Narrator:
abalone is an edible mollusk.
Its shell has
a multicolored iridescent lining
That's been used
since ancient times
To decorate jewelry
and other prized objects.
More recently,
abalone has been tapped
As a source of collagen,
A protein that supports
the structure of bones,
Connective tissues, and skin.
Abalone collagen is
a popular treatment in asia.
This farm and factory
raises the abalones,
Then extracts their collagen
to add to drinks,
Cosmetics, and medicine.
The abalones spend
their first six months
In the farm's hatchery
and nursery pond.
Nocturnal, they hide
from daylight under cement tiles
That simulate
their natural habitat
Of rocks and coral.
Their single shell has pores
That regulate various
bodily functions
Such as breathing
and reproduction.
The main ingredient in
their specially formulated food
Is seaweed.
Feeding time is
once every evening.
At six months of age,
The abalones graduate
to the cultivation pond.
There are two types
of growing methods.
In this one, before filling
the pond with seawater,
Workers lay cement tiles
at the bottom,
Along with underwater pipes
that supply oxygen,
Which abalones need to survive.
The other method
houses the abalones
In stacks
of polyethylene crates,
Referred to as condominiums.
With 50 to 100 abalones
in each condo,
The yield per square foot
is significantly greater.
Every second day,
workers remove the condos
From the cultivation pond
to rinse out the crates,
Check the abalones,
and feed them.
Rather than wastefully
using new seawater,
The pond water
is regularly drained,
Cleaned, and recirculated.
The cleaning system
filters out feces
And neutralizes ammonia.
After six months to a year
in the cultivation pond,
The abalones are mature
and ready for harvesting.
Workers remove them
from the shell
And remove organs to be used
for other products.
Then, the workers prepare
to extract collagen
From the meat.
First, they mash the meat
in an industrial-sized blender.
The trick is to use
an extraction method
That doesn't
destroy the collagen
Or diminish its effectiveness.
Abalone collagen must have
full potency when consumed
In order to stimulate
the human body
To produce more
of its own collagen.
Since prolonged heating
turns collagen into gelatin,
Worker use a process
called cold extraction,
Stirring the meat
in refrigerated tanks
For up to seven days
Until the collagen separates
And rises to the top.
Workers skim off the collagen,
Then, to make
this particular product,
Blend it
with mixed fruit juices.
Then they heat the drink
in pasteurization tanks
For three minutes
to k*ll off any bacteria.
The drink contains 20% collagen
And 80% juice.
When it's time
to package the product,
The conveyor belt
moves glass bottles
To the cleaning station,
Which washes them out
with pressurized boiling water.
After washing, the bottles
move to the next machine
Which fills them with the drink.
The next machine
seals the bottles
With an aluminum twist cap.
Controlled by a sensor,
An inkjet printer applies
the lot number on the cap
Along with the product's
expiration date,
A year away.
A worker visually
inspects the bottles
As they make their way
to the labeling machine.
The factory's on-site laboratory
conducts a series
Of quality control tests
on random samples.
In this test,
the technician uses
A ph meter to ensure
the product's acidity
Is within a specific
target range.
In another test,
she places a few drops
On a device
called a refractometer.
It measures to what extent
Light passing through
the liquid is bent,
Which gives a reading
of the sweetness.
While this drink
is a skin enhancement product,
Other abalone collagen
formulations
Are designed for
weight loss, boosting immunity,
Increasing bone density,
and strengthening cartilage.
Narrator: an essential component
of an audio system
Is the digital-to-analog
converter.
It receives data
from a digital device
Such as a computer, tv,
or disc player
And converts
that signal to analog,
An electrical audio signal
That the sound system
can amplify
And play through speakers.
This digital-to-analog
converter,
Part of a product line
of high-end audio components,
Has four inputs for
different digital devices.
It also has a built-in cd drive.
Many of the converter's
structural parts
Are made
by computer-guided machines.
This computer-guided lathe,
for example,
Rotates an aluminum bar,
Which a cutting tool forms
into one of four legs
That support the cd drive.
This milling machine cuts
And shapes most of
the aluminum parts
That makeup
the converter's chassis,
The box that contains
all the electronic components.
The parts come off
the mill with sharp burrs
Along their edges,
So the next step is to trim them
with a de-burring tool.
Workers spray
the trimmed chassis parts
With black powder paint,
Then bake the paint in an oven
to make it more durable.
Then they print labeling
on the chassis's front
And back panels by squeegeeing
white epoxy paint
Through a silkscreen stencil.
Then workers put the panels
In the oven
to bake the paint.
Workers install them in between
The cd drive support base
and each of the feet
To create a floating
suspension system
That protects the drive
from vibration.
Next, workers install
the cd drive
Onto the support base.
They install the drive's
protective cover.
It prevents dust from getting
into the cd optical reader.
Meanwhile, a technician tests
Each of the converter's
five circuit boards
To make sure
they function perfectly.
This board runs
the l.e.d. Display
Which shows the selected input
And other playback information.
Once all the circuit boards
pass inspection,
Workers solder the l.e.d. Board
to the front panel circuit board
Which runs the converter's
user controls.
The worker inserts
brushed aluminum push buttons
Into the front panel's
labeled holes.
Then they attach
the front panel circuit board.
This aligns the push buttons
with the corresponding contacts
On the board.
The worker assembles
the chassis bottom,
Side, and back panels.
They attach the front panel
with its push button controls,
And in the center,
an opening for the cd drive.
The technician visually inspects
The converter's
main circuit board,
Which converts
the digital signal to analog.
If the main circuit board
passes inspection,
They install it
in the back of the converter
Next to the power supply board.
Next, a worker
installs the cd drive.
This requires
connecting three cables
Into the main board --
One for the optical reader,
And two for the motors that open
and close the loading tray
And spin the compact disc.
Before completing the converter
by closing up the top,
A worker tests the cd drive
As well as the four
other digital inputs,
Which are designed
for connecting devices
Such as audio components,
Dvd or blu-ray players,
Tvs, and computers.
The testing machine takes
all kinds of measurements
To ensure the converter performs
To a list of technical
specifications.
If the unit passes inspection,
They complete the assembly
by attaching the top cover.
This digital-to-analog converter
Is now ready to play
its critical role
In this high-end audio system,
Reproducing sound
for the discerning ear.
Narrator:
embossed wood trim
Can make factory furniture
look handcrafted.
The technique was developed
over a century ago
To mimic carvings
on fancier furnishings
That were only available
to the wealthy.
Today, this trim is still
giving furniture and cabinetry
The look of hand carving.
The purpose
of embossed wood trim
Is purely aesthetic.
It can transform
a piece of furniture
And make it a beautiful thing.
Making embossed moulding starts
with a rough piece of maple.
Using a rip saw,
A woodworker slices
the board into strips.
The first cut straightens
The edge of the wood
to correct warps,
And the second one
trims the strips
To the correct dimension.
He then carves through
the center of each strip
To get two pieces of trim
from one board.
Each strip is about
The strips are ready
to be fed to the moulder,
A machine that shapes the flat
surface to a specific profile.
The moulder has
five cutter heads.
To prepare them,
he inserts a spacer
And a blade into the steel head.
He uses a magnet
to pull them into alignment.
The worker locks
the blade and spacer
To the cutter head with bolts.
He slides the cutter head
onto a spindle in the moulder.
The worker secures it
with a nut,
Using a special tool
for the job.
Once all the cutter heads
are in place,
He turns the switch
on the machine.
As the cutters spin,
the operator feeds
The long strips
of wood to them.
Rubber and steel wheels
move the board
From one cutter to the next.
The cutter progressively
profiles the area
That's to be embossed
And creates decorative
raised borders.
Here's a side view
of the contouring.
This trim is now
ready for embossing.
Some of the embossing wheels
at this shop date back to 1908.
The oldest wheels
are made of bronze,
And the newer ones
are made of steel.
There are hundreds of patterns
to choose from.
The worker selects the wheel
with the desired pattern.
He mounts it
to an embossing machine
That was built in 1908.
The worker locks the embossing
wheel onto the shaft.
He ignites torches
that heat the embossing wheel.
As the hot wheel revolves,
It presses the pattern
into the moulded strip of wood.
The heat releases moisture
from the wood,
Preventing splintering
during embossing.
A drive wheel below
works in concert
With the embossing wheel
to move the wood forward.
Next up are rosettes
That are used to accentuate
the corners of furniture,
Windows, and doors.
Using a sliding apparatus
known as a sled,
The woodworker delivers a board
to the teeth of a saw.
He makes straight cuts
and squares
To the desired dimensions.
The worker draws lines
from one corner
Of the wood square to another,
And from the opposite sides.
The lines intersect at the
exact center of the square.
The worker clamps the square
in a milling machine
With the cutting tool aimed
directly at the center.
He activates the tool to make
the first circular cut.
He removes the wood square
to check out the cut.
The worker measures it
to confirm
That it is in fact, dead center.
He returns the square
to the platform
Under the milling tool.
This time the cutter spins
into the wood
To make a wider
and deeper circular cut.
This further expands the pattern
in a radial fashion.
And it completes
the rosette pattern.
The worker examines
the quality of the cut
And measures the distance
to the edge of the wood
To verify that it's to spec.
From a simple wood square
to an elegant rosette,
This job is done.
The trim can now be used
To make furniture
looked hand carved
Without all the effort.
Narrator: a stapler
can instantly transform
A pile of papers
into a document.
Its story begins with the rapid
Increase in the use of paper
In the middle
of the 19th century.
The stapler was developed
Because people needed something
better than string or pins
To hold the pages together.
Plier staplers open
and close like pliers
To tackle fastening jobs
with quick precision.
Making these staplers
starts with the cover plate.
A press wields
up to 176 tons of force
To shape steel blanks
to a slopped profile.
A robot inserts tracks
into nickel steel casings.
These are the vertical
staple tracks
For the front of the stapler.
Tools bend tabs
on the ends of the casings
To fasten the two parts.
Another robot serves up covers
for the stapler's magazines
To an automated welder.
The welder fuses
an assembly attachment
To each cover.
A worker immerses some of
the stapler's interior parts
In a solution of water
and zinc phosphate.
This solution forms
an anti-corrosion coating
On the surface of the steel.
These particular parts
are pusher guides.
The top part has
the protective coating.
The parts then take a ride
With ceramic stones
and polishing solution.
This smoothes rough bits
and makes them shine.
Next up is the die plate.
This is the part that shapes
And closes the staple
during stapling.
An automated system screws
an iron "u"-bolt attachment
To the die plate.
A robot then inserts
the spring block,
The part that allows the stapler
To spring back to its
original position after use.
Meanwhile at the next station,
A robot places
a piece of precision-cut steel
On a mold.
A press drives it into the mold
To shape it
into the stapler body
That holds all
the working components.
More robots then work
in perfect sequence,
To install thick metal pins
across the stapler body.
These pins brace
the stapler's structure,
But that's not all.
Some of the stapler's
working parts
Will hook onto these pins.
Other robots now
fasten the die plate
To one end of the stapler
body using rivet hinge.
In the process,
they also fasten
The spring block
securely to the die plate.
After cleaning and degreasing,
The stapler bodies
head into a paint booth.
Spray g*ns apply primer,
And a curtain of water behind
the parts prevents emissions
From escaping from the booth.
The next sprayers coat
the parts with green paint.
With the paint dry
on the stapler body,
Workers are ready to assemble
all the working parts.
The assembler slides the front
staple track into place
And inserts the staple pusher
guide into the body.
She positions a metal plate
over the guide
And screws everything in place
Through holes
in the body of the stapler.
The assembler clips a retaining
ring around each screw.
Next up is the driver.
This part detaches staples
One at a time during stapling.
After installing it,
the assembler inserts
The spring loaded pusher
And hooks the end
on the staple guide.
Another worker assembles
the handle
That allows the stapler
To be wielded
with plier-like accuracy.
He secures the handle
with a rolling fastener.
This rolling fastener
indirectly bears down
On the staples to apply
pressure during stapling.
Another team member
then inspects the stapler.
Satisfied with its fabrication,
She reaches for the cover plate
And hammers the wings
to bend them for a better fit.
She slides the cover plate
into the grooves of the stapler
And loads the staples
to give it a trial run.
She staples paper
repeatedly to confirm
That it's fully operational.
These plier staplers
are now ready for the workplace,
Where with a few quick crunches,
They'll help keep
the paperwork in order.
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