Ambulances Dining Room Tables Diatonic Accordians Acrylic Awards
Today on "how it's made"... Ambulances... Dining room tables... Diatonic accordions... And acrylic awards. Historians believe the notion of ambulance service grew out of the 11th-century crusades, when the knights of st. John transported wounded soldiers to treatment tents. Today's ambulance technicians and paramedics carry on that tradition in state-of-the-art ambulances equipped to provide lifesaving care en route to a hospital. There are three types of vehicles commonly transformed into ambulances-- minivans, trucks with a closed driver's cab, and trucks with an opening between the driver's cab and the back storage area, like this model. The most important structural addition is a stabilization bar to diminish rocking when the vehicle is racing at high speed. Otherwise, it's mostly a question of retrofitting a regular vehicle to give it the features an ambulance needs. Workers begin by cutting a hole in the roof. This allows them to install a raised, aerodynamic roof. The angle of the new roof lessens air resistance, enabling the ambulance to run more efficiently with more control. Inside, meanwhile, they install fiberglass insulation panels with a fireproof metal surface. This insulation keeps the medical area warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Workers affix the raised roof with adhesive caulking. The roof has integrated lights. Protruding lights would ruin the streamline. Workers measure carefully to ensure they center the roof perfectly. Now they spray glue on the back of sheet vinyl. This highly durable antibacterial flooring goes on top of a plywood subfloor they've installed on top of the truck's aluminum floor. Now for the electrical system. They start by replacing the truck's original grill with an ambulance grill that incorporates lights, a siren, and loudspeakers. The truck comes equipped from the automotive plant with certain options designed for conversion to an ambulance. For instance, instead of two regular batteries, the truck takes four batteries-- two to power the truck accessories, the other two to power the equipment in the back. Now they assemble the front console-- an array of buttons and switches that control all the nonmedical equipment, such as the emergency lights, the siren, and the headlights. There's also a battery-life indicator and other system gauges. Once assembled, the console goes into the dash, and workers test everything out. The heating and air-conditioning systems in the original truck aren't strong enough, so the ambulance factory adds an extra system of each to work in tandem with the existing systems. The frame of the medical cabinet is made of aluminum-- a metal that's lightweight and, therefore, won't weigh down the vehicle. The cabinet shelving is made of either plastic or fiberglass. It's molded to the contour of the vehicle, maximizing storage space. After installing the suction and oxygen systems, electricians run the wires for the cabinet lighting. Once the main electrical panel is in place, they can mount the cabinet and hook up the oxygen equipment, the suction machine, and the lighting. A divider between the cab and the back gives the patient privacy. Vinyl-covered foam padding on the ceiling protects ambulance workers' heads when the vehicle jerks. This ambulance model has rotating lights. The red cover, called the lens, is made of virtually unbreakable plastic so that it doesn't crack from the air pressure when the ambulance is speeding. The medical area has a swivel chair positioned where the patient's head will be. Within reach of the chair is the suction machine. The factory thoroughly tests it, along with all other medical equipment. A safety net by the three-seater squad bench protects the crew should the ambulance come to a sudden stop. This mechanism holds the stretcher in place while the ambulance is moving. The stretcher simply locks in, keeping the patient safely immobile until the ambulance reaches the hospital. There was a time when the dining room was for formal dining only, and the style of dining-room furniture reflected that. Not anymore. Today's dining-room sets come in both elegant and casual styles, and there's something to suit every decor, from contemporary to country, from traditional to ultramodern. This factory makes casual dining-room furniture. It uses only durable hardwoods, such as birch and beech. It buys the parts premade from a supplier. The workers here assemble the pieces and finish the furniture to the customers' specifications. We're going to see how they make tables. The parts arrive already sanded, but they still go through a machine that gives them an additional fine sanding. This prepares the wood for staining. Workers sand the solid-wood parts for the apron by hand. The apron will go just under the tabletop. Workers closely inspect all the components under fluorescent light. They look for any flaws in the wood that they might have missed during sanding. It's critical that every imperfection be sanded down. Otherwise, it will show up as a glaring defect once they stain the wood. After all the parts pass inspection, assembly can begin. First, they remove the tabletop's extension piece, called the leaf. They make sure the two main sections fit together perfectly. Then, using a template to ensure the exact positioning, they screw on the runners-- the sliding mechanism for extending the table. Then they mount support pieces called stretchers. After marking the position of the apron, workers screw in steel braces to level and align the three sections of the table. This table will have a pedestal base rather than four legs. After installing a part called the assembly plate, they lay down a series of metal templates. These ensure that they mount the apron precisely. Now that they've finished assembling the tabletop, they check its stability and test the mechanics. If everything is up to par, the tabletop moves on to the finishing department. The factory buys wood stain from a supplier. To ensure that the colors are consistent from table to table, the factory tests the stain before using it, comparing it to a color sample. The staining operation takes place in the part of the factory known as the paint kitchen. Each tank has a mixer inside to keep the stain well-blended so that the pigments don't settle to the bottom of the tank. This ensures the color will be consistent. There is a separate spray gun for each stain color. After spraying the stain onto the tabletop, a team of workers quickly wipes off the excess. They have just 30 to 90 seconds. Otherwise, the shade will be off. Another inspection under fluorescent light. Any flaw in the wood they missed before would definitely show up now, thanks to the stain. Every imperfection will be sanded down. Now they spray the table with sealant. This protects against variations in humidity, which would make the wood expand and contract and eventually split. Then they sand the sealant to prepare for a coat of clear lacquer. The lacquer plays two roles-- one functional, protecting the wood from scratches, one decorative, giving it a mild sheen. To cure the lacquer, all the table components go into an oven at 300 degrees fahrenheit. This also strengthens the finish. This factory specializes in personalization. You can choose your stain color or two colors for a two-tone effect. You can also select the shape of your tabletop, the type of edge and apron, and, of course, the style of table legs. A diatonic accordion is much smaller than a piano accordion and is structurally different. It has 10 buttons, each of which produces two notes-- one when you push the bellows in, the other when you pull the bellows out. The diatonic accordion, also called a squeeze-box, is a staple of cajun music. the accordion maker crafts the right-hand keyboard from maple-- a hardwood. He saws 10 slots, then drills 10 holes. The keyboard has no keys, actually. It has 10 buttons. They produce the treble notes. Now he turns the keyboard over and hollows out the wood with a router. This creates space for components to move. Each slot in the keyboard will house a rocker-- a piece that links each button to its corresponding air valve. Now he builds the wind-chest-- the box that houses the steel reeds that produce the accordion's sound. Moving the bellows in and out forces air through holes in the wind-chest. The buttons you push determine which reeds get this air, producing notes. The longer and thicker the reed, the slower it vibrates, and the lower the pitch of the note. The shorter and thinner the reed, the faster the vibration, and the higher the note. There are eight reeds per button. Pushing the bellows in activates four. Pulling the bellows out, the other four. Using a hot iron, the accordion maker seals the reed frames with beeswax. This prevents air from escaping. Now back to the keyboard. The accordion maker installs 10 valves made of maple wood. Each one has a plastic rocker on the end. A spring ensures the rocker has just the right tension to open and close the valve properly when the musician presses the button. After staining and varnishing the wood, he glues a button into each hole onto the rocker inside. Pressing a button triggers the rocker underneath to lift the valve and uncover the air hole, letting air hit the designated reeds. The accordion maker now screws the fully assembled keyboard to the wind-chest. Now he constructs the left-hand keyboard. He sets the reeds into the left wind-chest, using a hot iron and beeswax, just like before. The valves in this keyboard are made of pine, a more flexible wood, making them easier to install in this enclosed space. On the outside, a decorative wood inlay-- a strip of ebony and some rosewood detailing. The left-hand keyboard has two buttons corresponding to three reeds each. It produces two bass notes and two chords. After staining and varnishing the keyboard, he hooks a spring between each valve and the button that operates it. He adjusts the spring tension and checks the air seal. Then he stamps the company name inside. Now he screws the finished keyboard to the finished wind-chest. Meanwhile, another worker prepares the bellows, which force air through the reeds. The factory buys pre-folded cardboard, then cuts and assembles it. These diamond-shaped pieces of leather seal the openings, preventing air from escaping. Now she glues fabric strips inside the folds of the cardboard. This is purely for decoration. These stainless-steel covers reinforce the cardboard corners so that they won't perforate from repeated movement. Now she glues fabric strips onto the edges of the folds. This both decorates and strengthens the cardboard. Now for the final assembly. The accordion maker nails the bellows to the left-hand keyboard. Why nails rather than screws? Tradition. The left-hand keyboard has a hand strap. The right-hand keyboard, a thumb strap. After nailing the right-hand keyboard to the rest, this $2,500 diatonic accordion is ready for a musical test-drive. there was a time when you'd be presented with a gold watch in recognition of years of loyal service to your employer. Today, you're more likely to get a personalized memento cast in acrylic. Companies and organizations often choose to hand out custom-made acrylic awards to recognize milestones or special achievements. These aren't your run-of-the-mill plaques and trophies, but more like artistic sculptures. They're custom-designed and cast in high-grade acrylic. In the casting department, workers make acrylic by mixing monomer, a clear, liquid chemical, with polymer, a resin powder. Once cured, this thick, white mixture will be crystal clear. To make colored acrylic, they add colorants. By creatively combining shades, they can even produce special effects, such as a marble or granite look. To cast simple shapes with straight lines, they use disposable molds made of thick cardboard. This design calls for a blue base, so they pour blue acrylic to the first fill line. In two to three hours, the acrylic hardens to a gelatin-like state. That's solid enough to bear the weight of the next layer-- a clear one, which they pour to the next fill line. Now another two- or three-hour wait until the acrylic can support a decorative object-- in this case, a globe. Once they ensure it's properly centered, they pour acrylic to the next fill line and wait two to three hours again. Now they apply the client's name and logo printed on acetate and pour the final layer. Once that hardens, it's off to the curing department. There, workers load the pieces into a pressurized oven called an autoclave. It works somewhat like a pressure cooker, forcing out the trapped air bubbles and curing the acrylic until it's rock-hard and transparent. This takes 12 to 15 hours. Curved designs are cast and cured in reusable metal molds like this. The factory always casts a piece slightly larger than its final dimensions to allow for shrinkage during the curing process and some loss through sanding. Workers sand each piece three times with progressively finer sandpaper to perfect the shape. Then to remove the marks that sanding leaves behind, they buff the piece on a cloth-covered wheel. Then they polish the piece with an even softer wheel. This shines the acrylic to a high-gloss finish. When it's not viable to make a mold for a particular shape, they cast a starting shape, then machine it to the final shape. To make a sphere, for example, they first cast a cube. They transform the cube into a cylinder, then, working one side at a time, into a perfect sphere. The automated tooling equipment is all computer-guided for ultimate precision. Some designs call for additional artistic features. For example, the factory can print artwork on paper, acetate, or a metal plate, then embed it into the acrylic. Another option is to create an opaque image on the surface. As we see here, once they finish machining the sphere, they apply tape that's been laser-cut into the shape of a world map. They sandblast the exposed areas, transforming the sphere into a globe. They can also engrave the surface of a piece or, using a special laser beam, etch letters or a design right inside the acrylic. The creative possibilities are endless. The infinite combinations of shapes, colors, embedded objects, and artistic features make these acrylic awards highly customized and clearly unique.