28x04 - Cartridge Blades, Chocolate Banana Loaves, Vending Machines, Dive Computers

[bunniefuu]

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

Cartridge blades,

Chocolate banana loaves,

Vending machines

And dive computers.

Developed in the middle
of the 20th century,

The cartridge blade
is an invention

With many cutting edges.

The plastic cartridge
houses up to five razor blades.

With multiple blades,

Fewer shaving strokes
may be necessary,

Which results
in a faster shave.

For the multibladed
cartridge razor,

Getting rid of stubble
is no trouble.

When the many blades
become dull,

The cartridge
can simply be popped out

And replaced
with a new one.

Making cartridge blades starts
with coiled steel strips

That are a few miles long.

The strips unwind
around guide rollers

That orient them
for entry into punch machines.

Revolving cylinders help feed
the steel strips to the punches.

The punches cut holes
in the steel,

Spacing them at
precise intervals.

These holes will
allow production machinery

To grip the steel

And move it through
the blade-making process.

Machinery pulls the steel
ribbons through an oven,

Which heats them to a searing


The steel then enters
a cooling chamber,

Followed by another oven.

The temperature extremes change

The steel's molecular structure.

It becomes harder and stronger.

The steel rewinds
and then unwinds

Between grinding stones

That hone the edge
into a very sharp

Gothic arch profile.

They're now ready to break the
steel into individual blades.

A mechanical punch snaps it.
And it breaks cleanly.

With a skewer holding
the blades in alignment,

A technician scrutinizes
the edges for any defects.

After applying coatings
to prevent

Rust and add durability,

They bake the blades
in a special furnace.

This binds the coatings
to the blades.

At another station,
they transform plastic pellets

Into the razor cartridges.

This machine melts the pellets

And injects the liquid
plastic into molds

As pressure is applied.

The plastic solidifies

Into the shape
of razor cartridges.

The cartridges bounce along
a circular feeder.

The feeder orients them
front-side-up

And then funnels them
into the next machine.

This one resembles an octopus
with numerous tentacles.

The tentacles are robots.

The first one places
the cartridges

In a fixture
on a revolving table.

As the table turns,

It serves up the cartridges

To the next robots
in the assembly line.

In quick succession,
these robots snap

A total of five blades
into the cartridges.

By now, the holes used
to move the blades

Through the assembly process
have been trimmed off.

And it's a perfect fit.

They now place back casings
in front of the cartridges

And install pieces of metal
on the parts.

The metal pieces
are sacrificial anodes.

Their sole purpose
is to be sacrificed

To corrosive forces
to save the blades.

After that, robots flip
the back casings

Then transfer them
to the cartridge blades

And click them into place.

The cartridge blades are now
fully assembled.

The robotic system takes
them into a station

With more quality
control cameras.

If no problems are found,

The blades move into
another mechanized system.

This one installs
a temporary plastic cover

To protect the consumer

And keep the blades sharp
until it's time for a shave.

Robotic arms pick up
the clear plastic protectors

Two at a time

And place them in slots
in the assembly machine.

They then snap
the cartridge blades

Into the plastic covers.

With the protectors in place,

The robots send the cartridge
blades down a chute

And into a bin.

They're now ready
for retail

And the business
of personal grooming.

Narrator:
many schools today require
all food on the premises

To be allergy-free

Because so many children

Have life-threatening
to peanuts,

Tree nuts or dairy products.

Often, these allergies
are so severe

That just touching
or inhaling the allergen

Can cause a potentially
deadly reaction.

These kid-sized chocolate
chip banana loaves contain

No peanuts, tree nuts
or dairy products.

Nothing else this company
makes contains them

Either to eliminate
any possibility

Of cross-contamination.

As a further precaution,

All the ingredients
come from suppliers

Whose facilities are also
entirely peanut,

Tree nut and dairy-free.

To make the batter,
workers first combine water,

Canola oil and sugar.

Then they add pureed banana

And mix until the ingredients
are well blended.

They add wheat flour,
then sea salt,

Baking soda and preservatives
such as citric acid,

Routinely used
in packaged foods,

To prevent the growth
of bacteria and mold.

The final ingredients
are eggs

And chocolate chips,
not milk chocolate

Because these snacks
are dairy-free.

Instead, chocolate chips
are custom-made

For this bakery
by a producer of certified

Kosher pareve foods,

Meaning the products contain

Neither meat nor
dairy ingredients.

A pump moves the finished batter

From the mixing bowl
to a large hopper

That feeds the
automated production line.

At the start of that line,

More than 620 loaf baking pans
pass under spray nozzles,

Which lightly grease them
with canola oil.

This prevents the baked loaves
from sticking to the pan.

Then the pans
enter the depositor,

Which drops 1.5 ounces of batter
into each loaf cavity.

This one batch of batter
produces 6,666 loaves.

The filled pans enter
a multilevel vertical oven

In which they zigzag up
and down 13 baking zones

Of varying temperatures.

After 27 minutes,
the loaves are fully baked.

However, they can't
be packaged yet

Because they're piping hot.

So the next station on the line

Is a multilevel vertical
cooling chamber.

Its fans draw out the hot air

While blowers introduce
filtered cold air.

When the pans exit
the cooling chamber

About 25 minutes later,

The loaves are just
slightly warm.

A robot now descends
on two pans at a time.

It jabs the loaves
with needles to lift them out

Then withdraws the needles
to drop them on a conveyer belt

That's ventilated to help
the loaves finish cooling.

This belt transfers them
to a narrower one

That leads
to the packaging area.

There, workers line up
the loaves in single file

On a track that leads
to the wrapping machine.

Each loaf is roughly


And 1 1/2 inches high.

Even though each one started out
as 1 1/2 ounces of batter,

Some moisture evaporated
during baking,

Reducing the final loaf
weight to 1.4 ounces.

Under the watchful
eye of a sensor,

The loaves enter
the wrapping machine

Where printed transparent
film envelops them.

The two edges of the film

Overlap slightly
underneath the loaves.

The machine seals the edges

With a combination
of heat and pressure.

Then it simultaneously seals

And cuts the film
in between the loaves.

Each chocolate chip banana loaf
is now individually wrapped.

Workers pack the snacks
into the retail packaging.

The box moves
into a glue machine,

Which seals the flaps.

The bakery conducts
several quality control checks

Throughout production,
for example,

Testing the viscosity
and ph level of the batter.

It also tests
the finished product.

Once per hour,
they cut up a loaf

And place the pieces
in a moisture analyzer.

The correct moisture
level ensures

That the loaf has
a proper cake texture

And isn't dry

Because as much
as this snack needs

To be safe for kids
with allergies,

It also has to taste great.

Narrator: vending machines
are a common sight

In public places.

The first modern
vending machines

In 1880s england
didn't sell food at all.

They dispensed postcards.

Nowadays, automated vending has
come full circle with machines

Selling not just food
but electronics

And other consumer goods.

Thirsty?

Just select a drink.

Enter its number
on the keypad.

The led monitor displays
what you've chosen

And how much it costs.

Then insert the money.

The monitor shows your credit,

How much you've paid.

The credit resets to zero

When the machine
releases your drink

And returns any
change you're due.

The vending machine
has a welded steel body

Onto which workers assemble
the other components

Such as the see
-through refrigerator

And an lcd monitor
to display advertising.

Workers assemble the machine's
payment and display system,

Starting with the machine's
control board.

They install the led monitor
and the keypad,

Which are integrated
into a single unit.

After bolting the unit
securely in its window

In the housing,

The workers screw the control
board securely in place,

Then plug the led monitor
and the keypad into the board.

They install the coin acceptor.

It can be set up to recognize up
to 16 different types of coins.

When a customer
inserts money,

The coin acceptor transmits
the value to the control board,

Which displays the amount
on the led monitor,

Calculates it into
the purchase of the item

And directs the coin acceptor

To dispense any required change.

Next, workers install
the bank note acceptor.

It identifies the denomination
of an inserted bill

With an optical scanner and,

To make sure
the currency is genuine,

Measures fluorescent ink

With uv light
and reads magnetic ink printing

With
a magnetic scanner.

It sends the value of the bill
to the control board.

They plug the data
transfer cables

From the money acceptors
into the control board

Along with a cable
for the controllers

That operate the machine's
product release motors

And the data transfer cables

Coming from the two
coin hoppers,

Which collect the inserted coins
and dispense change.

Then they close up
the machine with cover panels.

A worker constructs
the product feed trays

That go into the vending
machine's refrigerator.

The first step
is to attach partitions

To a back panel to form columns.

Each column's width is set
to the dimensions,

Weight and type of packaging
of the product it will dispense,

From small featherlight
bags of chips

To heavy glass beverage bottles.

A feed tray can have up
to six columns.

The trays are constructed
entirely of stainless steel

Because it withstands
refrigeration temperature

And doesn't rust
when exposed to moisture.

Workers install a motor
at the back of each column.

Once the tray's installed
in the fridge,

Those motors plug into
the control board.

When the customer pays
for the selected product,

The board activates the motor
for the corresponding column

To release the product.

Side-by-side columns
designed to be stocked

With the same product
have linked motors.

That way, if one
column sells out,

The linked one with more
of the same product kicks in.

Each motor moves the product
with a steel drive spring.

There are seven different
sizes of springs.

Workers install the size
that has the correct spacing

Between the rolls

That corresponds
to the dimensions

Of the product being
dispensed from that column.

Once the customer pays
for the selection,

The motor rotates
the spring 360 degrees

To release the product

And move the one behind it
to the front of the line.

Once all the product feed
trays are installed,

Workers adjust the refrigerator

Thermostat and stock
the products.

Then they test the machine.

First, they purchase a product
with paper currency.

They make sure
the bills feed smoothly,

That the bank
note acceptor sends

The right data
to the control board,

That the board calculates
the transaction accurately

And activates
the correct motor.

They run the same test
with the coin acceptor

To make sure its sensors
correctly detect the coin,

Dimension,
weight and chemical composition

And transmit
accurate information

To the control board,

All this to ensure
the vending machine customers

Get exactly
what they paid for.

Narrator:
dive computers help divers
safely return from the deep.

These wrist computers
keep tabs on the time

And depth of the dive.

And they calculate
a safe ascent.

The journey back to the surface
must often be done in stages,

Or the diver could fall victim
to decompression sickness.

A dive computer is
something someone wears

When they're ready
to take the plunge.

Strapped to the wrist
like a watch,

It provides critical safety
data during the dive.

They start with panels
of four printed circuit boards.

A technician confirms
that the tracks

And pads are correctly located.

A conveyor then takes one of
the panels into a machine

That precisely positions

A metal mesh
stencil over it.

An automated squeegee
spreads solder paste

Onto the circuit boards

Through the open areas
of the stencil.

The solder paste
will act as glue

For over 100 tiny
electrical components.

Next, the circuit boards receive
those electrical components.

A robot peels them
off plastic strips

And places them on
the soldered areas

At an impressive rate
of 13,000 pieces per hour.

The parts
include microprocessors,

Sensors and memory chips.

Then the circuit boards
head into an oven

With several different
heating and cooling zones.

As they travel
through these zones,

The soldering particles melt

To bond the components
to the circuit boards.

Passing through
the cooling zones,

The solder hardens.

And this solidifies the bonds.

The circuit boards
have now received

All of the necessary parts.

A technician places
the panel of circuit boards

In an automated
optical inspection machine.

Here, a camera takes
a picture of the panel

And sends it to a computer.

The computer scans
the circuit boards

For missing components,

Positioning errors
and soldering defects.

If there are no flaws,

The panels move on
to a programming station.

Here, a technician
positions them under probes.

The probes descend
and load software

Into the microprocessors.

This brings them to life

And enables them to control

All of the board's functions.

Another technician trims
and cuts the panels

Using circular saws.

She then punches out
the four round circuit boards

And transfers them to a tray

That has an electrically
conductive surface.

The surface protects the boards

From mechanical
and electrical shocks

Until they're ready
to be assembled

Into the dive computer module.

Now the fabrication
of that module begins.

The technician places a buzzer
mechanism behind a backlight.

She transfers the two of them

To the reverse side
of a display screen.

She places a plastic
framework on top.

And she inserts rubber
connectors in it.

These little rubber parts
will make the connection

Between the circuit board
and the digital display.

The next assembler inserts
the circuit board

Into the digital display unit.

She installs a temporary battery

And checks the digital monitor
to confirm

That it's functional.

Satisfied that it's in good
working order,

She sets it aside temporarily.

In the next stage
of production,

The worker removes

Any dust particles
from the screen

Using blasts of compressed air.

She snaps the dive
computer module

Into a tough plastic case

That's designed to withstand
a lot of water pressure.

She cleans a glass face
plate and places it

Over the digital screen.

This face plate will protect
the screen from water.

The next part
is a metal bezel.

It surrounds the face plate

And will be used
to secure it to the casing.

She flips the assembly around

And screws the bezel
to the case from the back.

She inserts the computer battery
into a titanium back plate.

She then installs
the battery assembly

In the back of the module
and secures it with screws.

This completes the dive
computer module.

All that's left is
to attach the wrist strap,

And this dive computer
is ready to probe underwater

And provide
critical safety information.