Zip Line Brakes Silk Fibre Lamps Round Balers Comfort Shoes
Many thrill-seekers find zip lines exhilarating. But without the proper braking system, they can quickly become terrifying. Magnetic brakes are hands-free and engage automatically. So there's no need to panic. Just hang on, enjoy the ride, and let the brake take care of the landing. In early human history, zip lines were used to transfer supplies across dangerous terrain. Today, zip lines are popular with tourists and adrenaline junkies all over the world. As the rider approaches the landing, the brake engages using magnets that induce eddy currents instead of friction. This creates enough drag to stop the ride. To make a zip line brake, they start with a drum. It's made of zinc-coated steel to prevent rust. A worker sends off the zinc so they can add the magnets. He hammers locating pins into the metal. He applies adhesive to the sanded areas, then places magnets onto the adhesive. He uses steel pins as a guide. As the adhesive cures, the magnets bond to the metal. Next, he applies a bonding agent to a shaft bearing and inserts it into the hole in the center. Using a hydraulic press, he drives the bearing further into the hole. These rotor arms will spin in the magnetic field to create the braking force. A worker fits gears into two plates and bolts the plates to each side of the rotor assembly. He tests the rotor arms and slides the rotor gears onto the shaft already installed in the brake drum. He opens the rotors and spins them. He adds a ring of magnets to surround the rotors in a magnetic field. Satisfied with the fit, he removes the rotor assembly from the drum temporarily and clips springs to the rotor. These reaction springs will cushion the braking action. Now a worker reinstalls the rotor device in the brake drum. He places the magnetic ring back on top. The strong magnetic attraction secures it to the assembly. The next part is a large ring with more gears inside it. He hammers and then screws it in place. He spins the assembly again to confirm it's functional. He installs the final two gears on the end of the shaft. This completes the core of the zip line brake. Another employee stitches a nylon hand grip to tough, synthetic webbing. When this webbing is pulled out of the brake, it will set the rotor arms in motion to create the eddy currents that are the braking force. After protecting the brake core with a metal plate, a worker puts the unit in a plastic case. He installs a plate on the shaft for the webbing to sit on, then loops the webbing around it. He also places a drum on top for the retraction spring. He applies silicone adhesive around the drum. This secures the aluminum base plate. He now inserts the retraction spring. He caps the spring with a metal plate and reinforces the clips with metallic tape. Using a crank, he winds more of the webbing into the brake. He tightens the metal shackle that holds the two sections of webbing together and winds the rest of it into the device. He inserts a guide roller for the webbing and adds a two-part retaining clip. He secures the clip with a rounded metal pin. This next part is a plastic insert for the top of the case. He screws a nut onto the shaft to lock down the insert. He places the top half of the case onto the brake assembly and secures it to the lower half. He snaps a dust cover onto the case. They're now ready to test this zip line brake system. A motor pulls out the webbing to simulate different body weights and different zip lining speeds, while a computer analyzes the brake's performance. With magnetic zip line brakes, riders can come down at a wide range of speeds but still slow down at the same rate, ensuring that everyone has a fun but safe ride. Silk fibres can be creatively crafted into a variety of artistic objects, from paper to fabric or even items like lamps. The fibres are translucent, so they can take bright, white light and diffuse it into warm, beautiful mood lighting. This lamp doesn't have shades. Instead, it has natural-looking silk flowers which conceal its lights. The lamp base is made of branches. To create this functional artwork, the artisan begins with a roving. A roving is a bundle of fibres harvested from a silk moth caterpillar's cocoon. They've been cleaned and straightened. She places the roving in a nylon mesh bag, then submerges it in a specially formulated dye. She heats the dye to 185 degrees, then sprinkles in more powdered dye to produces splashes of bolder colors. After a couple of minutes, she removes the roving... And rinses off the excess dye. She hangs the roving on a rack until it's completely dry. Roving is typically spun into thread to make silk fabric, but this artisan has a different technique. She spreads a sheet of tulle on her work table. Then she gently separates the fine, hair-like fibres and lays them out on the tulle. Each pile will be turned into a flower for the lamp. She folds over the tulle to create a barrier that keeps the fibers from sticking to her hands. She prepares the fibres for the textile medium she'll apply next, a polymer adhesive. She saturates each pile with water containing a few drops of dishwashing detergent to open up the fibres. Then she sponges up the excess water and soaks up any other remaining moisture with a towel so the medium does not become diluted. Now she's ready to apply the polymer adhesive. As the fibres absorb the medium, they fuse together, forming a sheet of silk fibre paper. After folding back the tulle, she begins molding each paper into a flower. She spreads the paper over a balloon and lets it dry overnight. With a few simple steps, she has transformed a colorless roving into colorful sheets of moldable silk fibre paper. The next day, she pops the balloon. The silk fibre paper holds its round shape. Using the textile medium again, she glues her silk fibre flowers to juniper branches. She secures them with a needle and thread, matching the thread color to the silk so that it blends in. She further sculpts the flowers with a stitch or two in select spots. And dabs textile medium on the thread to secure it. Then she glues in a second, slightly smaller flower, creating two layers of petals. She takes some fibres she dyed green and glues them under the blooms to form wispy leaves. Finally, to turn this sculpture into a functioning lamp, she places a battery powered l.e.d. push light in the center of each flower. The lamp needs no inner wiring and doesn't need to be plugged into an outlet. You simply press the middle of each flower to turn its hidden push light on or off. A simple sculpture by day, and a gentle light by night. Round hay balers automatically roll hay into large bundles. They can also wrap the rolled hay in twine or plastic. This american invention allows farmers to put down their pitchforks and leave the work to the machines. The invention of the round baler was a farming breakthrough. Round bales of hay stayed drier than square ones. Making a round hay baler starts with a computerized fiber-optic laser. It cuts steel sheaths into the shape of the side panels and makes holes for hardware and machine components. Once the cuts have been made, workers remove the leftover materials. They'll be recycled into new steel sheets. Next, the baler side panel goes to a computerized hydraulic folder. It bends the edges of the panel to prepare it for assembly. With the side panel clamped in a fixture, a worker slides bolts into a part called the doubler plate. This plate will be used to reinforce the panel. He welds the heads of the bolts to the doubler plate. The bolts protrude up so bearings and other parts can be attached later. He adds other reinforcing parts, supports for rollers, and a box for twine. Then it's over to the paint department. They prime and paint both sides of the panel with an epoxy finish in order to protect the steel from corrosion. After the paint dries, cranes lift two panels over to a fixture that holds several baler rollers. Workers insert the ends of the rollers into holes in the side panels. They add an auger for moving the hay away from the sides of the baler. They secure all of these components with bolts. Next, they install a belt-tightening assembly. The bars will hold the hay-shaping belts at the correct tension. After adding a bearing to the bottom feed roller, a worker installs sprockets. He also loops chains around them. The sprockets and chains will drive the 14 rollers in the baler. The next part is known as the hay pickup, because its steel teeth lift hay from the field and into the baler. It fits on the front of the machine. Now a worker installs the wheels. He brushes a lubricant onto spindles and inserts them in the wheel axles. Bolts secure the spindles to the axles. Then he mounts the wheels to the spindles and locks them in place with nuts. Once the two wheels are installed, a crane lifts the machine into an upright position in order to install the rear chamber. A crane lowers the rear chamber onto the baler assembly. As the hay is shaped with a round bale by the machine, it will gradually expand in this chamber. These rubber belts will roll the hay into round bales. The team loops them around tensioning rollers, arranging them closely together. A worker joins the ends of each belt by pushing steel pins through riveted lacing. An employee applies vinyl decals to the outside of the baler. The decals display the company name and the machine model in bold graphics. The machine is equipped with hydraulic cylinders so the rear chamber can be raised and lowered. A technician syncs the tractor cab monitor to sensors added to the baler during the assembly. The sensors indicate the position of the back gate, the status of the bale wrapping equipment, and the moisture level in the hay. After a complete operational check, this baler is ready to give farmers or ranchers a break by automatically creating round bales of hay. With footwear, extremely comfortable used to mean extremely ugly. Not anymore. Today's comfort shoes don't look anything like they used to. They can be just as stylish as any other shoe, but also provide sturdy, cushioning foot support. These comfort shoes come with two interchangeable insoles. One is an anatomically shaped footbed with good arch support. The other is a reflexology footbed that massages your feet while you walk. The top of the shoe is made of leather. An operator spreads the cowhide on a cutting table and positions a part-shaped steel die over it. With a press, he forces the die through the leather. The die has blades on both sides, so after cutting a part for the right shoe, he flips it over and cuts the same part for the left shoe. They stencil on guide marks for stitching and stamp on a production number. Due to the natural variations between hides, they cut parts for a pair of shoes from the same piece of leather. A production number keeps the parts from being inadvertently used on a different pair of shoes. They place the part under a template and run it through a lateral knife. This thins the leather where it will overlap adjoining parts so the thickness of the upper shoe is uniform throughout. They apply reinforcement fabric to the most wear-prone areas of the shoe. This machine bonds these adhesive factory enforcements with pressure and heat. Now sewers begin assembling the upper. They glue the parts for the lining together because stitches that are on the inside of the shoe can sometimes irritate the foot. The lining is made of soft calf leather, except for a small piece of rougher goat leather at the back to grip the heel. They sew in the lining one section at a time. This is the rear section of the upper, called the heel cap. After sewing one side, they insert a foam padding to cushion the back of the foot. Then they fold the lining over to encase the padding. This machine punches holes and embeds eyelets into the upper. Then a sewer attaches two more parts of the upper, the tongue and the vamp. Another sewer finishes the upper by stitching on the vamp ring. They put the upper into a mold on a forming machine. The machine works like an iron, applying both heat and pressure to form the heel cap into the perfect shape. The next forming machine uses the same process to round the toe cap. Now a sewer stitches a hole to the upper. Then they steam the upper and insert a last. A last is a foot-shaped plastic form that matches the specific shape and size of the shoe. They place the upper into a heat setter. The heat forms the upper to the shape of the last. They roll out wrinkles and flatten any bulges with heat and pressure. They place the upper in a template of the shoe's outer sole and trace the top. They grind the leather below that line. This roughens the surface to help with adhesion. They apply heat-activated glue to the roughened area and the sole, which is made of molded polyurethane. They let the glue dry. Then they activate the glue with a heater and join the upper and sole. They place the shoe in a vacuum press. The press sucks out the air while drawing the upper and sole tightly together. Next, they add an anatomically shaped footbed insole. It's made of a moisture absorbing combination of cork and latex with leather on top. Then they lace the shoes and insert cardboard to support the shape during transport. They spray the upper with a chemical solution that makes the leather water-resistant. The second set of insoles goes in the shoe box. These shoes are designed with enough room to insert a custom orthotic device, if needed.