31x09 - Cotton; Rodeo Roping Chutes; Asian Noodles

[bunniefuu]

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Narrator: the exact origins
of the cotton plant are unknown,

Although archeologists
have unearthed pieces

Of cotton cloth
over 7,000 years old.

Through the centuries,
cotton fiber was traditionally

Processed by hand
until the first 18th century,

When the first
automated processing machine

Was invented.

Before cotton arrives
at the textile mill to be spun

Into thread
and woven into fabric,

It makes the journey
from field to bale.

Cotton takes about five months

To grow from a planted seed
to a ripe plant.

This harvesting machine,
called a cotton picker,

Plucks fluffy seed cotton
out of the plant's bowl,

Leaving a trail of
burrs and sticks behind.

The machine empties
the plucked cotton

Into a tractor-drawn buggy.

This machine builds
the seed cotton

Into a humongous rectangular
block called a module.

A truck transports the module

To the processing plant,
known as a cotton gin.

Once the cotton
arrives to the processing plant,

Sticks and burrs are removed,

As well as any lingering debris
and seeds.

A truck dumps
the module into a feeder,

Which moves the packed
seed cotton into a dispenser.

The ground seed cotton falls

Onto a conveyor belt,
which leads to the hot box.

The hot box mixes
the seed cotton with hot air,

Which allows the moisture
to evaporate,

Making the seed cotton
easier to clean.

A machine
called the wad buster

Breaks up
the clumps of seed cotton

By tossing it against a screen.

Loose debris falls through
the screen openings,

Down a narrow sh**t.

Then the seed cotton
moves through a machine

Called the steady flow,
which divides it equally

Between two processing lines.

On each line, the seed cotton
enters a burr machine,

Which grabs the seed cotton
with a circular saw

And swings it
against metal bars.

The centrifugal force shakes
off the heavier debris.

The seed cotton
exits the machine

Through one pipe,
and the debris through another.

A large auger
transfers the debris

To a waste chute
and out of the plant.

The seed cotton is ready

For the final stage
of processing.

A network of pipes
feeds a row of machines

Called gin stands.

The gin stand separates the seed
from the fluffy stuff,

Called the lint.

Inside each stand
are 116 circular saws,

Which are arranged horizontally,

Each separated by a steel rib.

The saw teeth grab the seed
cotton and pull the lint

Through the narrow gap
between saw and rib.

The seed is too large
to pass through,

So it spins in front of the
rib, then drops into a conveyor.

The lint goes into a flue
which leads to the packing area.

Cotton seed
is sold as livestock feed,

Particularly for dairy cows.

It contains 23% protein,


Cotton seed is also milled
into cotton seed oil,

A cooking oil
that's a common ingredient

In salad dressings
and mayonnaise.

The cotton lint is now ready
to be formed into bales.

Pipes feed the loose lint
to the press area.

When it arrives, a pusher
moves the lint into a machine

Called the tramper,
which shoves it down

Into a bale-shaped box.

Once the box reaches


A press compacts the lint...

And tie-wraps the bale.

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Next, a conveyor moves the bale
to a bagging machine

And past grippers, which pull
a sample from each side.

While the bale slides into
a protective plastic bag,

The grippers deposit
the sample into a bin.

Technicians label the bale
with an i.d. Number,

Then open the bin to retrieve
the corresponding sample.

Then the sample is bagged

And labeled
with the bale i.d. Number.

The factory submits the sample

To the united states
department of agriculture,

Where it's analyzed
for fiber length, cleanliness,

Color,
and other criteria.

Once the analysis is complete,

The bale is given a grade
and processed accordingly.

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Narrator: a roping chute
is a temporary stall

With a spring-loaded gate.

During roping competitions,

Livestock are placed
in this holding device

Until the gate opens,
releasing the steer.

The steer is given a head start

While a professional rider
follows on horseback

While another steer
enters the chute,

Ready for the next chase.

In a roping competition
at the rodeo, the chute

Is the starting point and
holding gate for the steer.

An operator opens the gate
to release the animal

Into the arena,
signaling the games to begin.

To make a roping chute,

Technicians start with
a coil of steel.

The coil unwinds,
moving between rollers.

The rollers form the coil
into tubing

That will be used
for the chute's framework.

A constant flow of coolant
prevents overheating

And flushes away
dirt and contaminants.

Next, the tubing travels through
a welding operation.

Rollers close the gap,
and a welder fuses the seam.

Then the tubing travels
through a channel

With flowing coolant.

Once out of the channel,
a blade cuts it to size.

An operator loads the tubing
into a rotary bending machine.

He activates the machine,

Which rotates
to form rounded corners.

The operator makes two bends
in the tubing,

Which creates the frame
for a gate.

He will need to make two
of these to complete the gate.

An automated shear
cuts steel sheets,

Creating panels for the walls.

At the next station,
a computerized laser

Cuts out parts
on another steel sheet

To make a control box.

The laser cuts holes
for components

And perforates the steel.

The perforations map out
the locations for folds

And make it easier
to fold the steel.

Next, a technician works on
parts called linkages,

Welding rivets to each end.

These linkages will connect
the tailgate to the frame,

Allowing the gate to slide open.

The technician locks
the tailgate frame in a fixture.

The fixture
holds the frame steady

As he welds
one end of the linkages.

The other end is riveted.

The rivet has a head
to allow a pivoting action

As the gate slides open.

He welds steel panels
to the tailgate.

They'll serve as shields,

Keeping
the animal's legs protected

From becoming trapped
in the chute.

He also welds
a shield to the threshold.

At the next station,
another technician

Begins construction
on the head gate.

He welds steel pipes
to the upper part

To create grating
for ventilation.

He creates
steel panel enclosures

Instead of more open grating
to protect the animal's legs.

On the top of the two doors,
he welds more paneling,

Which will keep
the animal's head

Inside the gate
when it's closed.

The roping chute's
head gate is now complete.

It operates
like a saloon door,

Swinging open to release
the animal into the arena.

Next, the parts are placed
in a welding jig.

One of the welders installs

A release mechanism
for the head gate

While the other welds
the tailgate to the sidebars.

At the front, the assembler
adds a braking device

That will keep
the gate open when needed.

They align side panels
to the frame...

And open the gates
to gain access to the chute

As they weld
the panels to the frame.

This completes
the structural components

Of the rodeo roping chute.

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Springs are installed

To support the opening
and closing of the head gate.

The tension
is adjusted accordingly.

Then the roping chute is
immersed in vat of blue paint.

A crane lifts the chute
out of the vat,

And it's set aside to dry.

The operating levers
are painted separately.

Once try, operators bold them

To the release mechanism
and brakes.

During a roping competition,

The operator will turn
the head gate levers

To release the animal
at specifically timed intervals.

Then, it's up
to competing professionals

To grab the bull by the horns
as fast as they can.

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Narrator:
the word noodle is derived
from the german word nudel,

But the food itself
was invented in china

As early as 4,000 years ago.

Even though cooking with noodles
originated in china,

Cultures from around the globe
have used noodles

In an array of
unique and tasty dishes.

Noodles seem simple.

They're just unleavened dough

Formed into different shapes
and sizes

And then cooked,

But manufacturing them isn't
as simple as you'd think.

Noodle recipes
always start with flour.

At this facility,
a food-processing technician

Pours wheat flour and water
into a large mixer.

The technician
makes sure the ratio

Equals 80.4% flour
to 17% water.

The remaining 2.6% is salt.

The dough is flattened and
rolled in a molding machine.

Once the molding machine
has finished Fl*ttening

And winding
the dough into big rolls,

They're set aside to mature.

Then each roll goes through
this machine,

Called a calendar mill.

A calendar mill
is a series of pressure rollers

Designed to reduce a material
to a uniform thickness.

The dough is flattened
and rolled six more times

In the molding machine

Until it reaches
its desired thickness.

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The calendar mill
quickly and accurately

Slices the dough
into slender noodles

Before cutting them
to 47 inches.

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It's important
for dough to mature.

This helps give it
strength and elasticity.

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The noodles fold over hangers
and head to the next station.

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A food-processing technician

Transfers seven hangers
of noodles to one hanger,

Which is the appropriate
density needed

For the final maturation phase
of noodle production.

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The technician wheels
the hangers

Into a device called
a steam boiler.

The noodles will spend


At temperatures
up to 212 degree fahrenheit.

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Once thoroughly steamed,
the noodles are moved

To a station
to cool and dry for 24 hours

Before they're
ready for packaging.

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The workers
who package these noodles

Are specially trained
using a scale,

Which helps them determine
how many noodles

Should be bundled together.

Once their training is complete,

The technician can bundle

The right quantity of noodles
by eye.

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This facility relies on
a traditional, manual process

To manufacture their noodle.

According to the facility,

This allows workers
an opportunity

To closely inspect
the quality of the noodles.

This facility also
manufactures a dry noodle.

The process is nearly the same,

Except that rather
than go through

A maturation phase
in a steam oven,

These noodles dry, step by step,
in a thermostatic room.

The production line
manufactures the noodles

At 45 inches before
transferring them to small bins

Where large,
stainless steel blades

Chop them down
to 7 inches.

For these noodles,

The manufacturers
have added turmeric,

A spice which provides
both color and flavor

And is also believed
to have health benefits.

While this facility packages

Certain noodle varieties
by hand,

It also has a fully automated
packaging line

For other types of noodles.

Manufacturers produce
different varieties of noodles

Based on customer demands.

They sell them
packaged and in bundles.

This line is packaging them
in 3-ounce bundles.

After thousands of years,

People all over the world
still can't get enough

Of eating a variety of dishes
made up of noodles.

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Narrator:
throughout the 20th century,

Multiple versions
of the rotary engine

Were manufactured.

Even though they were
small, light, and fast,

Those produced
had high fuel consumption

And released
large amounts of emissions.

Today, the rotary engine
has been redesigned,

Revving up for a comeback.

The rotary engine
that powers this go-kart

Is one-fifth the size and weight

Of the piston engine
it has replaced.

With less to weigh it down
in the engine department,

This go-kart can gain
some major speed.

This rotary engine aims
to boost fuel efficiency

And cut emissions.

Produced on a limited scale,

This prototype is small enough
to fit in a backpack.

The housing is made from
a solid block of aluminum.

Computer models are used

To generate
the machining instructions.

Traditional rotary engines
have an oblong shaped housing

And a triangular rotor
that spins within the interior.

This new design
performs differently.

Computerized tools profile
the triangular housing,

Creating combustion chambers
on the inside

And cooling fins on the outside.

They transform a solid
hardened steel cylinder

Into a hollow crank shaft.

The cylinder turns in a lathe

As a series of cutters
sculpt it together,

Creating a hollow crankshaft

That will funnel air and fuel
into the engine.

Computerized tools mill a piece
of steel to a precise geometry.

This peanut-shaped rotor

Is the heart
of the rotary engine.

The rotor is immersed
in de-ionized water

As an electrified
brass wire generates

A spark that cuts
into the steel.

This step forms a ridged
hole in the center

That will connect to a gear.

A technician inserts
the pinion gear in a vessel

Which will engage
with the ridged profile

In the center of the rotor.

Then the technician
fills the vessel

With liquid nitrogen,

Which freezes to
negative 374 degrees fahrenheit.

The liquid nitrogen
causes the gear to shrink.

He transfers the frozen
pinion gear to the rotor.

Using a press,
he drives the pinion gear

Into the rotor
to a specific depth.

As the pinion gear thaws
to room temperature,

It expands to its original size,

Allowing it to fit snugly
in the rotor gear.

Another computerized machine

Carves into a piece
of cast iron steel,

Held in the fixture by bolts.

This piece will be
the seal for the engine.

The seal is sliver thin
and tightly engineered.

It's a critical part
that will keep

The rotary engine's
working chambers air-tight.

The seals will slide
between the rotor

And one of the engine's
chrome-plated side plates.

An automated
grinding wheel gives

The side plate
a level and mirrored finish.

Heating the side plate
causes the center board

To temporarily widen.

A technician inserts a bearing
into the bore

And, as it cools,
it shrinks to the bearing.

The assembler inserts the
crank shaft in the side cover.

He turns the assembly over and
slides a ring gear

Into the cover.

He sets the fixture
in an upright position

And turns
the crankshaft to confirm

That it revolves smoothly.

He slides the rotor,
equipped with one of the seals,

Onto the crankshaft.

Next, the technician assembles
the housing to the motor...

And tests the rotation
of the rotor.

As the rotor turns,
it forms chambers

Where the combustion cycle
will take place.

He slips a bearing
and a counterweight

Onto the shaft,
followed by a bell mouth.

The exhaust cover has
three ports to release gasses.

The port in the center is
the opening for the bell mouth.

The technician attaches
an engine intake adaptor

To the bell mouth.

After the components
have been secured with bolts,

A dynamometer machine
runs the engine

And measures its performance.

Capable of running
on a variety of fuels,

This new rotary engine is
ready to start powering things.

[ Engine revving ]