes
Racing Karts
Animatronics

Poorly fitted shoes can ruin a runner's day.

They can compromise the runner's gait and lead to injuries.

It's why custom-made running shoes have become popular.

Tailored for one specific pair of feet, they give the runner the necessary support to go the distance.

Thanks to the use of synthetic materials, the running shoe is more lightweight and flexible than ever before.

Customizing these shoes takes the concept one step further.

They start by taking a precise 3-d laser scan of each foot.

Then the runner steps onto a device called a pressure plate.

Rubber tipped pins sprout up around the foot.

This technique creates an exact outline of the sole, including the arch.

Next, a high-pressure water jet cuts through synthetic fabric like a knife.

A computer guides the cuts, following the measurements from the scans.

The cutouts will be used to make the upper-- that's the part of the shoe that wraps around the top of the foot.

A seamstress sews together the cutouts, creating the basic shell of the running shoe's upper.

Uppers come in a variety of colors, and when a shoe is custom ordered, the athlete can choose.

After holes for the laces have been punched into the upper part of the running shoe, the seamstress stitches on stripes-- a trademark look for the company.

She sews the tongue and a fabric innersole to the upper, using rounded stitching that will prevent fraying.

The innersole joins the two sides of the upper, and this custom running shoe is starting to come together.

But this shoe needs shape and structure before it's ready to pound pavement.

So, the next worker inserts a plastic replica of the athlete's foot, called a last, into the shoes.

She glues fabric to the heel of each shoe, and then pounds and presses it to ensure the fabric adheres.

Left to sit for five hours, the shoes conform to the shape of the custom-made lasts.

But if the measurements are even slightly off, they'll scrap the shoe and start again.

It's time for the foam midsoles.

The workers cut the foam with dies based on the individual's feet.

The foam is dual density for maximum performance.

He sands each midsole, beveling the tips.

This will make for a smoother landing when the foot hits the ground.

The outsoles are next.

The worker sculpts these treaded rubber soles along the same lines as the midsoles, so they'll fit together perfectly.

He glues the mid and outer soles together.

To make sure this job really sticks, they squeeze the two soles together using a hydraulic press.

In a custom shoe, the athlete can also choose the tread.

A deeper tread is more appropriate for trail running, and a shallower one will grip pavement better.

The worker now glues the bottom of the shoe to the top.

The sole is made a little larger than the fabric upper, which allows her to fold it around the upper for a neat finish.

A machine they call the claw applies pressure to enhance the bonding of the sole to the shoe.

Then they insert a memory foam insole which melds to the shape of the foot.

This insole is also breathable and has been treated with an antibacterial agent.

The athlete's name on the heel is the final personal touch for these custom running shoes.

They've taken about five days to make, but they're ready for a marathon.

Ever since primitive times, humans have been using axes to chop wood.

The first axes were simple, sharpened stones, but when a handle was added about 35,000 years ago, it increased the force that could be applied with each strike, and that gave the ax much greater impact.

Today, the ax hasn't lost its edge.

Despite the proliferation of mechanized tools, it offers a low-tech, hands-on way to get the job done.

A modern ax starts as a cylinder of high-quality steel.

A ram nudges it into an induction furnace.

The intense heat makes the steel white hot and pliable, allowing it to be stretched and shaped.

A powerful press then pounds the steel into a series of dies to further define the ax profile.

A cutter head trims the edges.

Operators now transfer the ax to another ram, which presses it into a die to straighten and level it.

Then it's on to a revolving rack for a half-hour to cool down and harden, just enough so they can be handled.

A worker loads dozens of the axes into a tumbler.

They are tossed about with tiny steel pellets, and the resulting friction rubs scale from the surface of the steel and also smoothes the edges.

Then this worker presses the back of the ax head against a sanding belt to bevel the edges.

He sands the sides of the ax head for a smooth finish.

In just seconds, he sharpens both sides of the cutting edge.

It takes well-honed skills to do this with such quick precision.

He then polishes the neck of the ax against a narrower, finer-grit sanding belt.

And it's time for a dip in a special solution, heated to 1,500 degrees fahrenheit.

They then quench the red-hot steel in warm oil.

The abrupt temperature change hardens the metal so it's tough enough for any wood-chopping job.

At the next station, a worker assembles prepunched leather and plastic rings to build the ax grip.

She places the black-and-white plastic rings at each end of the leather pad, to give the grip a customized look.

The rings get progressively smaller as she tapers the grip to fit the throat of the ax handle.

It takes about 36 of the leather rings and 6 plastic ones to make one grip.

She transfers the grip pack to an assembly press...

And inserts the lower part of the ax, which has been lubricated with bees wax, into the grip's center holes.

A hydraulic ram drives it through.

The lubrication ensures this job doesn't hit any snags.

She now flattens metal prongs at the base of the handle to secure the grip.

The axes rotate as a long, abrasive belt rocks against the leather.

It sands the grip to make the layers flush.

A worker finishes off the job with a particularly aggressive sanding.

His handiwork makes this grip look really smooth.

A dip in clear lacquer brings out the grain of the various pieces of leather, and they appear to merge into one.

Once the lacquer dries, another worker polishes the exposed steel against a belt with a very fine grit.

The result is a glossy sheen that ensures this ax will definitely look good on the job.

It takes about two days to make one of these axes, but they're designed to last a lifetime.

Kart racing is an international motor sport that has a huge following, especially in europe.

The karts look a bit like miniature formula-one racecars but have no suspension system.

Kart racing can be even more exciting than f-1 because of their small size and increased maneuverability.

this italian-made racing kart-- with its one-cylinder, 125cc engine-- reaches speeds of 110 miles per hour.

An aluminum case houses all the engine components.

A computer-guided drill bores various holes for installing them.

First in-- the engine's six steel gears.

Each gear is actually comprised of several gears.

They thread them onto a shaft.

Then everything goes into the gear box.

Behind the gears goes the gear shifter, which the driver operates with a lever.

Next comes the drive shaft.

It turns a chain that rotates the axle on which the rear wheels are mounted.

On the other side of the engine case, they install the drive-shaft gears.

These ensure the shaft rotates at a stable and controlled rate.

The red markings help the technicians align the gears.

The clutch cover closes up the gear box.

The clutch's main housing, called the drum, contains the clutch disks.

These disks transmit crankshaft motion to the gear box, which turns the drive shaft, which moves the chain that rotates the rear wheels.

Thick steel springs grip and release the clutch disks.

This flap component, called the lameli pack, controls how much fuel enters the engine.

Stepping on the acceleration pedal creates a vacuum that opens the flaps and sucks in more fuel.

The cylinder houses the piston that rotates the crank shaft.

This engine head seals the cylinder in which the combustion cycle occurs.

The ignition goes on the left side of the engine.

The engine is now finished and ready for a bench test.

Technicians use special instruments to monitor and calibrate its performance.

The racing kart's chassis is made of steel tubing.

At the back, they mount bearings to hold the rear axle.

Then they mount the axle itself and on it-- brake disks.

They attach brake calipers to the chassis.

Under braking, they squeeze the disks to stop the wheels from turning.

After measuring again, to ensure the rear axle is perfectly centered, they lock it into position in a way that enables it to rotate, of course.

Now for the steering system.

At the front of the chassis, technicians mount a spindle on each side.

The spindles turn the kart's front wheels.

Once technicians fasten the steering column up top, they connect tie rods to the spindles.

Tie rods transmit the rotation of the steering column, via the spindles, to the front wheels.

Next, technicians mount two spring-loaded pedals in front of the chassis.

The brake system is hydraulic, meaning that pressurized fluid activates the calipers to grab or release the brake disks.

Next come the wheel humps on which the tire rims go.

Then the engine...

Followed by the tires...

And a fiberglass driver's seat, which, due to the lack of suspension, lets the driver feel every inch of the track.

Finally-- the steering wheel and a data recording device that tracks everything from speed and lap time to tire and exhaust temperatures.

Animatronics is the construction of robotic puppets that move in a lifelike way.

You often see animatronic characters in science-fiction movies, as well as theme parks and carnivals.

Please be advised that this segment contains images which may not be suitable for younger viewers.

When it comes to the horror genre, the more gruesome the animatronic character, the better.

Meet crazy kristen.

She starts out as a hunk of clay.

Her creator sculpts her form on a vertical table.

Once he finishes her shape, he switches to finer tools to craft her gory features.

He uses water and a sponge to give her skin realistic texture.

Once the clay is hardened, they lay crazy kristen on her back and drown her in gypsum plaster.

In an hour or so, the plaster sets, and they remove the sculpture, creating a mold from which they'll produce multiple crazy kristens.

The mold is quite heavy, so for easier handling, they sever the body in two.

Then they'll fill each mold cavity with liquid latex rubber.

A three-millimeter skin soon hardens against the mold cavity wall.

They suction out the remaining liquid latex.

Meanwhile, they weld together a steel skeleton, a grate for her rib cage, a strip for her spine, chains for her arm bones, ball bearings for her joints, and steel reinforced rubber for her neck.

So far, crazy kristen has skin and bones.

Now she needs flesh.

They fill each mold cavity with expanding polyurethane foam.

To control the expansion, they cover the top with a plastic sheet and guide the foam with their hands.

The lower body doesn't require an inner support structure because it's immobile-- just steel chains in the legs to hold them in place.

Once the foam hardens, it's safe to extract crazy kristen's body from the molds.

They trim off excess latex along the perimeter.

Then sit her upper body on a large swiveling ball bearing mounted on a vertical metal base.

They insert a pair of rods through holes in the base.

Each rod is bolted to a plate sitting on those ball bearing joints in her skeleton.

The other end gets welded to the base.

These cylinders are pneumatic, meaning air pressure opens and closes them, making crazy kristen thrash about.

It's all controlled by this digital device they mount on a guitar amplifier.

It sends electric pulses that control the pneumatic cylinders.

An actress records the accompanying shrieks and moans.

they transfer the soundtrack to the digital control box.

The box triggers the sound effects, along with the movement.

It's time to apply crazy kristen's makeup.

For her skin colors, they use a half-and-half mixture of house paint and liquid latex rubber.

For her eyeballs, they use off-white opaque ink.

Then they airbrush the iris...

And paint in the pupil with the stick end of a small brush...

A few veins with a red pen...

Airbrushed ink on her mouthguard...

And finally clear epoxy over her eyeballs, to make them glassy.

They top her off with a wig, mount her lower body to the base, then complete her look with a straitjacket, because crazy kristen's home is the insane asylum.


Clay
Pitted Prunes
Spurs
Polyurethane Tires

The origin of so many useful things is muddy-- from bricks to tiles to dinnerware.

Even the kitchen sink can be made from clay.

Clay is a component of soil that, when wet, has a certain plasticity that allows it to be shaped into hundreds of things.

There are many shades of clay.

The whitest is the purest and used to manufacture things like dinnerware, sinks, and tiles.

Clay isn't just dirt.

It's one of the most valuable resources on earth.

To find it, they excavate topsoil and gravel at this site in kentucky.

They dig down as far as 80 feet.

The deeper they go, the whiter the clay.

A loader transfers it to a truck for transport.

Fresh from the earth, the moisture content of the clay is between 15% and 22%.

The particles of clay clump together, but the clumps can be easily broken up.

The clay will now be processed to a workable form.

It's a short drive from the clay pit to the factory.

They unload it in a building without walls so it will air dry a bit.

They do a visual inspection of the color and consistency.

Every few loads, they also do a chemical analysis of the mineral content.

This allows them to categorize the clay for specific purposes and for blending in different clay recipes.

Next, they transfer the clay to a revolving tub.

The tub has knives that protrude up into it.

As it spins, the knives hit the lumps of clay to chop them into smaller pieces.

These smaller clay chunks flow out of the chopper and ride a conveyor into a hopper.

The hopper feeds the clay to a mill.

En route to the mill, the clay travels through fire-- a flame generated by a furnace below.

This is called flash drying, and it brings the moisture content down to 1% to 2%-- the right consistency to now grind it into a fine powder.

The grinding mill is a shaft with numerous hammers sandwiched between steel plates.

As the shaft turns, the hammers will swing to grind the clay lumps into a powder.

The mill will also blend different kinds of clay to create specific products.

They put the cover on the mill and set it in motion.

The hammers pulverize the different clays into a powder.

Overhead, a machine sucks up the ground clay, using spinning blades and a vacuum.

The cyclone effect lifts up the clay particles and leaves heavier impurities like sand behind.

The result is a purer clay blend.

Here are various clays now dried, pulverized, and purified.

They run numerous tests on clay.

For this one, the technician presses the clay powder into a cake-like disc, using a hydraulic press.

At the same time, he weighs the clay.

Weight can indicate the clay's pliability and the speed at which it can be cast.

He fires the clay disc in an oven overnight and examines the color to confirm that it's the desired hue.

Over at the packaging station, a worker hangs open bags on spouts, which will fill the bags full of dry powdered clay.

The customer will add water and other ingredients to turn this particular blend into a glaze for things like tiles and sinks.

In powdered form, the clay is lighter and cheaper to ship.

Some customers prefer wet-processed clay, even though it's heavier.

For that, they add water and chemicals to make a slurry.

They pump the slurry through a sieve to screen out impurities.

The clay slurry now flows into big mixing tanks, where it remains in a constant state of agitation.

Continuous mixing keeps it fluid.

Without it, the clay would thicken to the consistency of peanut butter.

On delivery day, they pump it into tanker trucks.

At another factory, this particular batch will be used to make sinks or tubs.

The next trucks will likely be headed somewhere else.

You never know what will be made from this product of the earth.

Among dried fruits, none inspires a gut reaction like prunes.

Eating them is one way to kick-start a lethargic gastrointestinal system.

High in fiber, sweet and chewy, prunes are actually dried plums, and they're a delicacy that's as old as civilization itself.

Prunes have been found in ancient egyptian tombs, placed there to snack on during the journey to the next world.

Fast-forward to today, and people are still snacking on prunes.

They also add them to salads, muffins, and main-course recipes.

It all starts with the growing stock.

Not all varieties of plums are suitable for drying.

At this california orchard, they grow the d'agen plum--  a european variety.

Harvesting machines shake the trees by the trunks, and the fruit rains down onto a conveyor, which delivers it to bins.

They then truck the plums to the receiving plant...

And unload them directly into a washing system.

Tree leaves float to the surface of the water to be removed.

The plums exit onto a table that vibrates to distribute them evenly so they land on trays in fairly equal amounts.

A paddle overhead levels them on the trays.

Machinery stacks the trays of plums on racks.

The plums are now ready to dry.

They're about 80% water when they enter the dryer.

16 hours of heat exposure brings the moisture content down to 19%.

Plums were once sun-dried as a means of preservation, but a modern industrial dryer produces more uniform results.

The dried plums travel under a vacuum that sucks out sticks or stems.

Then the prunes travel to a shaking conveyor with a lot of different-sized holes.

The first holes are the smallest, and they become progressively larger to sort the prunes by size.

They fall into separate bins below.

The smallest fruit will be used for breakfast or diced product.

The largest prunes will end up as snack food.

Preserved by drying and now sorted, they can be stored for months until processing.

At the processing plant, the prunes head into a super-sized steam cooker.

They spend 18 minutes in there.

The steam cooking partially rehydrates them, softening the prunes so the pits can be removed more easily.

They must now remove the pits before the prunes start to lose moisture and become too dry for the job to be done efficiently.

The prunes speed towards the pitting operation and flow into five lanes.

Each one leads to a separate pitting line.

With five different pitting lines, they'll process hundreds of prunes a minute.

Clamps close around the prunes, securing them for knives to push out the pits.

The pits will be ground up and added to animal feed.

The pitted prunes make a soft landing on a rubber conveyor, which takes them into a laser-detection center.

The laser finds pits or pit fragments and relays the information to a computer.

The computer activates air jets that blast out the unwanted material.

It happens so fast, it's all a blur.

On another shaker conveyor now, the prunes bounce towards a big drum.

The drum revolves slowly to gently toss the prunes as they pump in a preservative, flavorings, and oil.

The prunes absorb the ingredients as they tumble around in the drum.

At this point, they sample the moisture content of the prunes every 15 minutes.

The technician grinds and compresses some prunes into a disc.

She drives an electrode into it to gauge the moisture.

It should be between 28% and 32%-- enough to improve the texture, but a lot less than fresh fruit.

It's time to wrap things up.

Sectioning arms open the bags.

Feeders dispense a precise amount of pitted prunes into them.

A heated device then melts the ends of the plastic bags together to seal them.

They produce 120 bags of prunes a minute at this factory, so adding fiber to one's diet shouldn't be a problem.

If you ride horses regularly, chances are you own a pair of spurs.

Spurs strap onto the heels of riding boots.

Each spur has a small wheel, usually spiked, with which the rider prods the horse to get it to start moving or move faster.

The anatomy of a spur is elementary.

The wheel, called the rawl, is mounted in the shank.

The shank is connected to the heel band.

The heel band is held to the boot by a leather strap.

The metal parts are made from a strong, yet flexible, type of steel.

A computer-guided laser cuts the starting shape for the heel bands.

A quick strike of a press stamps them with the company name.

Next, workers smooth and bevel the edges, using a sander outfitted with a special belt for grinding metal.

Next, they hammer the piece around a steel block, cushioning the blows with a piece of wood to avoid marring the surface.

The block is shaped exactly like the heel of the boots for which the spurs have been ordered, ensuring a custom fit.

They heat evenly with a torch.

This relaxes the steel around the block so that the heel band permanently registers this shape.

Then, some final taps to lay the band completely flat against the block.

This perfects the shape.

They submerge the heel band in cool water.

This tempers the flexible steel, rendering it hard and stiff.

Then, with a fine-grit belt, they sand away any surface imperfections.

A pair of spurs is made up of some two dozen steel pieces, all of which go through the same prep as the heel band.

Once all the parts are ready, workers precision weld the shank to the mid-point of the heel band.

Next, to each side of the heel band, they weld a pin, which holds a pivoting arm.

These swingarms, as they're called, hold the leather strap that retains the spur to the boot.

To make the rawls, they trace a template on steel, then cut along the lines with a metal band saw.

If the rawl shape is elaborate, a computer-guided laser cuts them out.

After sanding the rawl thoroughly to smooth sharp edges which could cut the horse, they mount it to the shank with a stainless-steel pin.

Then they weld the back of the pin.

Now the artistry begins.

A craftsman creates decorative overlays in sterling silver.

He cuts their shapes with a jeweler's saw, draws a design, then, using an array of engraving tools, meticulously carves it out.

He cleans the back of the overlays with flux-- an acidic chemical--  then coats them with solder.

The trick is to apply just enough to bond the silver to the steel.

Too much would overflow and ruin the front.

By the time he gently applies each overlay to the spur, the solder has cooled and solidified, so he warms the steel with a torch from underneath.

This reheats and liquefies the solder, which then cools and resolidifies, bonding the silver to the steel.

The heat causes some discoloration, which he easily removes with a bit of flux.

Once all the silver overlays are soldered to the spur, workers polish them on a cloth buffing wheel.

The finishing touch-- they submerge the spurs in a tank containing a chemical solution called gun bluing.

It turns the shiny steel parts black.

To produce an antique brown, rather than black finish, workers heat the spurs in an oven, then apply a chemical which tints the steel.

Now for the leather straps.

An artisan tools the leather entirely by hand, dyes it, attaches a stainless-steel buckle, then sews tabs on both ends that hook to the swingarms on the heel band.

This shiny set of spurs is ready for some horsing around.

Many low-speed vehicles have tires made of polyurethane foam, rather than air-filled rubber tires.

Polyurethane doesn't deteriorate in sunlight, nor does it dry out over time.

And if the tire is made entirely of the closed-cell type of foam, the tire won't go flat.

Polyurethane tires are designed for low-speed vehicles, such as baggage carts and ride-on lawn mowers.

This particular type of polyurethane foam has a closed-cell structure, which prevents a flat, even if the tire gets punctured.

Millions of air bubbles encapsulated within the foam give it the required bounce factor.

The first step is to take an aluminum model of the tire and make a production mold with it.

This one's for a forklift.

The mold will have two halves--  each one lined with a tread ring to prevent the cast tire from getting stuck in the cavity.

To make each half of the mold, they center the model in a base, then fill the space around it with polyurethane elastomer, which is a solid type of polyurethane, as opposed to the foam type they use to cast the tires.

They stir gently to move air bubbles to the top...

Then heat those bubbles with a small propane torch to burst them.

With the help of a heated table to speed things along, the material solidifies in approximately 15 minutes, at which point, they extract the half-mold...

And, with the utility knife, trim its rough edges both inside and out.

Then they mate the two halves, and the production mold is ready.

Whereas most companies buy foam mixtures ready-made, this one blends its own, in order to have strict control over the formulation.

Technicians weigh out the chemical ingredients manually with a high-precision industrial scale that's accurate to within 1 1/2 ounces.

A propeller-shaped blade mixes the ingredients for half an hour, moving everything from top to bottom more than 300 times and drawing it out of the corners of the container.

This ensures the mixture is evenly blended throughout.

Before using this foam to cast the tires, a quality-control test.

They take a sample from the batch and let it rise and set, which takes about a minute.

Then they cut a piece of a specific size, weigh it, and calculate the density.

If the sample meets specifications, the batch is a go.

Just before filling the two halves of the mold with polyurethane foam, they lubricate the cavity with a release agent.

This prevents the tire from sticking to the mold when they extract it.

A press keeps the mold closed and in place on the filling machine.

The machine spins the mold while the foam flows into the cavity through a hole at the top.

The spinning creates centrifugal force that distributes the foam into every nook and cranny.

In less than a minute, the foam, although not yet fully cured, is solid enough to be extracted.

They open the mold, remove the tread ring, then dislodge the cast tire with a short blast of an air gun.

They trim the excess foam from the center.

It can be ground up to make other products, such as floor mats.

Here's what the tire looks like before...

And after trimming.

The polyurethane foam takes 24 more hours to fully cure, then the tires are ready to roll.

This company sells tires with and without painted steel rims.

Rim installation is simple.

They place the rim on a base, followed by a mounting cone, then the tire.

A press snaps the center of the tire over the edge of the rim.

Besides making the tire flat-resistant, the closed-cell structure of this polyurethane foam doesn't absorb water, meaning wet conditions don't hamper performance.

The tire is also u.v. resistant and withstands high abrasion, so it typically lasts two to three times longer than an air-filled tire used on the same vehicle.


Peaked Caps
Custom Water Heaters
Electric Boats
Fencing Foils

Throughout europe in the late 1700s, peaked caps were traditionally worn by industrial workers.

Today, they are worn by professionals such as security personnel, members of the military, and police officials that wear uniforms.

In the united kingdom, some police officers still wear the classic custodian helmet, but now many officers have chosen to wear the lightweight, comfortable, and practical peaked cap.

To make these caps, a hat maker, or a milliner, assembles a number of components using patterns to cut out the required pieces of wool, foam, and plastic.

A milliner bends a strip of polypropylene plastic into a circle.

She sews the joint with a high-strength thread, creating the hat band that will go around the head.

She positions a smaller piece of polypropylene, known as the badge support, and sews it in place.

The support will prevent the weight of a police badge from distorting the shape of the hat.

These crescent-shaped components are pieces of wool glued to thin, flexible foam.

She sews the crescents together, creating a circular piece, which will form the bevel.

She uses a specialized, long-arm sewing machine, which has been customized to make hats.

The seams are carefully ironed flat to prevent any bulging.

If the iron is too hot, the foam will melt.

Too cool, and the wool won't flatten.

She aligns two strips of 100% wool fabric and sews them together at the ends.

This piece will cover the plastic stiffener forming the outer band.

To ensure the sizing is correct, the milliner places the wool cover over the stiffener.

The stiffener is installed at the end of the production process.

Next, the milliner irons the seams of the band covers.

She finishes the band covers on a sewing machine known as a flat bed and creates a fold to hold the plastic stiffener and sews the edges together.

Then the band cover is sewed to the bevel.

While it's difficult to attach two pieces of cloth at different angles, this step creates an even seam that runs 360 degrees.

It takes at least six months of training to learn how to make hats.

The crown is made from three materials-- a combination of wool and foam, a polyester lining, and a protective-grade p.v.c. layer.

Once the three materials have been sewn together, the machinist trims the perimeter of the crown.

She marks the side edges and aligns them with the seams on the bevel.

Then she sews the crown to the bevel.

Having spent a great deal of time perfecting the skills, this milliner makes it look easy.

Finally, the components begin to resemble a hat.

Using a polypropylene template, the machinist positions and marks two spots on the bevel.

She places two small brass rings on a special device and aligns the marks with the device's posts, which cut out two holes through the fabric.

Then she places two cup-shaped rings on the posts, and the machine punches them down, forming eyelets for ventilation.

Next, the polypropylene stiffener is inserted into the hat.

Finally, the hat begins to take on its final shape.

The tag containing the hat's size is sewed on hat band.

She places a checkered-pattern band on the brim of the hat, called dicing or the sillitoe tartan.

The milliner inserts a replica badge through holes in the badge support and secures it with a pin.

This is a replica, since we can't show real police badges on tv.

Next, the milliner sews the peak onto the band.

It took a highly skilled milliner more than half an hour to sew this hat.

They might look straightforward, but peaked caps are surprisingly complex.

A home water heater stores and heats water in a tank.

This is how it works.

When you turn on a faucet, hot water flows out of the tank from the top, while cold water flows into the tank from the bottom.

Conventional water heaters are fueled by natural gas, electricity, propane, or oil.

This company custom-builds several types of water heaters for use with different types of heat sources, such as boilers, heat pumps, and solar panels.

Each work order includes a picture outlining the pipe configuration and the connecting valves, along with a list of the water heater's specifications.

To make a copper tank, a technician cuts a thick sheet of copper to a specified length.

He aligns the end of the sheet to the gradation on the table that corresponds to the tank's circumference.

Then he actives the guillotine blade with a foot pedal.

A computer-guided machine punches holes for the valves.

This water heater requires two valves at each end of the heating coil and one that will connect the water pipe to the tank.

The technician inserts the copper sheet into a mechanical roller.

The rollers apply pressure, forming the sheet into an open cylinder.

One end of the cylinder is clamped into a machine that welds linear seams.

The technician inserts the other end of the cylinder through the machine and joins it against the clamped end.

The machine is programmed to weld a seam to the length of the connected ends.

The technician monitors the welding arm through a u.v. lens to protect his eyes.

The machine stops automatically when it reaches the programmed seam length.

This process closes the cylinder with a strong, pressure-resistant seam, creating the water-heater tank's structural component.

Another technician places the tank's top on a press.

The press punches a hole for a threaded pipe fitting.

The fitting connects the pipe to the hot water.

Using a different press, the technician makes another hole into the cylinder for a threaded fitting.

This fitting connects to an electrical element that heats water in conjunction with a boiler.

Another technician makes the tank's heating coil by running a straight copper tube through three rollers.

The tube is bent under pressure, forming it into a coiled shape.

The heat from the boiler, pump, or solar panel flows through the heating coil, heating the water stored in the tank.

Since the copper-tube wall is too thin to weld, a technician uses a fusing technique known as brazing.

This metal-joining process brazes a flow fitting on one end of the heating coil and a return fitting on the other.

Next, the heating coil is placed in the tank.

The fittings protrude through a hole at the top and bottom.

The technician secures each one with a nut, then tightens the nuts with an impact wrench.

Like the dome top, the bottom component's edges are grooved, allowing the tank to fit perfectly into the cylinder base.

Once the top and bottom components are installed, the tank goes back to the brazing station for final assembly.

A welder brazes the top and bottom components to the cylinder, then he brazes a feed fitting to a hole near the bottom of the tank.

This location is where cold water enters the tank to be heated.

Next, a technician conducts a quality-control test.

He blocks the three fittings, fills the cylinder with air, then submerges the tank in water to check for air bubbles, which would indicate a leak.

A stainless-steel water heater is constructed just like a copper heater, except that they don't require any brazing.

A robot sprays the tanks with expandable polyurethane foam for insulation.

The customer selects the degree of insulation, one to four inches thick.

The foam takes just five minutes to cure.

As the tank stores hot water, the insulation reduces the amount of heat the tank loses over time.

Electrically powered vehicles may seem like a 21st-century phenomenon, but they were actually first invented in the 1880s.

During that time, they were very popular, until combustion-engine vehicles became the new normal.

Today, these electrically powered alternative-fuel vehicles are making a comeback.

This manufacturer produces a wide range of electric boats.

Thanks to powerful batteries, some of these vehicles can travel over 35 miles per hour.

Craftspeople apply a gel-coat skin to a mold, using a product derived from vinyl.

Then they layer on a dry fiberglass fabric and vacuum-bag the entire assembly.

The vacuum suction draws in liquid resin, infusing the material.

A craftsman marks a dry spot as a test point to monitor and ensure complete saturation.

The infusion process takes about two hours.

Once complete, the assembly will cure for four to six hours, depending on the general humidity and temperature levels.

Once cured, the assembly is removed from the mold.

Despite the structure's light weight, this deck is incredibly strong, rigid, and durable.

The fiberglass decks and hulls make up the boat's shells.

A craftswoman applies a high-strength marine glue to a recessed area of the deck.

She installs an anti-skid deck insertion.

This material is a composite designed to resemble wood.

Unlike real wood, this composite material will last the lifetime of the boat and won't require any additional maintenance.

The craftswoman uses a roller to apply pressure evenly across the entire decking surface.

This step will eliminate any unwanted air pockets.

Next, a mirror-image decking section is applied to the other side.

A specialist installs the electrical-wiring harness.

To avoid corrosion, marine-grade wiring is stored in a sealed environment under the deck.

Since the decking is lightweight, it only takes two people to lift and install it on the hull.

The lip of the deck fits snugly into place.

The most powerful boat models require lithium-ion batteries.

These boats are built with military-grade foam.

The density of the foam adds structure, causing the boat to become unsinkable.

Using a hoist, technicians install the deck of a large, powerful electric boat.

The deck lip slides over the top of the hull.

Depending on the boat model, the manufacturer uses either lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries as a power source.

A specialist installs a series of marine-grade dc31 lead-acid batteries.

At 6 volts, 225 amps, they're similar to batteries used in cars.

By contrast, the 7.7-kilowatt lithium-ion batteries pack a charge of 48 volts.

The batteries are installed under the seats.

To create a watertight seal between the deck to the hull, a craftsman installs a rubber bumper around the perimeter of the boat.

Holes have been pre-drilled to avoid cracking when installation is complete.

This manufacturer sources their motors from an outside electric-motor company, which also builds motors for cars.

The fin, made of aluminum encased in marine-grade rubber, is installed on the bottom of the motor.

The propeller attaches to the motor with a zinc nut.

Two circuit boards located on board will send instructions to the motor.

A waterproof cover is placed on top of the circuit boards for added protection.

Locknuts with nylon washers will prevent unnecessary vibrations while the motor is on.

With the steering cables installed, the entire unit pivots right and left, allowing the pilot on deck to steer.

The powerful motor is equivalent to a 10-horsepower combustion engine, and because it sits in the water, it stays cool and quiet.

Finally, a craftswoman places the boat's sun canopy over the framework.

This will allow customers to add solar panels for charging the boat.

Also, a customer can choose the colors for both their canopies and upholstery.

There's no denying that electric boats are the future of fun on the water.

Modern fencing is a sport consisting of three disciplines, one of which is foil fencing.

While in play, a lightweight foil sword is used to score points.

Points can be scored when the tip of a player's sword makes contact onto their opponent's torso.

A fencing foil is a piece of equipment that should only be used by trained professionals.

This sword doesn't have a sharp edge or pointed tip.

It's all about scoring hits.

Fencing foils are made out of thin steel bars.

The steel is a low-carbon, nickel-rich alloy that's strong yet flexible.

An automated saw cuts the bars to a length of 35 inches.

The bar will be stretched and shortened as it's transformed.

A forge heats and hammers the hilt end to a round shape, leaving the rest of the rod rectangular.

Here you can see the difference in the rod's shape.

Another forging machine softens the end of the rod and pushes the blade through a series of hammers.

This tapers the blade and stretches the steel, doubling it in size.

An operator clamps the tapered blade in a jig to hold it straight while the steel cools.

Then the operator slices the hilt end to length.

The excess steel will be recycled into new swords.

Next, the blades are heated in a 932-degree oven.

This step removes stresses and makes the metal less brittle.

After a second heating, the blades soak in oil to cool and harden.

The exposure to intense heat causes a rusty scale to form on the blade, so technicians clean it off.

A sword maker clamps the blades in a disc grinder.

The grinder carves a fine groove from the hilt to the tip.

The groove will house a wire for the electric scoring system.

The blade is cleaned to remove any remaining surface imperfections.

A spinning belt coated with an abrasive grinds all four sides of the blade.

Then the sword is polished using a buffing wheel and polishing compound.

You can see the difference this makes in the blade on the right.

The craftsman hammers the blade against an anvil to straighten out any kinks.

Then he inspects the blade.

If needed, the craftsman will make adjustments to the blade with a hammer.

Now it's time to work on the hilt end of the blade.

Another craftsman locks the end of the blade in a threading die, applies lubricant, and activates the automated system.

The system turns the sword in the die, carving out threads.

Then the threaded hilt is cut to length.

At the next station, a computerized laser engraves the company logo into the steel.

After the sensor barrel is installed on the end of the sword and the electrical scoring wire is placed in the groove, the technician applies glue to keep the wire secure.

The sword blade is placed in a rack that holds it in a bow-like bend.

This step will give the glued wire the flexibility it needs to bend with the rest of the sword while in use.

After the blade has cured, a pressure sensor spring is inserted into the barrel and capped with a sensor button.

The technician uses screws to hold the components together.

To assemble the hilt, the scoring wire is threaded through a hole in the guard so it can easily slide into place.

Then the sensor wire is connected to a socket.

The wiring assembly is covered with a plastic pad that allows the socket to protrude.

Finally, the pistol-grip handle is screwed into the threaded end of the blade.

This fencing foil is now ready for testing.

The technician plugs the fencing foil into testing equipment, then he places a one-pound weight on the sensor button and checks to see if it responds.

And the results are in.

This fencing foil is now ready to stand up to its competition.


Trucks
Adhesive Bandages
Computer Circuit Boards
Liquors

Today on "how it's made"...

Trucks-- we'll tell you haul[all] you need to know about them.

Adhesive bandages-- we'll stick to the facts in this report.

Computer circuit boards-- letting the chips fall where they may.

And liquor-- we distill the whole process for you.

Whether your rig of choice rides on 8, 10, or 18 wheels, trucks have got the goods, and they get them to where they have to go.

Trucks not only transport most of today's consumables, they're the undisputed kings of the road.

Fabricating these massive trucks requires many highly complex steps since the parts are usually heavy and tricky to handle.

Assembly begins with the fabrication of the bearing frame, the main part on which the truck's cab, motor, and transmission will rest.

They begin by assembling these tempered-steel stringers, beams varying in length between 25 and 43 feet.

The chassis is made as a huge meccano set.

The stringers are solidly attached together with nuts and bolts and tightened with powerful pneumatic tools.

Once assembled, the main chassis is transported to another stage of construction.

Now they're going to install the mechanical parts.

They start with the differential, the axle, and the springs' leaves.

The brake mounts are then put in place.

The plates installed in the mounts allow the truck to brake.

They install the wheel hub onto which the wheels will be attached.

Then the transmission shaft, which will power the driving wheels, is inserted.

They finish the rear-wheel assembly by mounting the heavy brake drum made of cast iron.

To facilitate the mounting, everything is assembled upside down.

With an overhead crane capable of lifting a 26,000-pound load, they then turn the part right-side up.

Next step, the motor-propulsion elements.

The transmission is bolted to the motor, seen here in yellow.

The motor-propelling elements comprise the clutch and the transmission, installed at the front end of the truck chassis.

A truck has between 6 and 10 wheels 22 inches in diameter.

The tire and wheel together weigh about 120 pounds.

Because of this heavy weight, the wheels are installed with the help of this powerful tool.

This bolt fastener allows tightening of all the wheel nuts at the same time.

The mechanical part is ended, and they now proceed with the cab assembly.

This begins with painting.

The cab is moved toward the front to facilitate the installation of various components.

This worker attaches the support for the horn to the roof of the truck cab.

Now for the cab's interior.

They begin by installing the dashboard, which weighs about 80 pounds.

Following this, they attach all the wires, the turn indicators, the speedometer, and the pedals.

The seats are then installed.

The cab work is now all completed.

It is bolted onto the chassis.

Now for the motor's hood.

They finish off with the lights, the exhaust pipe, and the mudguards.

The truck is now almost ready to hit the road.

They start it up and verify that everything's operating properly.

And it's now ready for delivery to the customer.

It requires 95 to 100 hours of work to assemble a truck like this.

In spite of their 11,000-pound weight, these trucks can move along at a top speed of 75 miles per hour, and they can carry a load of some 30 tons.

Cut your finger?

Well, you've got a couple of first-aid options.

You can wrap it up in bulky gauze or you can apply a flexible adhesive bandage.

If you're like most people, you'll take the bandage and save the gauze for your mummy costume next halloween-- from boo-boo to boo.

Adhesive bandages are made of various materials, among which is the main support called e.t.s.-- a fabric that's elastic in only one direction.

It's a fabric that will become the adhesive portion of the bandage.

This 6,000-foot roll of fabric can make 1.8 million small bandages or 300,000 large bandages.

A thin coating of glue is applied to one surface of the fabric.

Then it's heated to 120 degrees in an oven to puff it up, creating holes in the glue coating.

Then the fabric is newly rolled up into around 1,000-foot lengths.

Bandages are different sizes.

These blades cut the glued rolls into strips of varying widths.

These rolls are taken away and stacked, ready for the next step-- application of the little cushioned protective pads.

The material used for the pads is shown here as a large roll of fabric which will have to be cut.

Here, a machine cuts the fabric pads.

These extremely sharp blades have to be sharpened every six months.

The cushioned fabric is separated into narrow strips which will later be glued to the e.t.s. fabric.

The strips of cushioned fabric are now ready to be applied to the bandages.

This is the machine that fabricates the bandages.

The roll of bandage components is unrolled.

The machine assembles them, then cuts and individually wraps them.

The bandages are wrapped one by one.

This machine applies the unprinted white wrapping paper that protects the bandages.

And now they proceed to packaging.

Packaging speed depends on the product, varying between 300 and 1,500 bandages a minute.

This roller perforates holes that allow the bandages to be easily separated from one another.

Strips of bandages are then placed into boxes.

Here we see other small bandages that are made in a different way.

The cushioned strip is positioned at the center of the e.t.s. fabric strip.

The cushioned pad isn't sterile at this stage.

They will have to be sterilized right at the end of the fabrication process.

Next step, applying two plastic paper protectors over the glue-covered ends of the bandage.

This done, the bandage is drawn by suction with a robotic arm and placed between two wrapping papers.

In slow motion, we see the wrapping action better.

This machine is much faster than the eye.

At full speed, it can wrap 300 bandages a minute.

The bandages exit the machine perfectly wrapped.

Certain types of bandages have to go through a sequential bandage machine to have aeration holes pierced in them.

These holes allow air to circulate and thus help promote healing.

These bandages are now ready.

Sometimes they print instructions on bandage wrappers.

This paper-printing machine is used with bandage machines.

Two polymer plates receive ink from a series of rollers in order to reproduce the desired design.

The bandages pass through at high speed.

Before being packaged, the bandages are finally sterilized 10,000 at a time.

Bandages are automatically counted here, placed in a chute, and fall into the packaging box.

The large role of e.t.s. fabric seen at the beginning will have allowed them to make nearly 2 million bandages.

Each year, this facility produces a staggering 4 billion bandages in 65 different models.

Computer technology changes quicker than just about any other industry on earth, so watch fast.

Electronic circuits have shrunk from miles of wiring to the size of a computer circuit board, and they're still getting smaller.

An electronic circuit board is a computer component that can produce spectacularly realistic scenes.

Animating this particular three-dimensional graphic took four months of work by artists and programmers with the aid of a g400 graphic processor by matrox.

A printed circuit board can be compared to a building composed of fiberglass floors, copper passageways, and stairs that link the floors between them.

Cards are assembled with two technologies-- surface wiring and wiring through the card.

The components are placed into the holes and soldered in place.

A stencil is used to apply soldering paste onto the card.

This paste will solder the surface components.

Here they place the stencil into the printing unit.

It is through these holes that the soldering paste will run.

The machine spreads the soldering paste, which contains, among other elements, a tin-lead alloy.

The printing blades go into action.

They spread the soldering paste onto the stencil.

This paste runs through the stencil holes and covers the metallic surfaces of the printed circuit board, which will establish the electric current.

Here's the difference between an unprinted card and another printed one-- the unprinted card's surface is much more shiny.

Now they're going to install the surface-wiring elements.

They're automatically positioned by this rapid-placement machine.

About 36,000 components are installed per hour.

That's about 10 per second.

This incredibly sophisticated machine is equipped with a viewing camera which verifies the alignment and dimensions of each part before installation, and it unerringly positions the part at the exact spot.

Another machine, slightly less precise than the previous one, installs parts where the space between two placement points is less than 2/100 of an inch.

It can install 8,000 parts in 60 minutes.

The card continues on its way toward the oven, which accomplishes an essential operation.

Once the parts are secured, the card goes into a convection oven, where the heat will solder the parts to the card.

Different circuit connectors through the card are inserted into their respective holes.

This operation requires great dexterity and is entirely done by hand.

The metallic placement points need to be soldered to the card.

The soldering of the circuit components through the card is done with a bath of molten tin-lead alloy at a temperature of 465 degrees.

Now everything is installed.

They have to do an initial electrical test.

The card is placed on a bed of electrified pegs.

These pegs make contact with the card's connecting points, allowing them to check for short circuits or open circuits in the card.

And then a final test-- a computer-aided operating test to see if the card is functioning perfectly.

This company fabricates 200 different circuit board models and produces about 4,000 cards each week.

The secrets behind the world's finest spirits and liquor all boil down to one simple recipe-- mix grain and water, then ferment and distill.

Add a few hundred years of tradition, and you begin to understand why these bottles are worth their weight in gold.

The principle of distillation was known to ancient romans who mastered the process.

However, we still don't know the precise ingredients they used.

In the middle ages, stills produced the first alcohols from wine.

The 7th century saw people making ethyl alcohol, and by the 15th century, the process was further refined, leading to the production of today's brandy, bourbon, cognac, and whiskey.

Dried corn kernels are the main grain used in making spirits.

Every day, 7 truckloads empty out 230 tons of it.

This corn will produce the basic ingredient for spirits such as whiskey, gin, crème d'amande, and amaretto.

The kernels are stored in these 80-foot-high silos, which can hold up to 275 tons.

This is the distillery control room.

They're going to make a recipe that's 95% corn and produces a neutral alcohol to which they will add other grains for color and flavor.

We see here the first step on this screen-- the milling of the grain.

Some 9 tons of corn flour and 5,000 gallons of water are introduced into this autoclave and cooked with live steam for 90 minutes.

Enzymes transform starch into sugar.

Then they add the yeast, which converts sugar into alcohol.

Fermentation lasts 60 hours at 100 degrees.

The bubbling we see is created by the action of the yeasts.

This cone removes the carbon dioxide, a natural by-product of fermentation.

Nearly 80 tons of carbon dioxide are drawn off daily.

Everything is monitored by computer.

Some 24 hours have now passed since the start of fermentation.

When this stage has ended, corn oil will come to the surface and is clearly visible by its reddish color.

The fermented mash has a 13% alcohol content.

They now move on to the next step-- distillation, which condenses the vapors of the mix.

It's in this three-column distillation system, at a temperature of 185 degrees, that the mash ferments and is distilled by live steam to separate the alcohol.

All the distillation columns are continually monitored.

During distillation, they dry the grains used in the recipe in this rotating drum.

The resulting product is called draff, and it will be used to make animal feed.

Distillation is now ended.

To aromatize certain gins, they add dried lemon skins, some cinnamon, or coriander.

Rum and whiskey will be aged in these 350,000 oak barrels.

While aging, these spirits will lose about 3% of their alcohol content annually through evaporation.

Also, the color gradually darkens.

They're now ready to draw out the liquid from the barrels and put it into bottles.

But first they have to verify the quality of the spirits.

They compare the standard product with the new production.

This test is highly important in order to assure the quality of the final product.

Bottling begins.

Here, 140 750-milliliter bottles of rum and spirts are filled every minute.

Clean bottles circulate continually on the conveyor, leading them to the filling machine.

Bottles are then filled automatically by this machine.

It allows an exact quantity to flow into each bottle.

The next step, a capper places caps on the bottles and crimps them onto the necks.

Then the sealed and labeled bottles head for the packaging department.

This other machine fills 120 bottles with 1.14 liters of canadian whiskey every minute.

In this distillery, some 20 different spirits are produced.

With 37,000 tons of corn kernels, they produce 44 million 750-milliliter bottles of spirits annually.


Mini GP Motorcycles
Fig Cookies
Tool Boxes
Pipe Bends

They're called mini g.p.s-- pint-sized motorcycles whose design is identical to that of the full-size motorbikes that race on the grand prix circuit.

Mini g.p.s are designed for kids 9 to 12 years old who aspire to one day race the big bikes.

A mini g.p. can reach speeds of 80 miles per hour.

Its chassis is made of steel tubing, to which they mount the handlebars along with the clutch and brake levers.

At both the front and back of the chassis, they attach a fork.

Then, between each fork and the chassis, they mount a shock absorber.

With a steel pin, they mount a wheel on each fork.

The black circle at the center is a brake disk.

Next, they install a brake caliper on each wheel.

When the rider applies the brakes, the caliper grabs the brake disk, immobilizing the wheel.

Now mechanics begin assembling the engine block.

Using a special tool, they install bearings that enable the gear shafts to turn.

The engine has six gears, each of which is comprised of several steel gears.

These go into the gearbox.

Next comes the gear shifter.

It connects the gears to the gear pedal that the rider operates with his foot.

Next they install the crankshaft.

The combustion cycle rotates the crankshaft, which turns the gears.

They close up that side of the engine and assemble and install the desmodromic spring.

When the rider selects a gear, this spring keeps it locked in position until the rider switches gears.

The engine turns a driveshaft that, via this pinion gear, moves a chain that turns the rear wheel.

On the other side of the engine, they assemble the primary couple and the various components that go into the clutch, such as clutch plates and the springs that stop and start clutch movement.

When combustion drives the piston up and down, it rotates the crankshaft.

The primary couple transmits power to the gearbox and clutch.

This is a one-cylinder engine.

They install the piston that drives the crankshaft, then mount the cylinder over the piston.

They close up the cylinder with a cylinder head, then mount the spark plug that ignites the fuel mixture, driving the piston up and down.

A head cover closes everything up.

Next they install the ignition.

It consists of two magnets called a rotor and a stator.

When the rotor turns, it generates an electrical charge that sets off the spark plug.

Time to install the finished engine.

They mount it to the chassis with support pins, front and back.

Next they install the water pump that prevents the engine from overheating along with the belt that drives the pump.

Then they mount the carburetor.

It mixes the fuel entering the engine with just the right amount of air.

Next they install the air filter.

It keeps out debris that would clog the engine.

Now the exhaust pipe, the fuel tank, the seat, and fairing, a plastic enclosure that shields the driver.

The final component is the chain connecting the driveshaft to the rear wheel.

The engine turns the shaft, which turns this chain, which rotates the rear wheel.

Mini g.p.s come in different sizes.

This particular model has a 50cc, 14-horsepower engine.

Pretty impressive for a kid's motorcycle.

The fig cookie is one of life's sweet mysteries.

Who hasn't wondered how they get the figs in that seamless pastry wrap?

It turns out that the automated system for producing fig cookies actually dates back to 1891, and it's what makes the fig cookie a snacking success.

Fig cookies are a modern way of packaging a fruit which has been consumed for millennia.

Making the fig cookie's pastry wrap begins with bags of sugar, which they empty into a big mixer.

A couple of buckets of corn syrup follow.

Then they add an emulsifier called lecithin and some vanilla flavoring.

The bowl tilts up for a quick mixing.

A worker adds organic bread flour and leavening ingredients to the mix.

They reactivate the mixer, which blends everything into a thick, sticky batter.

Once properly mixed, they transfer the batter into a large holding tank.

Meanwhile, they prepare the fig filling.

A worker loads big blocks of figs into a mixer, then adds a generous amount of crumbled cookies for texture and flavor.

They mix the two ingredients, then pour in corn syrup to add moisture and sweetness.

They add some salt and give the batch another quick mix.

They sweeten the fig mix some more by adding plenty of sugar.

And now the jam for the center of the fig cookie is complete.

The fig jam and the pastry are now positioned for a merger.

It will be a neat trick, and a special piece of equipment makes it possible.

It's essentially a funnel within a funnel.

Rollers press the jam through the inner funnel while pushing the pastry through the outer one, encasing the fig filling in a seamless pastry jacket.

Here's the process in action.

The system generates long rows of fig-filled dough, and that's how they get the fig jam in the pastry.

Next a technician carves through the dough and removes a few uncooked fig cookies.

It's time for a quick weigh-in.

This confirms that this batch of fig cookies will be exactly the right size.

Now it's into an oven that's longer than a bowling alley.

It bakes and browns the fig-filled ribbons of dough.

Here, a roller compresses the baked cookies so they'll fit into packages later.

An ultrasonic frequency makes this blade vibrate for a clean cut as it carves the rows of fig-filled pastry into cookies.

The fig cookies are still a bit warm from baking, so they now chill out on a trip through a freezer.

This cooldown avoids condensation problems after packaging, preventing mold growth.

The trip through the freezer also firms up the fig cookies so they're less likely to crumble during handling.

As she packs them, this worker examines each fig cookie for imperfections, and there's not one reject in the lot.

The next step is packaging, where a machine parcels up the snacks.

It moves trays full of fig cookies into a sleeve of metallic film.

Finally, rotating jaws heat-seal the package at both ends.

It's taken about an hour to make this package of fig bars, and it's about time for a snack break.

If the crowd is hungry, the whole package could be gone in minutes, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Thinking inside the box can be a good thing if you want to organize your tools, and of course we're referring to the toolbox.

Proper tool storage keeps any work site running smoothly and efficiently, and today you can really go big on the concept with units designed for mechanics and other pros.

With a professional toolbox, you'll never have to rummage around for the tool you need.

There's a place for practically everything in one of these mega tool chests.

It starts with a coil of heavy-duty steel.

It unwinds into a punch press that cuts the metal into panels and punches holes for later assembly.

Each of these panels will be transformed into a toolbox drawer.

They feed the panels into an automated bending machine.

It folds them on three sides to create the back and sides of the drawer.

It also folds over the rim.

This adds strength to the drawer and gives it a smooth edge.

The assembler slides the front panel onto the drawer, then an automated welding gun reinforces the seams and secures part of the lock mechanism.

To build the toolbox cabinet, a worker arranges stiffeners and lock-bar grids on the back wall.

Then it's over to a lineup of computerized welding guns.

These guns fuse the stiffeners and grids to the panel.

Each part gets numerous welds to ensure the unit really holds up.

The cabinet's side walls are next.

Workers prop them up with supports as they weld the panels to the back wall.

With the toolbox right side up, they install the top.

They turn the cabinet around and, working from the open front, slide the lock bars into their slots.

They then build the front framework and weld ledges for the drawers to the support grid.

They add a panel to the bottom end of the cabinet and weld the entire perimeter.

Now it's into the paint booth, where spray guns coat everything in a layer of powder paint.

The paint is tough and solvent-resistant so it will hold up to oil spills in a garage environment.

They install the rest of the locking mechanisms on the front of the cabinet.

Then, using a guide, press the adhesive-backed logo into place.

They now snap the drawer slides into holes on the cabinet's side walls.

These slides are equipped with roller bearings that will enable the drawers to open and close smoothly.

Here they make use of the holes punched into the drawers earlier.

A quick click, and the drawers are fastened to the sides.

The drawers come in a range of sizes to accommodate tools of different proportions.

The shallow compartments will hold wrenches and screwdrivers, while the larger ones have been made for the big power tools.

Workers now encase this mega tool chest in plastic and cardboard.

But this job is not quite wrapped up.

They tip the unit on its side and send it down the line to get wheels.

The prepackaging prevents dents and scratches along the way.

A worker bolts casters on each corner of the cabinet to allow it to be easily moved around in a garage or any other work site.

Add-ons can be purchased for these tool chests, so the storage possibilities are virtually endless.

That's an organizational approach you can't really mess with.

Natural gas and crude oil travel worldwide through underground and undersea pipelines.

These rugged pipes are manufactured in straight lengths, but of course a pipeline's route never runs in a straight line, so every turn or change in elevation requires a piece of pipe that's bent.

This factory specializes in bending steel pipe, which is manufactured in straight lengths.

A piece of pipe is typically 40 feet long and weighs up to 20 tons, so workers use a crane to move it from one operation to the next.

The first stop is a blasting machine that cleans the pipe.

To heat and bend properly, the surface must be clean and uniform, but pipe usually arrives at the plant dirty and wearing a coat of varnish to prevent rusting during transport and storage.

The blasting machine shoots grains of steel at high pressure for about an hour.

The pipe exits with its surface now clean and smooth.

From the blaster, it's on to the blender, which heats the pipe to about 1,800 degrees fahrenheit, then makes the bend.

A technician installs the induction-heating coil.

Induction heating allows greater temperature control, which is key to preserving the quality of the steel.

The coil doesn't actually touch the pipe, because that would cause a short circuit.

Next they clamp a pivoting arm to one end of the pipe, then power up the coil.

This generates a magnetic field that produces intense heat.

Cold-water jets confine it to the target area.

As a technician monitors and measures, the arm pulls the pipe through the hot coil at a specific speed, curving the softened steel to the same angle.

Water cools the pipe at a controlled rate, a process called quenching.

They must control heating and cooling precisely.

Otherwise, the steel will weaken.

Once the pipe exits the bender, workers verify the angle again.

They also verify the pipe's dimensions to make sure the bending process didn't distort them.

Now they cut off the straight ends, leaving just the curved portion.

Next the pipes go into a furnace for tempering, a 10-hour reheating and cooling cycle.

This relieves stress in the steel that bending created.

After tempering, pipes designed to go underwater go through a second quenching.

This gives the steel the right properties to withstand deep-seawater pressure.

Then, using an ultrasonic gauge, workers measure the thickness of the pipe walls, which changes with bending.

After another trip through the blast cleaner, workers apply a liquid that highlights even the most minute surface cracks that bending can induce.

If they find cracks, they scrap the pipe.

But defects are rare because the factory first performs test bends on sample pieces of pipe, then subjects those samples to a battery of tests.

The lab measures dimensions and wall thickness, then tests how much weight the sample can support before collapsing and how much stretching it can withstand before snapping.

Back on the factory floor, the pipe goes through another blasting.

Then workers heat it and spray on a protective coating that prevents corrosion.

It melds to the hot pipe.

Once the pipe cools, they stencil on technical specifications.

Then these pipe bends go off to join their straight counterparts.


Leather Basketballs
Flood Gates
Wood Panel Canvases
Shoelaces

In the early days of basketball, players used a soccer ball to play the game.

In 1894, a special basketball was designed.

It was laced and larger, with a circumference that was about 4 inches greater than the soccer ball.

For players, the new ball was a game changer.

Basketballs have evolved, but one manufacturer still makes them the old-fashioned way.

These laced brown leather balls honor the beginnings of the game.

To make this traditional basketball, a craftsperson cuts eight panels out of tough american cowhide.

These are rough cuts.

The shape will now be more precisely defined.

He places a sharp steel die on one of the panels.

Using a tool known as a clicker press, he applies pressure to drive the die through the leather and punch out the shape, cookie-cutter style.

He now cuts strips of nylon to a workable size using a utility knife.

The craftsperson then stacks up a dozen of the nylon strips.

Using the clicker press and same die, he cuts out patterns.

Because nylon is softer than leather, he can punch out many more at once.

He places one of the nylon patterns on the underside of a leather one and stitches them together.

The nylon backing stabilizes the leather, preventing stretching.

He now punches lace holes and notches in the nylon-padded leather panel.

Using a template, the craftsperson locates the spot for an air-valve hole and nicks it with a sharp tool.

He places a punch on the nick and strikes it with a hammer to cut out the air-valve hole.

He clamps a stamp of a company logo in a heated press.

As the stamp heats up, he moves it into a downward position and then slides the leather panel under it.

He lowers the hot stamp, and it burns the company logo into the leather.

Next, with the liner side up, he sews the basketball panels together, two at a time at first.

Doing this right takes practice.

The craftsperson then trims the polyester thread and then pounds the thick seam flat with a hammer.

He sews vinyl reinforcements to the two panels that have lace holes.

This will give the laced area of the basketball more structure.

The stitching will also frame the lace holes from the leather side to define and accentuate the lacing.

He adds another strip of vinyl.

This one will protect the inflated bladder inside the basketball.

He assembles the panels four at a time.

He leaves the section around the lace holes open to provide an entry point for the inflatable bladder.

He stitches the two halves together, again working from the inside of the ball.

This completes the basketball's outer casing.

The next craftsperson places the basketball casing on a steel post and pulls and tugs the casing to turn it right side out.

He now inserts the synthetic rubber bladder into the basketball.

He manipulates it so that the bladder's air valve lines up with the corresponding hole in the leather.

Using needle-nose pliers, he grabs the air valve and pulls it through the hole.

The craftsperson then rearranges the inner flap so that it's in a position to protect the bladder from the lacing.

He partially inflates the bladder.

Using a thick brass needle, he pulls a rawhide strip through the holes to neatly lace up the opening.

He then fully pressurizes the basketball, and the pressure from the bladder holds the laces in place.

He simply clips the end of the lace and tucks it in.

A replica of the original, this leather basketball is ready to bounce back.

Floodgates are sliding gates that are engineered to resist rushing floodwaters.

When installed at wastewater or water treatment plants they can be used to control the outflow and inflow of water in order to make operations more efficient.

That's why floodgates aren't just for emergency situations.

Sliding floodgates close to varying degrees to reduce the flow of water or stop it completely.

Making these sliding gates starts with a stainless-steel plate.

A crane lifts it over to a conveyor in front of a chamber that has a laser cutter inside.

The crane releases its suctioning grip, and the conveyor takes it into the chamber.

It's dark inside, but the laser doesn't need overhead lighting to do its work.

Computer software guides the laser as it cuts out parts for the floodgate frame.

It also precisely locates holes for assembly purposes.

Workers stack the laser-cut pieces and number them to categorize them for the next operation, called forming.

A worker inserts a part in a press brake numerous times to make multiple bends.

He shapes this particular piece into the bottom frame of the floodgate.

After forming the side frames the same way, a worker evenly spaces reinforcements along the entire length of them.

He tack-welds the reinforcements to the frame.

Using a carpenter's square, he measures the angle of the reinforcement to the side frame.

Satisfied that each reinforcement is perfectly perpendicular to the frame, he does the full welds.

Then the worker joins the two side frames and the bottom rail and welds the structure together.

He positions a stainless-steel ceiling frame at the midpoint of the structure and welds it in place.

Another worker tucks a polyethylene strip into the frame to seal it.

The strip also has a groove in it to accommodate the gate's sliding door.

He clamps the strip to the frame and then taps it with a hammer to entrench it more firmly into the frame.

He drills through holes in the side frame to make corresponding holes in the polyethylene strip and inserts the bolts in the holes.

He screws nuts onto the ends that protrude from the outside of the frame.

He now inserts a polyethylene strip in the horizontal ceiling frame, and he marks the strip to indicate the location for bolt holes.

He removes the strip and drills tapered holes for countersunk bolts in the locations he's marked.

He inserts a silicone strip in a recess in the seal, and he bolts it all together.

Once the frame is complete, another worker installs the floodgate's sliding door.

It will be raised and lowered using crank-operated gears.

The next worker closes off an opening used for an unneeded drive gear with silicone glue and a plastic stopper.

He slides a washer and bearing on the center shaft opening.

He places the upper housing on the bottom one to enclose the gears.

He secures the gearbox housing with numerous long bolts.

Next, powerful ridged rollers press a thread into a very long stainless steel rod.

This rod will serve as the floodgate's operating stem.

It's ready for installation.

A worker bolts one end of the stem to the slide gate while the other worker threads the gearbox onto the other end.

With the crank not yet installed, he uses a drill to spin the gears and test the operation of the sliding floodgate.

He confirms that the floodgate meets design specifications.

Then workers flood the surface below the floodgate with water and verify that nothing seeps through.

This proves that the floodgate is watertight and ready to hold strong in the event of an emergency.

Before artists put their brush to their blank canvas, they have to choose what type of canvas to use-- rudimentary, economical cotton or finer, more expensive linen, unstretched, or pre-stretched?

If pre-stretched, affixed to a wooden frame or glued to a wooden panel?

This type of artist canvas is made of fine-weave linen.

It's stretched over and affixed to a wood panel.

The hard backing prevents the linen from flexing under the paintbrush.

The face of the panel is made of a quarter-inch-thick baltic birch.

After cutting a piece with the dimensions of the finished canvas, a worker cuts pieces of sturdier basswood for the cradle.

After cutting a long strip in the required width, he measures and marks the lengths of the cradle's five parts, which include four perimeter pieces and a cross brace.

Then he cuts the parts.

He miters the edges of the perimeter pieces.

That means cutting the ends at a 45-degree angle, so the pieces mate when assembled into a rectangle.

To assemble the cradle, a worker spreads wood glue on the mitered edges of the perimeter pieces, then joins them to form a rectangle, clamping two of the corners to a 90-degree block to ensure the angles are perfectly square.

He reinforces the corner joints with v-shaped nails.

He removes the clamps and squares and glues the cross brace across the middle.

Once the worker checks that the cross brace is installed squarely, he nails it to the perimeter.

He applies a line of wood glue on top of the cradle perimeter and cross brace.

Then he places the panel onto the cradle.

The worker sets clamps all around the perimeter, then puts the cradle aside overnight to let the glue dry.

The next day, the worker sands any panel overhang flat, rendering the edge of the panel flush with the cradle.

They burn the manufacturing information into the back of the finished panel.

The linen they're using for this canvas is portrait grade, the finest and smoothest weave.

It's been primed with linseed oil to allow oil paint to penetrate enough to adhere but not absorb into the fabric.

He measures and marks the wood panel's dimensions, adding about 4 inches all around to have extra linen to wrap around the cradle.

Then he cuts along the lines.

The worker centers the cradled panel upside down on the linen and traces a line around it.

He flips the panel right-side up and coats the surface with special ph-neutral archival glue because ordinary adhesives contain acid which degrades the linen over time.

He flips the panel upside down again, carefully positions it within the trace lines and presses the panel firmly against the linen.

He mounts the assembly on a stretching machine.

Canvases must always be stretched to prevent contraction and expansion due to changes in humidity.

Starting with the longest sides first, the machine yanks the linen tight and folds it over the edge of the cradle.

A line of staples secure the stretched linen to the wood.

After stretching and stapling both long sides, the worker folds the corners neatly and staples them as well.

Then he rotates the canvas to stretch the short sides.

Once those are stretched and stapled, the wood-panel canvas is finished, and now it's the ready recipient of artistic inspiration.

The oldest shoe archaeologists have ever found is a 5,500-year-old leather hide moccasin with leather-cord laces.

Today we don't have to go hunt an animal to lace our shoes.

We can buy our shoelaces ready-made in a variety of materials, styles, lengths and colors.

This company produces shoelaces and shoelace-type drawstrings in a wide range of materials, including cotton, rayon and acrylic.

This run is producing polyester shoelaces.

A worker installs cones of fine polyester thread on what's called a creel, which feeds the bobbin-winding machines.

She groups the strands from eight cones and feeds them through one side of one machine and onto a bobbin.

Then she groups the strands from another eight cones and feeds them through the other side of the machine onto a second bobbin.

Each group of eight strands will produce one thicker polyester thread.

She programs the machine to wind a specific length of it.

Each cone holds enough fine thread to wind a 71-mile-long thick thread.

For this particular shoelace, the machine is programmed to wind 8,200 feet of thick thread per bobbin.

Another worker installs 20 of those bobbins on a braiding machine.

For each one, she passes the end of the thread through three eyelets, the second of which regulates the tension of the thread.

She gathers half the threads and ties knots in them so that they'll catch when she feeds them into the machine.

She starts up the braiding machine.

It draws in the knotted threads, which pull in the unknotted ones.

Then the machine begins braiding a continuous round shoelace cord.

These wheels apply tension to pull any loose braids tighter so that the corrected diameter is uniform.

The finished cord, which is about a mile long, collects in a barrel.

Some shoelaces are made of knitted, rather than braided, cord.

The cones of thread feed the knitting machine directly.

The machine's four latch needles can perform two types of knitting stitches to produce round cord.

Once the knitted, or braided, cord is ready, a worker adjusts four metal pegs of a winding device to the shoelace length they're making.

Then she winds the cord around the pegs up to 250 times, depending on the cord diameter.

She cuts the end and ties the cords together so that she can easily transfer them to what's called a tipping machine.

She runs the center of each cord over an acetone-saturated felt pad, then inserts it in the machine's die.

The die wraps a piece of acetate film tightly around the cord, then cuts it in the middle, producing a shoelace with a stiff tip, called an aglet, on each end.

This press applies a nickel-plated steel tip, a kind used on bag drawstrings.

The worker manually positions two tips directly on the cord with a slight gap in between them.

She activates the press to force them on, then cuts the cord in the gap.

This factory also makes rickrack, a flat zigzag trim that's sewn onto clothing.

These rickrack-braiding machines are 120 years old.

Each one holds from 13 to 73 bobbins of thread.

The more bobbins used, the wider the rickrack.

There are two ways to make multicolored rickrack or braided shoelace cord.

Mount different shades of solid color bobbins on the braiding machine or wind multicolored thread on each bobbin.

And for multicolored knitted shoelace cord, mount different shades of solid-color thread cones or multicolored thread on each cone.

To produce different shapes and sizes, this manufacturer uses different types of braiding and knitting machines, varying the number of bobbins or cones from eight to as many as 73.

An even number produces a round shoelace.

An odd number produces a flat one.

With so many possibilities, shoelaces can be fashionable as well as functional.


Metal Nail Files
Birch Bark Canoes
Cruiser Boat Hardtops
High Voltage Circuit Breakers

Today on "how it's made"...

Metal nail files.

Birch bark canoes.

Cruiser boat hardtops.

And high-voltage circuit breakers.

Throughout history, people have wanted nice nails.

And they used whatever they could get their hands on to make them look good.

Marie antoinette is said to have used a pumice stone file to shape her fingernails.

By the end of the 19th century, metal nail files became the norm.

Metal nail files can be used to grind and shape fingernails with a few strokes.

Their abrasiveness is the secret to their popularity.

Making metal nail files starts with a thick spool of stainless steel.

The steel unwinds at a steady pace.

A punch press wields 88 tons of hydraulic pressure to cut out nail file blanks.

The blanks spill into a bin and accumulate.

The blanks bounce around with ceramic stones and a mix of water and polishing solution.

This smoothes the rough bits on the blanks and also cleans them.

The nail file blanks then slide down a chute into a dryer.

This dryer doesn't use hot air to do the job.

Instead, a pulsating mass of hot corn grain soaks up the lingering liquid on the blanks.

As the blanks exit, some of the corn falls through a perforated conveyor to be reused.

The blanks continue on and land in a bin, ready for the next phase of production.

It involves the cutting of an abrasive grid on both sides.

It's a three-stage process.

First, a worker places the blank under a sharp tool that's angled at 52 degrees.

The tool pounds the blank repeatedly to cut angled grooves into it.

Here is the blank before and after the first cut.

He switches the cutting tool, and it carves over the first cuts on the opposite angle.

The third cut goes straight across the other two.

The ridges and valleys created by the cross cuts make the surface of the blank sharp.

The grid cutting has bent the still-pliable steel out of shape, so the worker now bends the nail files in the opposite direction, using a round form as a guide.

This restores their linear profile.

The carving process has also caused steel to bulge on the edges of the nail files, so he grinds them against a fine abrasive sanding belt to make the edges smooth again.

Next, he places the metal nail files in perfect alignment in a tray.

He transfers the tray of files to an oven.

The files bake for an hour at a temperature of 1,832 degrees fahrenheit.

The intense heat begins to alter the physical properties of the steel and is the first phase of a hardening process.

When the hour is up, he takes the red-hot tray of nail files out of the oven using tongs and then immerses them in a vat of cold saltwater.

This is called quenching.

The shock of the quench completes the hardening process.

Shielded by an enclosure, he sandblasts each nail file to remove stains left by the hardening process and to make the steel around the triple-cut grid shinier.

He places the handle into the nail file beneath a plastic stencil.

A stamp applies acid to the open areas of the stencil to etch brand information onto it.

Some nail files have plastic handles.

To make the handles, this machine melts plastic and injects it into molds.

The handles are stuck together by hardened flow lines or runners.

A few tumbles in this revolving drum knocks off the runners, separating the handles from them.

The worker places each handle under an automated printing head that soaks up ink from a pad and then stamps brand information onto the plastic.

Another worker heats the end of each metal nail file using copper elements.

She inserts the hot metal into the plastic sleeve, and the plastic melts a little to bond to the metal.

These metal nail files are ready for the grind.

For centuries, the canoe was indispensable to the indigenous people of north america.

Essential for hunting, fishing, transportation, and commerce, indigenous people often crafted their canoes from birch bark, which is lightweight, strong, waterproof, and rot-resistant.

Historically, different indigenous tribes constructed different styles of birch bark canoes.

This one is the type crafted by both the algonquian and eastern ojibwe.

Even today, the canoe builder crafts every component from water- and rot-resistant plant materials found in the forest, such as the exceptionally strong roots of black spruce trees.

After scraping off the bark with a tool crafted from a moose rib, this craftswoman cuts a slit in the top and pulls, splitting the long root into two strips.

She coils up each strip and puts it aside to dry out.

The canoe builder uses spruce root to bind structural components and lace together sections of birch bark.

To build the canoe's cedar structure, the builder connects end frames at the front and back with long strips of cedar called gunwales, then he lashes crossbars called thwarts to the gunwales with spruce root.

To make each end frame, he splits a piece of cedar many times to let it bend, soaks it in boiling water to soften the wood fibers, and binds the shape with spruce root.

Then the builder checks this curved part, called the stem, against the straight part, called the headboard.

If the proportions are right, he notches the bottom of the headboard to fit over the base of the stem, then lashes the parts to each other with spruce root.

He laces together several pieces of birch bark to make a sheet large enough for the canoe.

The builder saturates the bark sheet with boiling water and bends it up around a wooden template.

Then, on each side of the canoe, he sandwiches the top edge of the bark in between the two cedar strips that form the gunwale.

The builder shaves pieces of cedar to make straight, vertically laid planks and u-shaped horizontally laid ribs that line the inside of the canoe.

He uses a gauge to make sure each piece is the required thickness.

He lays each rib piece across the structure and makes a mark on each side in line with the bottom edge of the floor.

That's where he'll bend the piece.

Just as he did to bend the stem portion of the end frame, the builder ladles boiling water onto the wood to soften the fibers.

He positions his knees on the charcoal marks and pulls up the ends.

He bends two ribs at a time, as this reduces the chances of them cracking.

After checking that he cut and bent all the ribs correctly, the builder begins the process of securing the birch bark.

He drills holes in the gunwales at nearly six-inch intervals.

Then he takes pegs carved from hardwood such as ash or maple and hammers one through each hole.

Then he pierces holes through the bark with a traditional awl made from deer antler.

He threads spruce root through the holes to lash the bark to the gunwale.

With an assistant's help, he fully lines the canoe with straight cedar planks and installs the remaining ribs.

The tight fit presses the planks against the bark, stretching it taught, which strengthens it.

The final step is known as pitching the seams.

He melts down dried resin gathered from scars on spruce trees and mixes in two ingredients-- ground charcoal and oil rendered from bear fat.

He applies this hot mixture to all the lacing holes in the birch bark, making the canoe water-tight.

The canoeist carries a small supply of dried pitch and lights a stick to remelt and apply it.

The repair dries quickly, so in about five minutes, the canoeist can be back in the paddle.

A hardtop encloses the cockpit of a cruiser boat.

It provides shelter from water spray, wind, and sun, and a roof on which to mount antenna for marine and satellite radio and gps.

On the inside, it provides walls and a ceiling for recessed lighting and other features.

This cruiser hardtop has windows that wrap around the front and sides.

The tall one in the middle is retractable so you can walk through to the front deck.

Workers use two molds to make the inner and outer parts that form the hardtop.

First, they spray white gelcoat to a thickness of just .

6 millimeters.

Next, workers shoot shredded fiberglass strands into the mold along with a stream of resin which saturates the fibers.

When the fiberglass is about 3/4 of an inch thick, they let the resin cure for an hour or so.

Then workers apply bonding putty to the fiberglass in the outer mold.

They mate the inner and outer molds and let the putty set, which takes about an hour.

Finally, it's time to extract the fiberglass from the molds.

It comes off relatively easily because prior to spraying the gelcoat layer, workers have applied a release agent on the mold's surface.

The inner and outer parts are built in the mold upside-down so the gelcoat gives the coarse fiberglass a smooth and shiny surface finish.

Then they cut openings for the windows and for the various components to be installed into the hardtop.

They install the retractable front window.

Workers then position the window and mark the screw holes, then remove it in order to apply adhesive, which also functions as a sealant to prevent water infiltration.

They reset the window and screw it to the hardtop.

Workers install a non-opening window on each side of the retractable one.

After taping off the area, a worker applies primer.

Once the primer dries, they remove the tape and apply an adhesive-backed foam gasket that's about 1/4-inch high.

A worker applies a 1/4-inch high bead of adhesive sealant next to the gasket and sets the window.

The primer gasket and adhesive sealant are all black to match the window frame.

On the roof of the hardtop, workers install a thin molded fiberglass cover.

The retractable window, when opened, slides under it.

Workers fill the gap between the cover and hardtop with sealant.

This adheres the cover and makes it watertight.

At the rear, workers install the radar arch.

This, too, is made of molded fiberglass but with a black gelcoat finish.

They mount various components on it, such as the horn, navigation light, and antenna.

Inside the hardtop, after passing wires for lighting, workers connect the wiring to the retractable window.

The window comes as a self-contained unit with an incorporated motor and intricate pulley system.

The hardtop is now ready to be mounted to the cruiser's deck.

Workers install a windshield wiper on each non-opening front window.

The last step is to install a large window on both sides of the hardtop.

Its middle section opens.

Like a giant windshield, the hardtop transforms the cruiser boat's otherwise open cockpit into a weather-protected lounge.

Electrical substations play a critical role in the grid as they distribute electricity to entire communities.

The circuit breakers at these stations routinely interrupt short circuits to prevent damage to the system.

They perform the same function as the ones in a home electrical panel, but on a much larger scale.

The size of a car or even a large truck, these circuit breakers troubleshoot high-current situations at electrical substations.

This protects the grid and prevents power outages.

Making one starts with a cast-aluminum tank that has receptacles for bushings.

A worker inspects the tank for dirt or flaws and then places protective covers on the bushing receptacles.

He installs bases for current transformers on these receptacles.

The worker applies adhesive to the outside of these metal bases.

He presses squares of plastic insulation to the glued areas.

With the help of an overhead lift, the worker installs the two current transformers on the insulated bases.

These current transformers will act as sensors, enabling the circuit breaker to detect short circuits in an electrical system in mere milliseconds.

Another worker brushes lubricant on the moving part of the interrupter that will break the electrical current when needed.

He inserts the exhaust tube that helps direct the flow of gas used to break the current.

He sets the interrupter module in an upright position on the floor and returns to the workbench.

The worker dabs thread lock liquid in the mounting holes of the stationary contact assembly and installs a resin ring in the base.

He inserts the stationary part into the moving one, leaving the end protruding.

The worker applies thread lock to the assembly holes of a large tube that will shield the entire interrupter once it's installed in the tank.

It will also direct the flow of interrupting gas.

After assembling it to the interrupter, he inserts a synthetic insulating tube.

Then with the help of a lift, he flips the module over in order to work on the other end.

He installs another insulating tube in this end.

He then sets the module to a stand to steady it as he inserts the contact assembly that opens to interrupt the electrical current.

He caps one end of the interrupter with the unit that houses the bell crank.

He slides the bell crank into the housing.

This crank will convert the rotary motion from the operating mechanism to a linear motion.

He turns the crank to confirm that it rotates freely.

He now clamps leads to test probes inserted in the interrupter and applies 100 amps of current.

The testing device measures the interrupter's resistance to the current to confirm that it's within an acceptable range.

With a lift bearing the load, the other member of the team guides the interrupter module into the cast-aluminum tank.

He bolts the bell crank's housing to the tank opening and places cylindrical electrical shields in each of the bushing receptacles.

He then encases the transformers at the base with aluminum covers.

They'll protect the transformer wiring from rain, snow, or dirt.

Lifts now hoist the silicone-rubber-wrapped bushings into the receptacles.

The worker bolts them in place...

And caps the rear of the tank.

This interrupter is now ready to be mounted to the steel support structure.

Each high-voltage circuit breaker will be equipped with three interrupters.

The team connects the bell cranks to the operating system in the control cabinet.

And workers equip each bell crank with a pressure gauge.

A worker grounds the circuit breaker to the support structure with copper cables.

This will prevent shocks to anyone who touches it.

In one last test, towering transformers apply high voltages to the circuit breakers.

These high-voltage circuit breakers are ready to interrupt situations before they become problems.