28x02 - Pasta Dies, Blueberries, Composting Toilets, Surge Arresters

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: today on
"how it's made"...

Pasta dies.

Blueberries.

Composting toilets.

And surge arresters.

Industrial pasta machines
produce noodles

By extruding dough
through a die.

The die has holes in it,

Which are shaped to produce
a specific type of pasta.

As the dough comes
through the holes

In a continuous stream,

A knife cuts the pasta
to the correct length.

This industrial pasta die
produces fusilli,

Up to one and a half
tons of it per hour.

And this is just a midsize die.

The largest ones can produce
four tons of pasta per hour.

The die block is made
of a bronze-aluminum alloy.

A computer-guided machine
drills holes for inserts

Through which the pasta dough
will be extruded.

The front of the block
is then chrome plated

To protect
against the sharp knife

That cuts the extruded
pasta off the die.

The next step is to make inserts

That go in the holes
in the block.

An insert is comprised
of male and female parts

And a nonstick plastic lining.

A computer-guided mill
cuts the linings

From a plate
of nonstick plastic.

Another computer-guided mill

Machines
the female part of the inserts

In a more than quarter
of an inch-thick brass plate.

Then a worker places a lining
in each female part.

He taps it into position
with a mallet and punch.

The plate then
goes back on the mill,

Which cuts an extrusion
slot in the lining.

The slot shape determines
the pasta shape.

A mill machines
the male part of the inserts

In another brass plate.

A worker detaches
the male parts from the plate

With a punch and mallet.

He detaches the lined female
parts the same way.

Then he assembles the male
and female parts

By forcing one onto the other
with the help of a steel punch.

He finishes the die insert
by cutting off the protruding

Excess plastic with a blade

So that the lining
is flush with the top.

The factory makes die inserts

In thousands of
different shapes --

Some standard,

Others in the client's
custom-made pasta shape.

This computer-guided lathe makes
brass locking rings

Which will secure
the inserts in the block.

Now, final assembly begins.

A worker places
the block face-down,

And from the back drops

An insert top-first
into each hole.

Next, he places a locking
ring in each hole.

Then, with a hydraulic
press and punch,

He forces down each locking ring
to within approximately


Of the insert underneath.

In this position, the ring holds
the insert in the hole

But doesn't prevent it
from spinning within the hole.

The next step
is to adjust the inserts

To make their
orientation uniform.

He inserts a pin
into each insert slot.

Then he rotates the pin
to rotate the insert.

Once the insert orientation
is correct,

He forces the locking ring

Down all the way
to immobilize the insert.

Once he has all the inserts
oriented the same way,

He sands the chrome-plated
front of the die,

First with a medium-grit disk,

Then with a fine-grit sandpaper.

The die surface must be smooth
as silk for the knife

To slice off
the extruded pasta cleanly.

He verifies the width of every
extrusion slot with a gauge.

This ensures
every piece of pasta

Will be the correct thickness.

Then on the back
of the finished die,

He stamps
the manufacturer's name.

The die is ready to be mounted
on an industrial machine

That extrudes dough
into perfectly shaped,

Ready-to-boil pasta.

Narrator: blueberries are one of
nature's healthiest foods.

They're low in calories,
packed with vitamin c,

And full of antioxidants.

And freezing blueberries
doesn't compromise

Any of that nutritional value.

North and south america

Grow most of
the world's blueberries.

The length of the harvest
varies by climate.

In the south,
it spans april to september.

Further north,
mid-june to mid-august.

At this state-of-the-art
blueberry farm,

A mechanical harvester

Straddles the row
of blueberry plants

And shakes the leaves
with vibrating fingers.

The berries fall
to a sloped floor below

And roll down into
side conveyor belts.

The belts dump the berries
into onboard bins

Which trucks transport
from the field

To the on-site packing plant.

The plant has two
separate production lines --

One for berries to be
shipped out fresh,

And this one for berries
to be shipped out frozen.

Workers empty the bins
into a hopper,

Which feeds the berries
onto a conveyor belt.

A vibrating conveyor belt

Then ferries the berries
under a blower

That suctions up loose
leaves and twigs.

Then the blueberries tumble
down a waterfall.

Stones and debris settle
in the ledges.

The berries land in a wash tank.

Most of the ripe ones
sink to the bottom

While most of the unripe
ones float on top

Where workers can easily
scoop them out.

The berries exit
the wash tank

With fewer
unripe ones among them.

The mesh belt vibrates
to gently shake off water.

Then it runs the berries

Through the first
of two color sorters.

The machine's camera is preset
to ignore the color blue

And detect only green and red.

Whenever a green
or red berry passes,

The camera sends a signal
to the computer

Identifying its exact location

So that one of the 136 air jets

Blows it off the belt
to a collection trough below.

The ripe blueberries fly

Over the top
onto a conveyor belt

That takes them
to the freezer tunnel.

The temperature inside
is minus 29 degrees fahrenheit.

Five to 7 minutes later,

The berries exit
the tunnel frozen solid.

Workers perform a final
visual inspection.

After passing through
a metal detector,

The berries drop into
a preprogrammed scale

That weighs out the specific
quantity being packaged.

Meanwhile, in an on-site lab,
government-trained inspectors

Pull samples off the line
every 20 minutes for grading,

Which they determine
by assessing factors

Such as color,
aroma, and defects.

The frozen berries
go into a freezer

Until shipped out
by freezer truck.

The fresh berry production line

Is similar to the frozen line,

Minus the wash tank

And, of course,
the freeze tunnel.

However, the color sorters
on this line

Are even more high-tech.

Not only are they set
to detect red

And green berries,

But they also have
a firmness detector,

Which by bouncing each berry

On a pad can identify
blue ones too soft

To have at least a 12-day
refrigerated shelf life.

Air jets blow those
soft berries off the conveyor

So they can be transferred
to the frozen-berry line.

The rest continue to
a final visual inspection.

The fresh berries
are ready for packaging.

This electronic fill machine

Is preset to weigh out
the specific quantity

They're packaging,

In this case,
nearly 2-pound containers.

It drops that quantity
of berries

Into an awaiting
plastic container.

The final stop on
the packaging line

Is the flat-seal machine.

It applies
a printed plastic film

To the top of the container,

Melting and bonding it
to the perimeter

Without a touch of heat.

The film has ventilation holes

Because fresh berries
require air.

From here, the containers

Go off to
a refrigerated warehouse

To await shipping to the store
by refrigerated truck.

And provided they remain
refrigerated,

The blueberries remain
fresh and juicy

For 10 to 12 days.

Narrator:
there's a new john in town.

Composting toilets are
the greatest thing

Since indoor plumbing.

In fact, they don't need
any plumbing at all.

So they can go where
traditional toilets do not.

They are little waste
treatment machines.

They turn
the unpleasant business

Of sewage into something
more agreeable --

Garden fertilizer.

This composting toilet works

A bit of magic with sewage.

It transforms the solids
into compost

And makes the liquids disappear.

Making these toilets starts
with a composting tank.

A worker sprays fiberglass
into a mold of the tank.

Then he and another member
of the team press out air

Trapped between the fiberglass
and mold surface.

Once the part cures,

A blast of compressed
air loosens it from the mold.

And he lifts it out.

It's a bit ragged
around the rim.

So they do a basic trim.

He drills holes in the tank
for installing fittings.

Using a pneumatic
circular blade,

He slices a hole
for the compost drawer.

And he grinds the rim
to precise measurements.

He screws two overflow fittings

Into a threaded hole
on the back of the tank.

He seals the fittings with epoxy

From the other side
of the tank wall.

This epoxy seal will
prevent leaks.

Moving down the line,

Another worker sprays adhesive

On the bottom
of the composting tank.

He presses
an aluminum panel to it.

This panel will radiate heat

From a heating element
he installs over it.

It will heat
the evaporation chamber

In the tank
to dissipate liquids.

He places fiberglass insulation
over the heater

And encases it with
a molded fiberglass cover.

He wires the heater
and installs a thermostat

That will regulate the heat

And also shut off the system

If the temperature drops below
or exceeds the threshold.

He turns the composting
toilet tank right-side-up

To await further assembly.

Meanwhile, another worker
assembles the fan

For exhausting the evaporated
fluids and any odors.

He inserts the motor shaft
in a hole in the fan door

So that it protrudes inside.

He then screws the motor
to the outside of the door.

Next, he assembles
the centrifugal blower

To the motor shaft.

He installs
a plastic shroud.

It surrounds the fan,

Protecting the blades'
interacting airflow.

At the next station,

A worker prepares the drum

In which solid waste
will be converted to compost

By aerobic decomposition.

He fastens a stainless
steel screen

To an opening in the drum.

Liquid waste will drain
through this screen

And into
the evaporation chamber.

Once evaporated,
the fan will expel it

Through the vent stack.

He now places the drum
in the tank, bearings elevated,

So it sits just above
the evaporation chamber.

He fits a plastic top
to the tank

And screws the two
components together.

He inserts a metal
shaft with gears,

Engaging them with grooves
on the outside of the drum.

He inserts the fan
into an opening

At the back and secures it.

He wires the fan
to the power source.

He installs a cover
to protect the wiring.

And he connects the shaft
to a handle at the front.

It rotates the drum
to mix the contents

And introduce air

So that the aerobic
microorganisms will thrive.

After electrical
and other tests,

A worker installs the drawer
for the finished compost.

She fastens the seat to the base

With nylon nuts
and bolts with caps.

She inserts a plastic liner
in the bowl.

And this completes
the composting toilet.

By turning human waste
into compost,

Things will eventually end up
smelling like roses.

Narrator: electrical systems are
vulnerable to voltage spikes

From lightning
or switching surges.

Surge arresters take over

In these high-voltage
situations.

When lightning strikes,

Surge arresters
handle the fallout.

They divert the ensuing
power surges to the earth,

Where they won't cause damage.

At their core are discs
that act as switches.

They turn on and off
to divert voltage spikes.

The discs are known as m.o.v.s,

Which is short
for metal oxide varistors.

A worker loops fiberglass
strapping onto aluminum endcaps

To prepare the casing
for the m.o.v.s.

He places a spacer on one
end of the end caps.

He then packs numerous
m.o.v.s on top,

Equipping this arrester
to divert

A 60,000-volt power surge.

He adds more spacers
to fill in any gaps

Because the m.o.v. Stack

Has to sit tight
within the casing.

With the stack complete,

He loops more fiberglass
strapping around

The m.o.v.s to complete
the casing.

He torques the set screw
to compress the stack.

The set screw also pushes
back the end caps.

This pulls the fiberglass
strapping tighter.

He now clamps
the surge arrester

Assembly between two mandrels.

He ties a resin-reinforced
thread

Around the fiberglass
loop at one end.

He lowers a guard
as a safety precaution.

The mandrels then spin
the surge arrester module

As a computer-programmed
dispenser

Winds the thread
around it to strengthen it.

It creates gaps
between the windings.

This will allow sparks and fumes

To escape in the event
of a power overload.

With the winding complete,

He cuts the end and tucks it
under the last winding.

He hangs the module
on a rack conveyer,

Which takes it into a chamber.

Here, a tank filled

With an adhesive-promoting
solution rises up

And immerses the module.

This leaves a coating
that will help silicone rubber

Housing bond
to the module later.

He removes the hook used

To hang the module
on the rack conveyer

And installs mandrels
at both ends to be used

At a later stage of processing.

He sets the module between

The rungs of
a chain-driven conveyer.

It takes it through an oven
set at 302 degrees fahrenheit.

This cures the resin
in the thread,

Causing it to harden
around the fiberglass strapping.

It also preheats the surge
arrester module

In preparation
for the next process --

The molding of
the outer housing.

Using the mandrels,

He locks two of the surge
arrester modules in a platform

And slides it under
a mold press.

A lift takes it to the press.

It injects silicone rubber
into the mold.

And using pressure and heat,

It forms insulating jackets

Around the arrester modules.

The primer coating
enhances the adhesion

Of the silicone rubber
to the modules.

He clips off unwanted
bits of silicone rubber

From the molded housing

And cleans up the ends
with a wire brush.

Surge arresters come
in a range of voltage ratings

For different
electrical systems.

He now lubricates the threaded
bolt holes in one end.

He aligns those holes

With the ones
on a terminal connector.

He bolts the connector
to the surge arrester.

He installs a base
on the other end.

This base will allow
the arrester

To be mounted to the ground

To send excess voltages
to the earth.

He now puts the surge
arrester to the test.

He connects electrodes
to the terminal connector

And to the base.

He runs different voltages
of electricity

Through the arrester
and confirms

That it adequately
discharges them.

This surge arrester is now ready
to join others on the grid,

Forming a defense
against lightning strikes

And power spikes.