27x10 - Combination Squares, Farmed Shrimp, Ball Valves, String Trimmers

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: classic chinese
furniture is made of rich,

Lacquered woods
with intricate carvings

And ornate artwork
in mother-of-pearl inlay.

For centuries,
the specialized skills

Required to craft
these functional works of art

Have been passed down
from generation to generation.

♪♪

The style of this striking
rosewood sideboard

Dates to the tang dynasty
of the 7th and 9th centuries --

A period considered
a golden age of chinese arts.

This manufacturer
is located in thailand.

Its design team consists
of a conceptual designer

Who merges the structure
and aesthetic features,

A specialist who ensures
the historical accuracy

Of the piece,

And artists
who draw the patterns

For the elaborate wood carving

And the intricate
mother-of-pearl inlays.

The team produces
a highly detailed blueprint

And makes several copies
of the artwork patterns

For the craftspeople to use.

To make each
inlaid cabinet door,

A woodworker glues
the pattern onto the wood,

Making sure
that it's perfectly centered.

Then using a router, he cuts
about 3 millimeters deep,

Making a groove
along the pattern's perimeter

And cutting out the parts

That will be inlaid
with mother-of-pearl.

Meanwhile, using another copy
of the pattern,

A worker makes templates

By cutting out the same parts
the woodworker routed

Out of the cabinet door.

Each template is marked
either pink, white, or green.

She glues it
into a 3-millimeter-thick piece

Of the corresponding color
of mother-of-pearl.

The next craftsperson
takes one piece at a time,

And holding it
steady with pliers,

Carefully saws
around the template

With a 1-millimeter-wide blade.

Once she's cut all the pieces,

She reassembles the pattern.

The next craftsperson spreads

Adhesive paste into the cutouts
in the cabinet door.

Then he fills each cutout

With its corresponding piece
of mother-of-pearl.

Five hours from now,

Once the adhesive has dried,

He runs a sander over the design
to remove the paper

And excess adhesive,

Smooth the wood,
and polish the mother-of-pearl.

Then an artist etches fine
detail into the mother-of-pearl.

This provides texture,
dimension, and expression

To objects and characters,

Which, until now,
were merely blank shapes.

High-end chinese-style furniture
like this

Is traditionally made
of heavy and sturdy rosewood.

They first dry the wood
to a humidity level of 11%.

This prevents components
from expanding

Or contracting significantly

With temperature changes,
which is critical

Because the sideboard

Is made of traditional
jointed construction.

The parts lock together

Without any nails,
screws, or glue.

To prepare pieces
that will have a carved design,

A worker glues a copy
of the pattern onto the wood.

Next, a woodworker drills
a small hole in each area

Of the pattern to be cut out.

He feeds a thin saw blade
through the hole...

...then saws out the area.

Once he cuts out
all the required areas,

He hands the piece to one
of the company's carvers.

These artisans
apprentice for years

With the master carver
to learn this ancient craft.

Working with a collection
of chisels,

They gradually
follow the pattern.

It takes tremendous talent

And skill to know
how to read a drawing

And, bit by bit, transform
the flat wood beneath it

Into a three-dimensional design.

Once all the components
are ready,

Workers assemble the sideboard
from the footed base upward.

The drawers move
on modern drawer slides,

And the cabinet doors attach

With bronze
chinese-style hardware.

They bring out the rich color

And grain of the wood
with four coats

Of traditional lacquer

Made entirely from tree sap.

It highlights the etched details
in the mother-of-pearl

And protects the sideboard
with a glossy shield.

♪♪

Narrator: light switches put a
lot of power at your fingertips.

One quick flick,
and the lights go on or off.

When switches are paired
with sockets,

Appliances and gadgetry
can also be powered up.

Invented as an improvement
over pull cords a century ago,

Switches deliver power
to the people.

♪♪

Flip a switch, and the world

Instantly becomes
a brighter place.

Switches give us power
over electrical power.

Making switches starts
with big sheets of metal.

In this case,
the sheets are brass.

A worker serves them up
to a hydraulic guillotine.

It chops the brass into strips

That will be used
to make faceplates

For custom-sized switches
and sockets.

For switches that are
a standard size,

They simply order
the strips precut.

Computerized punches cut holes

And rough out
both the faceplates

And the steel grids

That hold the electrical
structure together.

All the holes in the grid plates

Will correspond to holes
in the faceplates

In order
to put the two together.

These plates are for switches

That will be installed
in hotel rooms,

And they will include sockets
for three-pin british plugs.

Next, more steel unwinds
into a punch press,

Which transforms it
into a framework to support

The electrical components.

The automated tooling
wraps the punched metal

Around a form
to give it the desired shape.

This framework will also serve

As an electrical
grounding plate,

Discharging electrical energy

From the socket
to prevent shocks.

A worker now attaches
a molded plastic part

To a grounding plate.

He inserts a screw
in a brass connector

And installs it in a slot
in the molded plastic.

He installs a series
of brass terminals.

At the next station,

A worker assembles fuse holders,

Contacts, and springs
to the plastic structure.

Next up are little spring-
operated plastic shutters.

They block the sockets

When nothing
is plugged into them.

Moving down the assembly line,

A worker inserts springs
into twin rocker switches.

She lowers a press

To squeeze all the switch
components together,

Then transfers the switches
to the electrical unit.

Another technician
snaps a cover onto it.

He plugs it into a light box
to test it,

And the bulbs of the box
illuminate.

This confirms
that the switches

And sockets
are fully operational.

He pulls the plug
and sets the assembly aside.

It has taken
roughly four minutes

To assemble the switch
and socket unit.

A worker now fits
the steel grid plate to it

With the switches and sockets
protruding through it.

This particular unit

Is also equipped
with a round european plug

And a usb charging port
for mobile devices.

At the next station,
an operator serves up

Brass faceplates
to a press that bends the rims,

Forming a thin lip that will
fit around the grid plate.

A computerized welder
fuses studs

To the back of the faceplates,

Placing one at each corner.

These studs will fix
the faceplate

To the grid plate

And provide a screwless finish
on the front.

When it comes to switch
and socket combinations,

There's no shortage of options.

At this station,
a worker assembles

A particularly large one
with switches,

Charging ports, and sockets.

It's also designed
for installation

In a hotel room.

He secures the charging port
to the grid plate

And is ready for the faceplate.

He attaches it
using the welded studs,

And with the folded edging, it
encases the grid plate neatly.

This switch and socket assembly
is now complete.

When switched on,
the circuit will be closed,

And the electrical current
will flow.

When switched off,
the circuit will open,

And things will go dark.

It should work every time.

♪♪

Narrator:
in many east asian cultures,

Salt is not traditionally used
as a condiment.

In its place,
cooks use high-sodium sauces

Such as fish sauce.

In thailand, fish sauce
is a key ingredient

In traditional dishes,
giving them a rich

And distinctive
savory taste.

♪♪

Used in cooking
or as a dipping sauce,

Thai fish sauce
brings out the flavors

Of other ingredients.

Fish sauce
is made by fermenting

Two parts fish
with one part salt.

Over time, the salt
will naturally extract water

From the fish's flesh,
creating the savory sauce.

The factory processes


They use wild-caught anchovies
from the gulf of thailand.

Anchovies have a strong flavor,

So even small amounts
can be used to flavor dishes.

They mix two parts fish
with one part natural sea salt.

The ingredients fall down
a chute into a rotating drum.

As it spins, it evenly mixes
the salt and the fish.

This is faster
than mixing by hand,

Ensuring quicker
processing times.

When the mix is ready,

It's taken to one of the 3,000
fermentation wells on-site.

The bottom of the well
is already filled with sea salt.

They add the salt-fish mixture
and spread it around

So that the surface is flat.

They finish
by covering the mixture

With a thick layer of sea salt.

Each fermentation well can hold


They cover the well
with a cement corrugated sheet.

The temperature inside can reach


They sometimes
remove the cover

To expose the sauce to sunlight.

From time to time,

They sample the sauce
for inspection.

Salt crystals form naturally
on the surface.

After 12 to 18 months
of fermentation,

First-grade sauce
is pumped out

From the bottom
of the fermentation well

With layers of salt
acting as a natural filter.

Fish sauce is stored
in large fiberglass tanks.

Employees take samples

And send them to the lab
for quality testing.

After filtering and sweetening
the sauce slightly

With 5% sugar,
they are ready for bottling.

After a visual inspection,

Bottles head
to the filling area.

The machine grabs each bottle
and fills it from the bottom up.

Fish sauce does not need
to be pasteurized

As filtration has already
eliminated most bacteria.

Also, the sauce
contains over 25% salt.

This high-sodium content
prevents

Any harmful bacteria
from proliferating.

Because of the sauce's
intense flavor,

It is generally
used in moderation.

So bottle caps
have a small dropper hole

To facilitate use
of the sauce during cooking.

Next, brushes apply
adhesive labels to the body

And neck of the bottle.

This factory produces
three different grades

Of fish sauce

For a total of 15 million liters
every year.

After a second
visual inspection,

Bottles proceed
to the packing department.

The machine pushes them forward,
aligning them in position.

By now, the bottle caps
have been safety-sealed.

A robotic carrier picks up


Three boxes at once.

A metal frame
keeps the carton cases open

As the machine
inserts the bottles.

The tasty sauce will be
sold locally or exported

To one
of 70 different countries.

In the food-science laboratory,

Technicians perform
several quality-control tests.

They start by measuring

The salt content
of the product

As the salt
will affect the taste

And the shelf life of the sauce.

Next, they measure
the protein content.

Fish protein breaks down
during the fermentation process,

Releasing a compound
called glutamate.

Glutamate increases the flavor
intensity of the sauce.

Higher levels of protein
give a tastier,

Higher-grade sauce.

They also check
the levels of histamine

To make sure they comply

With international
food standards.

High levels of histamine
could indicate spoilage.

They end with a ph test.

Good fish sauce
is slightly acidic,

And the ph value must remain
within an acceptable range.

People now use fish sauce
not only in thai dishes,

But also to flavor
their own traditional foods.

♪♪

Narrator:
cappers are automated machines

Which apply caps on bottles

That have been filled
with a factory product --

Anything from shampoo
to soft drinks.

The closures the cappers
apply include screw caps,

Push-down tops,

And aluminum caps molded
to the shape of the bottle neck.

♪♪

Cappers come in different sizes

To meet
the product manufacturers'

Packaging requirements,

From three-head machines
that cap 40 bottles per minute,

To 36-head machines that cap


Every capper is custom-designed

For the product being packaged,

So producers must supply
the capper manufacturer

With samples of
their specific bottles and caps.

The first step
of the design phase

Is to paint the samples white

So that engineers can scan them
with a laser to produce

A three-dimensional
computer model.

Then the engineers use
that virtual bottle and cap

To design the machine's
bottle-handling equipment.

This refers to the components

Which transport the bottles
through the machine

As opposed to the components
that apply the cap.

This computer-guided
water-jet cutter

Slices through a stainless-steel
plate to make the bases

That support
the bottle-handling equipment

On the capper from underneath.

A computer-guided
machining center

Shapes the complex
bottle-handling components

Out of stainless-steel rods.

The capper's
bottle-capping components

Are machined the same way.

Every part undergoes
a precision inspection.

An engineer checks
the dimensions with a device

Called
a coordinate measuring machine.

A computer-guided router
cuts the plastic components

Of the bottle-handling equipment

From a 19-millimeter-thick sheet
of polyethylene.

Meanwhile, an electrician wires
the capper's control panel.

It houses the components

Which regulate
the machine's speed,

As well as the computer
that controls

All the machine's functions.

The machine has sensors that
detect the presence of a bottle

And cap at the capping head.

These sensors are wired
to the computer.

Other workers assemble the
production-line conveyor belt

That ferries bottles
into and out of the capper.

The belt is comprised
of plastic links

Connected with pins.

To begin assembling the machine,

Workers attach
the three capping heads

To the overhead carousel.

Then they install
a capping chuck in each head.

The chuck picks up a cap.

Then the capping head rotates
to screw the cap on the bottle.

A computer-guided engraver

Labels the capper's
infeed star wheel --

A disc with pockets that guide
the bottles into the machine.

Workers highlight
the engraving with paint

And inset a colored disc

Indicating
the specific bottle size

The star wheel
is designed to run.

They repeat these steps

With the machine's
two other star wheels --

One in the center of the machine

That moves the bottles
under the capping heads

And another that transfers
the bottles

To the machine's exit.

Workers manually assemble
each star wheel.

They verify the pocket size...

Then, on the center
star wheel only,

Bolt a stainless-steel
reinforcement layer

And line the pockets
with a rubber material

That grips bottles.

After installing the metal
support bases on the capper,

They mount
the corresponding star wheels.

The center star wheel and base
have to be made in halves

To fit around
the machine's central shaft.

Workers install
the center guide.

The bottles travel in the path

Between the wheels
and the guide.

Next, workers install
a restraint belt

Made of the same rubber material

That lines the center
star wheel pockets.

The belt and pocket
prevent the bottle

From spinning as the capping
head screws on the cap.

No capper leaves the factory
without a test run.

Before running
the machine normally,

Workers run it
at low speed to check

That the components
are properly aligned

And the movements
correctly timed.

The infeed star wheel
receiving the bottles

Transfers them
to the center star wheel

Under the capping heads.

The capped bottles then transfer
to the discharge star wheel,

Which guides them
to the conveyor belt

Leading to the labeling machine.