Skeletal Replicas Ice Buckets & Servers Dining Chairs Inground Pools
Skeletal replicas are excellent educational tools. While real bones are fragile, these reproductions are made of a synthetic resin, which is very tough. These models are scientifically accurate and can withstand repeated handling in classrooms or museums. This facility is dedicated to producing skeletal replicas... Everything from ancient humans to prehistoric animals. Cast from real skeletons, these models are virtually indistinguishable from the original. The process starts with a real skull. This one is of a prehistoric sabertooth cat. Using a wire cutter, a worker slices up blocks of clay, placing the pieces on the skull. He presses the clay evenly around the skull. He soaks a sponge and uses it to moisten and smooth the clay. He inserts a plastic tube that will come in handy later. Now, he saturates strips of fiberglass with a polyester resin and drapes them around the clay. Left overnight, the fiberglass and resin cure into a rigid shell around the clay. He repeats this process to create a second, identical fiberglass shell. With the skull and clay in the bottom half, he bolts the second shell on top. He pours silicone into the plastic tube, filling the space between the skull and the top fiberglass shell. After repeating this process on the other side, he opens the shell. He removes the skull and examines the two-part silicone mold. He places the two-part mold back into the fiberglass shell and straps it to a spinner. He pours polyurethane resin into the mold. At just over a pound, the weight matches the original skull. The spinner spirals at a controlled speed, evenly distributing the resin throughout the mold. After the resin has solidified, he removes a replica skull from the mold. The specially formulated resin has the look and texture of bone. The craftsman scrapes away the ragged bits. This part is the jaw. Using a special grinding tool, he cleans up the surface and does a bit of contour work. With a sharper tool, he better defines the area around the teeth. Then he grinds the rough bits away from the cheekbone. This is the jaw before and after the improvements. Now it's over to the paint department, where a worker airbrushes the skull using acrylic paint. He layers shades of brown, black, and red to make this replica look more authentic. He inserts the saber teeth in the upper part of the skull and drills little holes in both of them. He pushes nails into the holes to secure the teeth in the sockets. An inspector now scrutinizes the skull and compares it to the original one on the left. Just like the real sabertooth cat skull, it looks ancient. It's difficult to tell the difference between the 12,000-year-old skull and the new one. The skull is now ready for the rest of the skeleton body. It takes five people three weeks to build a skeletal replica like this one. The roman emperor nero is believed to have been the first to chill wine in containers of ice. Despite the convenience of modern refrigerators, ice buckets and servers are still used today. They add presentation value to any occasion, whether the host is on a champagne or a beer budget. This ice server's simple design drains melted ice, so food stays cold without getting wet. An automatic guillotine blade chops large sheets of high-grade stainless steel into rectangles. A worker takes each rectangle to a punch press. The press cuts a pattern of holes into the steel. The pattern is geometric and will drain melting ice efficiently. Next, it's over to a deep-drawing press. It uses 110 tons of force to transform the rectangle into a pie-style plate. A punch cutter removes the excess steel from the rim. The worker now has a perforated ice tray. He transfers it to another punch press, which cuts finger holes for lifting it from the base. The next worker places a larger steel rectangle into a different press. This will shape the bowl the ice tray rests in. He returns to the tray and buffs the rim to a mirror finish. After polishing the outside of the bowl to a high gloss, he welds two screws to the bottom. With the screws firmly in place, he connects the two steel legs to the bowl. He attaches a steel platform to the other end of the legs. This ice server is complete and ready to chill. But before they uncork the champagne, they need an ice bucket. The bucket starts with a pre-cut steel disk. An employee places the disk in a more powerful press. It uses 165 tons of force to transform the disk into a basic bucket shape. Next, another press applies over 175 tons of force to deepen the bucket and reduce the diameter. Stretching the flat disk twice has made the metal fragile, so it's exposed to induction coils that are heated to over 1,800 degrees. After cooling, the steel's strength is restored, and it's ready to be shaped again. The final press gives the ice bucket a cone-like shape. The ice bucket spins on a table that moves through six different polishing stations. The brushes at each stop are progressively thinner, and this gradual polishing gives the stainless steel bucket a high sheen. With the help of a template, the worker welds handles to the steel bucket. Then the bucket is set upside-down on a revolving table. A pressurized sprayer shoots fine mineral particles to give the interior a smooth finish. This is the result. A filler head now dispenses acid and then plunges into it and applies an electrical current. This removes the surface metal, resulting in a brilliant finish. After the acid has washed off, a worker inserts a perforated plate for drainage. This ice bucket is now ready for a party. It's not enough for a dining chair to look inviting. It also has to be comfortable and sturdy. The secret to manufacturing a quality dining chair is to use hardwood and traditional furniture construction techniques. This company makes dining chairs out of hardwoods, such as birch, walnut, oak, and ash. They dry the wood until its moisture content is 7%, so the chair size stays consistent after construction. First, workers stand planks of wood on a conveyor belt to apply glue. Then they align the planks' glued edges... And clamp them tightly together in a heated press. After a few hours of heat and pressure, the glue is dry, and they release the press. The planks now form a large panel from which to cut the chair parts. A computer-guided band saw cuts the preliminary shape. These are chair legs. The next machine, the profiler, finalizes the shape and sands the wood surface on all sides. Workers now mount the parts on another computer-guided machine. This one drills slots called mortises. These mortises will receive pins called tenons protruding from adjoining parts. Before assembly, workers sand all the parts so they can be stained later. To make a curved chair back, they have to bend the wood. They need the wood to have a 15% to 22% moisture content. Any drier, and the fibers would snap when bent. They steam the wood for an hour to soften it and make it more flexible. They place the steamed wood in a curved mold on a press. Then they dry it with a device that generates heat using radio frequencies. After about an hour, they release the press and remove the wood. The moisture content is now 7%, which maintains the curve shape. Parts that need tenons go into this automated machine. Its rotary knife shapes the tenon in about one second. Workers glue the mortises in the two vertical sides of the chair back, then brush glue onto the tenons of the chair back's horizontal pieces. They align the tenons and the mortises and secure them in place with a mallet. They put the chair back into a press to force the tenons in place. They reinforce each mortise-and-tenon joint with staples designed for wood. They continue to assemble the chair parts with mortise and tenon joints. This method is key to the chair's strength and stability. Now for the final stage of construction. They attach the front-leg assembly to the chair back. The chair is placed in a press to completely secure the tenons. Then they attach a support piece in each corner. In the finishing department, they spray a light coat of stain, wipe off the excess so that the color is even, spray on a sealant, lightly re-sand the wood, and apply a coat of protective finish. Finally, they add a seat cushion, which screws into the chair from underneath. Now you're sitting pretty. The first pools were built by the ancient greeks and romans in the 19th century. Large cities like london started building indoor pools for sports and recreation. Backyard residential pools became popular in the 1950s. Today, residential in-ground pools are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their parts are made to order in the factory. The first step is to design the pool according to the client's specifications. Computer software then determines exactly which components must be built. The side panels of the pool are made with galvanized steel plated with zinc to prevent rusting. They die-cut "v"-shaped notches on the top and will cut similar ones on the bottom later. These little dimples in the metal will hide the heads of bolts. They punch out holes on the remaining ends of the panel. These will serve to join multiple panels to create the perimeter of the pool. They insert each panel in a powerful metal folder. It firmly clamps the sheet of metal and pushes up the edge to create a 90-degree angle. Taking a flat, metal sheet and turning it into a three-dimensional object makes it stronger. They fold the notches at the top and bottom ends of the panel. They also die-cut a large hole for the clean-water inlet. To make a curved panel, they place it on a fixed-radius jig. They insert a metal profile called a stiffener and bolt it in place. They use a custom flat head bolt and nut that will lodge themselves in the metal dimples. Next, an automated clamp bends the panel to fit the jig's curve. The "v"-shaped notches allow the panel to bend easily, but workers must install radius belts to maintain this shape. They fasten the radius belts permanently using hydraulic rivet guns. All in-ground pool panels are made to order and shipped as soon as they are ready. In the thermoforming department, they use a fixed sheet of a.b.s. plastic to make the in-ground pool steps. The sheet is firmly clamped in a frame and goes into an oven. The oven heats the plastic to around 350 degrees for five minutes until it gets soft and pliable. As the plastic comes out of the oven, a fiberglass mold is pushed up, forming the main shape of the steps. A rigid cage seals the sides, and a powerful vacuum sucks out the air, forcing the plastic against the mold. A series of fans cool down the plastic. When it has hardened enough, it's removed from the mold. They prepare the vinyl liner for the inside of the pool. There are about 30 designs to choose from. Workers unroll the vinyl on a cutting table, where a conveyor will keep pulling on it. A computer-controlled rotary knife zips over the moving vinyl... Cutting effortlessly to create all the required sections. The cutting process generates little waste, and the materials are fully recyclable. Workers carefully fold each section of the liner. All sections will be assembled in another department, according to the assembly plan. On-site, they assemble the steps, the side panels, and the piping for the filter and heater. They pour concrete around the pool to form a foundation. Then they pour some inside the pool to create the bottom. They smooth the surface and let the concrete set for two days. A worker unfolds the vinyl liner. It has a semi-rigid pvc edge that hooks into the top of the pool. They fill the space around the pool with gravel and pour a concrete sidewalk on top. All that's left to do is add paving stones or a deck, some plants and furniture, and you'll have your own, personal paradise.