Rubber Balls Motion Chairs Montreal Smoked Meat Motorized Scooters
today on "how it's made"-- rubber balls. Motion chairs. Montreal smoked meat. And motorized scooters. A lot happens when an inflated rubber ball hits the ground. The rubber compresses and quickly snaps back to its round shape. That snapping back makes the ball bounce. In addition, the air inside the ball acts as a tightly coiled spring increasing the rebound. When an inflated rubber ball falls to the ground, it bounces back, and players catch it on the rebound. This type of ball is at the heart of many games, from basketball to soccer to volleyball. At the core is an inflated rubber bladder. Making it starts with a sheet of natural rubber. The factory worker folds it in a specific configuration. He places a die on top and activates a press to force it through the layers, which cuts out the shape. He now has the bladder of a sports ball. He brushes an adhesive around the hole in the bladder and inserts a plug. Another worker inflates the rubber bladder as she places it in a spherical chamber. It heats and cures the rubber for 5 minutes at a temperature of 284 degrees fahrenheit. The rubber bladder spins on a revolving cylinder, causing it to take up nylon threads. The threads twist around the bladder and form a layer that both strengthens it and keeps it round. The material that will form the exterior of the ball is made using colored synthetic rubber, natural rubber, magnesium carbonate, and mineral oil. Once it cures, a worker rolls it into thick sheets and slices it to a specific width. He folds it several times. This blue rubber will be used for volleyballs. The folded rubber now travels between a series of rollers. They flatten it and press it extremely thin, and it becomes both lightweight and formable. An automated blade slices the rubber into shorter pieces. A metal pattern cutter will now be used to cut the rubber into strips, which will fit together to form the outside of the ball. These particular strips are for a basketball. The worker places the pattern on several pieces of rubber. A press forces the sharp-edged pattern through the rubber to cut out fish-shaped strips that are designed to fit around the round bladder. She lines the two halves of a bonding shaper with the strips. She inserts the bladder and re-inflates it. She closes the bonding chamber and activates it. Inside, heat and pressure cause the strips to stick to the bladder. To make a medicine ball, which is used for exercising, a different pattern cutter is used. The forming process is the same, but this ball has a unique visual impact very different from that of the basketball. Back at the basketball station, a worker applies the brand name to the outer skin in two places. Glue helps the decals stick to the rubber. This mold will now transfer a pattern onto the rubber ball while also baking the lettering into it. Another worker places the ball in the mold and pumps more air into the bladder. He closes the lid. The mold applies heat and pressure to emboss the pattern onto the rubber. The lettering has penetrated the rubber, and the worker peels off the decal plastic. Another worker replenishes the air that's been lost to make the ball completely full and round. The ball is now ready to receive its stripes. The worker paints black rubber into grooves that were formed during embossing. This rubber quickly cures to become part of the ball. Another worker inserts a fill valve into the hole. Then, mechanical fists squeeze the ball to deflate it. This prepares it for packaging. With the valve inside, it can be easily re-inflated by the customer. A worker wraps it in plastic and ships it to the retailer. Making this rubber basketball has only taken a couple of hours, but it should be able to take a lot of knocks and bounce right back. Having a desk job doesn't mean one has to sit still. With a motion chair, the office worker can keep moving while staying seated. The support structure is engineered for flexibility, so while sitting, a person can bounce, tilt, and sway. Motion chairs redefine the act of sitting. The stem is springy, and the connection to the seat is elastic. This allows the office worker to be active while sitting. Making a motion chair starts with glass-reinforced plastic, which is a strong and lightweight material. These granules will be used to make the core of the seat. A robot inserts a steel fastener in the center of the seat mold. The mold closes, and the machine melts the plastic and injects it into the mold. The plastic quickly solidifies around the steel fastener, and it becomes part of the seat core. A robot with suctioning grippers pulls the convex-shaped seat core out. A worker assembles a height-adjustment lever in the hole beside the one for the seat stem. A molded plastic top completes the seat core. He anchors it to the core with numerous screws, so even with heavy use, the top should stay firmly in place. He visually inspects the seat core and confirms that it looks solid. Cushioning foam and fabric complete the seat. A worker assembles roller mechanisms that will facilitate the vertical movements of the chair's stem. Using a special assembly tool, she presses the plastic roller and two end brackets on a metal cylinder. She then applies an index to an aluminum support column that serves as a guide for setting the tension of an outer spring. She inserts the roller mechanisms in slots at the other end of the column. Strips of fabric tape keep the rollers in place. An air cylinder presses the outer sleeve onto the column so that it sits above the tension index. A screw between the inner and outer cylinders keeps them in position. Next up is a compression part for setting the position of the outer seat spring. A worker slides a metal ring between the compression part and the support column. He inserts a gas spring into the double-walled seat stem. He now slides the outer spring onto the assembly. He installs a plastic casing over the gas spring. Then he puts the seat stem inside a press chamber. He adds a top collar to the center of the gas spring as well as a snap ring. He activates the press, and it squeezes everything together. Next is a stand with flexible rubber parts that will make lateral movement possible while sitting. The worker attaches the flexible stand to a circular base. He confirms that holes for rolling casters or gliders in the base are the correct dimension. He screws a dial for setting lateral movement onto the protruding fastener. He secures it with a nut and tightens it. He covers the nut with a rubber cap. A tester will now evaluate the motion chair's performance. He attaches the stem to the base, and he fastens the seat to the protruding rod. He sits down and bounces around to test the range of movement. These tests are done intermittently to confirm that the the product consistently meets requirements. This motion chair is now ready for shipping. The packer plugs a hole in the base ring. This hole is for attaching an optional backrest. He applies a sticker with the product name. All of the parts of the motion chair can be easily assembled on location. Designed to discourage rigid sitting and encourage movement in any direction, it will compel the person using it to use his or her core muscles and be less sedentary on the job. With the motion chair, it just may be possible to get fit while you sit. For at least a century, montreal's jewish delis have been serving smoked meat on rye. The exact origins of this particular deli meat are a matter of debate with many claims to its invention. The juicy details have been lost to time, but montreal smoked meat continues to have an enduring appeal. A cross between corn beef and pastrami, montreal smoked meat has attracted a foodie following around the world. Montreal smoked meat starts with brisket, which is a cut from the cow's upper chest. A worker thaws the previously frozen briskets in a refrigerator for 10 hours. A team slices off the biggest chunks of fat using round, air-powered blades. The excess fat will be shipped to another factory and used to make soap. The workers use a sharp butcher's knife to remove smaller pieces of fat, leaving just enough for flavor. Next, they prepare the brine. Along with salt and sugar, there's a secret recipe of spices that includes peppers, mustard seed, allspice, and cinnamon. The operator combines the salt and sugar with ice-cold water in a high-speed mixer. The spices have been premixed in water to produce a spice concentrate. The next worker loads the trimmed briskets onto a conveyor. It takes the briskets under an array of long needles that inject the brine into the meat repeatedly. Laced with brine, the briskets then fall into a bin. A worker transfers the juicy briskets into a vacuum tumbler. It pulls air from the chamber, causing the briskets to absorb more brine. The tumbler tosses the briskets for 10 hours, massaging the brine into the meat. A layer of protein also forms on the surface. This holds the brine in place. In the meantime, a worker mixes the ingredients for the dry rub. It's comprised of the same spices that were used in the brine along with clumps of fresh garlic. After the briskets have been well marinated, the operator adds the dry rub. He turns on the tumbler for another half hour. The dry rub mixture coats the surface of the meat. This system is an alternative to rubbing the spices onto the briskets by hand. It's faster and very efficient. Coated with smoked meat spices and injected with flavorful brine, the briskets are now ready for roasting. An employee rolls racks of the spicy briskets into a huge oven. The briskets steam-roast at 210 degrees fahrenheit for 8 to 10 hours, but the workers don't actually smoke the briskets. It's the spices and brine that give them that montreal smoked meat flavor. After the briskets have been chilled, workers transfer them to plastic bags and place them on a conveyor. Moving forward, a vacuum-sealing head drops down to shrink-wrap the plastic to the meat. The vacuum seal and the smoked meat spices combined give the meat a long shelf life. Refrigerated, it will stay fresh for up to 45 days. This plant ships the entire brisket to restaurants. At the restaurant, they will re-steam and slice the brisket before serving. Next, the smoked meat is pre-sliced to sell in supermarkets. An automatic meat slicer carves it into thin pieces in seconds. A worker retrieves the sliced smoked meat and sets it on a tray. Transferred to a weigh station, workers divide the slices into 6-ounce portions. Then they roll up the smoked meat slices. A worker places the rolled meat into plastic pouches on a rack. The racks move forward, and a vacuum sealer applies a top film, creating little packets of sliced smoked meat. After a quick bake to pasteurize the meat, he puts six packets into compartments on a conveyor. A pusher moves the six packets of smoked meat into an open box. The system seals the ends of the boxes. Workers weigh the box of smoked meat slices. It has taken about 30 hours to produce this batch of montreal smoked meat. It's time to slice it thin and pile it thick between slabs of mustard-slathered rye. Now, that's a deli lunch, montreal-style. A motorized scooter is a souped-up version of an ordinary scooter. Instead of propelling the wheels by pushing off the ground with one leg, an engine does most of the work. Some motorized scooters are kids' toys, but others are sturdy vehicles suitable for commuting, utility, and recreation. This motorized scooter has wheels large enough and tires wide enough to drive on any surface, even off road. The manufacturer contracts this factory to make the frame components. Machines cut hollow steel tubes to the required length. Then workers program an automated bending machine to bend each one to the required shape. They make five tubular frame parts per scooter, strictly following the technical drawing supplied by the manufacturer. The scooter company subcontracts the frame assembly to another factory. There, a welder mounts the components on a jig, which positions them correctly while he welds them together. The non-tubular, flat-frame parts are prepared in house, cut from sheet steel by a computer-guided laser cutter. These flat crossbars support the footboard on which the rider stands. This flat plate supports the battery, and these arms support the rear wheel and motor. After applying a coat of anticorrosion paint, workers install the side reflectors and the knob that secures the battery. The paint is baked on for maximum durability. The scooter manufacturer subcontracts the wheel rims to another factory that specializes in high-precision metal spinning. A worker there mounts an aluminum disk onto a computer-guided lathe, positioning it right next to a rim-shaped steel mold. Two rollers push and stretch the disk over the mold, forming the aluminum to the rim's shape. Another worker mounts the rim on a manual-spinning lathe to finish the shaping. First, with a cutting knife, he trims the edge. After lubricating the edge with soap, he uses a forming bar to turn it inward to form a lip. Then, with the forming roller, he stretches the lip to shape a flange. Back at the scooter factory, a worker begins installing the vehicle's silent electric motor. Its cable will plug into the electronic module that runs the motor, accelerator, and battery. The motor is actually located inside the hub of the rear wheel. This mounting ring holds it in place. He installs a brake disc on top of the motor and another on the front wheel. A mechanical cable connects each handlebar brake lever to the brake calipers. When the driver pulls the levers, the brake calipers clamp the discs to the wheels, stopping rotation. Now the final assembly-- workers bolt the rear wheel to the frame's support arms. They insert the height-adjustable fork, made of steel and aluminum, into the steering column. Next, the worker installs the handlebars, which have a thumb-operated accelerator throttle, an lcd monitor and two hand brakes, each with a mechanical cable for the calipers. Each hand brake also has one electrical cable. He connects the throttle line and the electrical cables to the monitor. Then he connects the monitor to the controller. When the rider brakes, the controller also cuts power to the motor, which allows the scooter's 48-volt lithium ion battery to regenerate. This screw knob holds the battery securely against the battery support plate. He connects the battery to the controller, then the mechanical cable from one hand-brake lever to the front brake calipers and from the other hand brake lever to the rear calipers. Charging the battery takes four hours when plugged in to a regular household outlet, and a full charge lasts 31 to 37 miles. The scooter can climb an 11% incline and reach a top speed of 20 miles per hour.