Time
Many banks and businesses have time-delay locks on their safes to keep their valuables and documents secure. This helps deter theft because robbers may not want to wait around for the safe to open. If they do, the time delay may keep them around long enough for police to make an arrest. This lock lets you select delays ranging from 1 to 30 minutes. The timer starts after you insert the key. Most of the lock's components are made of zinc. This semi-automated casting machine heats zinc bars to about 800 degrees. The molten metal is then fed into an injection system, which shoots the zinc into a part-shaped mold. The machine automatically refills the zinc bars as the metal is used. As soon as the machine injects molten zinc into the mold, surrounding tubes spray cold water to quickly cool and solidify the metal. Then the mold opens and ejects the part. The parts have rough edges, so they go into a vibrating tub. Inside, they run against ceramic stones and an abrasive compound to smooth the edges and polish the surface. The parts are cleaned and painted on one side. Then they go into an oven to bake on the paint. The lock's main cam sets the time delay and the open window-- the amount of time before the safe automatically relocks. Here, they're drilling holes for screws, which will regulate the lengths of the time delay and the open window. Once the lock's components are prepared, assembly begins. Workers insert the lock cylinder into its shell and remove the key. Then they screw on a steel cylinder cam. When you turn the key in the cylinder, a cam winds and starts the timer. After the set time delay, the cam pulls a lever that releases the lock's latch. To build the lock's timing assembly, they first attach a spring to the timer plate. They hold the spring in place with a plastic retainer. Then they install a brass timer cam. The spring holds it in the locked position. A pin on the cylinder cam's lever sits on the timer cam. When the time delay is over, the pin releases the timer spring, and the timer cam moves to the unlocked position. This allows the cylinder cam to retract the latch and open the lock. They screw the plate with the spring and timer cam to the timer, which is gear-driven like a mechanical clock. They let the timer run down all the way. Then they turn the spring four times. They mount the main cam, which sets the time delay and open window on top of the timer cam. Now they begin calibrating the timer. First they install an aluminum weight assembly that controls the timer speed. They run the timer on a testing machine, comparing it to the delay set on the main cam. If the timer runs too fast, they take some tension off the timer spring. If the timer runs too slowly, they trim down the weight assembly until they get the right speed. Once the timer is accurate, they screw it into the timer cover. The lock body contains the lever that retracts the lock's latch. It also has a brass electrical plug to connect a time-delay indicator light. After securing the latch and lever in position with a cover plate, they install the timer assembly. The visible side is painted black, just like the visible side of the cover plate. Then they insert the cylinder assembly. They mount the lock on the door of the safe and hook up the indicator lights, which run on double-"a" batteries. To open the safe, you insert, turn, then remove the key. The red light indicates the timer is counting down. When the time delay is over, the green light comes on. Then you reinsert the key, and the safe opens. Chocolate brownies are irresistible. Their origins are uncertain, but they were definitely developed in the united states over a century ago. One story is that a homemaker from bangor, maine, made the first brownies accidentally while trying to make a cake. Another story states that they were deliberately invented by the chef at a chicago hotel. Neither cake nor cookie, a brownie is something in between, a moist, dense, and chewy square. There's no doubt it brings something special to the table. To mass-produce brownies, this factory starts with canola oil. They add xanthan gum, a natural preservative that increases moisture retention during baking. They blend these two ingredients in an industrial mixer. Then they add sugar, cocoa, and canola and palm oil shortening. They reactivate the mixer, and it blends the ingredients into a chocolate batter. The next ingredients are whole eggs... And corn syrup. The massive mixing arm descends back into the bowl and whips these ingredients into the batter. A worker wheels the bowl to a hopper, which releases a precise amount of flour. The flour thickens the mix. It will give the baked brownies structure. After 25 minutes of mixing, the batter is complete. There's enough batter here to make 6,000 brownies. They transfer the smooth chocolaty mixture to a machine called a depositor. A sprayer mists the pans with oil to keep the brownies from sticking to them during baking. Then the pans arrive at the depositor. This computerized machine releases the batter into each pan. It has perfect aim every time. Next, the pans enter an 11-1/2-foot oven. The brownies rotate through 13 tiers to bake them evenly. After about 20 minutes, the brownies are cooked. They exit the oven and head into a cooling chamber. Like the oven, it's multi-tiered. The pans move through it as fans cool the brownies. The cooling helps solidify the brownies. Then a robot arm with needle-like claws lifts them out of the pans and transfers them to the next conveyer. The robots are gentle, so the cool brownies stay intact during the process. The brownies round a corner and transfer to another conveyer. At the end of the line, a worker places the brownies in a narrow conveyer system that takes them to the wrapping station. A computer sensor detects their approach and alerts the plastic wrapping system ahead. The plastic unwinds into the wrapping machine as the brownies enter it. Metal wheels with grooves pull the wrapper under the brownies, and then heated wheels melt the seam to close it. A hot jaw then seals and severs the plastic film between the brownies, creating individual packets. A robot opens a box and sets it on a conveyer next to the brownie line. An employee then places eight packets of brownies in each carton. They ride by a rotary device, which automatically folds the ends of the cartons. Then the boxes are glued shut. Finally, they travel through a metal detector. It uses a high-frequency electromagnetic signal to detect any metal fragments in the brownies. It takes about an hour to make and package brownies at this factory, but only a fraction of that time to enjoy them. Pallets are used to easily move large quantities of goods. They were invented in the early 20th century and have been a warehouse staple ever since. Multiple unused pallets can cause clutter and even be a safety hazard. That's where pallet dispensers come in. Before pallet dispensers, pallets were kept in loose stacks. Retrieving one was potentially dangerous. The pallet dispenser solves this problem. It helps keep the workplace safe and organized. A high-speed cnc machine cuts out the steel parts of the pallet dispenser. An employee uses a press brake to bend the components to the required shapes. A preset backstop ensures that the metal piece goes into the precise depth. Next, a worker uses a mig welder to quickly bond the new parts together. The parts hang from chains, which are charged with a negative current. Painters then spray positively charged paint on them. The parts are baked in an oven for 20 minutes to dry the paint. The traveler frame moves up and down with the pallets inside the dispenser. A worker installs 12 cam followers. A team positions the linear track assembly. Its vertical bars guide the cam followers, keeping the traveler frame on track. Once this sub-assembly is complete, workers install it inside the main side frames. Together, these components form the main base assembly. The dispenser's self-contained hydraulic system doesn't require power to control the traveler frame. This is one of two hydraulic cylinders. They're designed to easily hold a heavy stack of pallets. The worker installs four brake arms. They hold a set of spring-loaded latches in place to keep the pallets suspended in position. Next, he positions the sprockets. The pallet dispenser requires four sprockets to support two chains. These chains connect the traveler frame to a massive steel counterweight. As it gets fuller, the traveler frame lowers to the ground. After the pallets touch the floor, the counterweight lifts the frame. The pallets are stored in a tall column called a pallet magazine. Two employees work together to install it. The magazines come in two standard heights-- 4 feet and 8 feet. Not all pallet magazines are red. Customers can select from a wide variety of colors. The interior panels protect the dispenser's mechanism from being damaged. They're also the access panels to the product's precision engineering. A trained professional should always handle the machine's maintenance and repair. Making the panels relatively inaccessible decreases the chances of tampering, injury, or accidents by an amateur. Next, a worker runs a quality-control test. He uses a walkie rider to raise a stack of pallets and remove the bottom one. When he's done, the hydraulic system lowers the stack back into position. Here, one worker uses a forklift to raise the top section of the pallet magazine into position while the other worker guides the magazine into place. Graphics and decals have already been added, so all that's left is for the worker to securely bolt the two sections together. With about 2 billion pallets in the u.s. alone, things can really start to pile up. Pallet stackers make life easier for manufacturers and shippers all over the world. Some refer to these devices as giant pez dispensers. In a way, that's exactly what they are, and they're just as safe. Once reserved for palaces and castles, today's chandeliers can be found in even the most modest homes. They function as more than just a light source. Chandeliers can be the illuminating centerpieces of traditional rooms or give modern rooms an eclectic twists. Either way, a crystal chandelier is always elegant and timeless. This chandelier is quite a showstopper. It stretches more than 3 feet high and wide with 24 elegant arms. It's decorated with clear and red crystal and a gilded hurricane shade over each light. To make the crystal, they melt silica sand in a furnace, along with lead, hot ash, and several other ingredients. The materials combine to make crystal heavier and more sparkling than glass. To make each chandelier arm, a crystal blower gathers some molten crystal on the end of his blowpipe, then shapes the arm with a series of blocks and molds. He makes a channel down the middle for the arm's electrical wiring. Next, two master crystal blowers work together to pull and twist the crystal into the arm's rope-like design. This maneuver requires tremendous expertise. To achieve the correct diameter, these craftsmen must stretch the crystal exactly right. Next, they put it in a chandelier arm mold and snip off the excess on both ends. They blow cold air to solidify the crystal. Another craftsman inspects the chandelier arm, checking the shape, measurements, and channel for the electrical wiring. Next, a pair of craftsmen make the bowl-shaped bottom of the chandelier. Using traditional techniques, they place molten crystal in a mold, then place the mold in a press. The crystal chandelier parts are cooled down in an oven. The gradual decrease in temperature slowly releases tension in the crystal. This prevents cracking. Straight out of the furnace, the crystal is 2,280 degrees. It continues to be pliable until it reaches about 1,202 degrees. It cools rapidly, so as the craftsmen work, they must regularly reheat the crystal in a smaller furnace. The freshly molded crystal tends to have a rough surface, so they use heat from a blowtorch to smooth it out. These holders support the hurricane shades on the arms. This company produces its signature shade of red crystal by adding 24-karat gold powder to the raw materials in the furnace. The color emerges after the molded piece is reheated in an oven to just over 1,000 degrees. A crystal blower makes the hurricane shades. First, he rolls a starting shape at the end of his blowpipe. Then, with pliers, he narrows and stretches one end to form a neck. By now, the crystal has cooled, so he reheats it before continuing. Next, he inserts the crystal into a foot-pedal-operated mold installed in the floor. He then turns the pipe and blows through it to expand the crystal to the mold shape. Once the hurricane shade has cooled, artisans apply an elaborate 24-karat gold decal. With a paintbrush, they also apply raised gilding and 24-karat gold paste. They heat the shade to fuse the gold to the crystal, then polish the gold with an agate stone. Every part of the crystal chandelier is handmade, and the entire chandelier is manually assembled. However, some of the crystal parts require prep work before assembly. The arms have a light socket at one end wired to a connector at the other. All 24 arms mount to a round tray. Beneath it, the connectors link to the main wires running down the center of the chandelier. The chandelier's ornate bottom hides it all. The electrical sockets that hold the light bulbs are hidden inside metal sleeves painted white to look like candles. The gilded hurricane shades go over the candles and sit snugly in the holders. This stunning crystal chandelier casts sparkling light, easily making it the focal point of the room. Weighing in at over 150 pounds, this grand chandelier makes a big, bold design statement.