Automotive Fuel Pumps Cricket Bats Change Machines Ductile Iron Pipe
Today on "how it's made"-- automotive fuel pumps... Cricket bats... Change machines... Change machines... And ductile-iron pipe. And ductile-iron pipe. When you start your car, it activates a pump that's usually located inside the gas tank. This electrical system pushes the gas out of the tank and into injectors, which aerate the gas and deliver it to the engine cylinders. Without a pump to get the fuel flowing, your car would be going nowhere fast. You might think that submerging an electric pump in gasoline would be a risky thing, but liquid fuel can't explode, so it's actually a very safe place to be. Production begins with the pumping mechanism. A gear and several rollers are sandwiched between two metal plates. The rollers will rotate to pull fuel into the pump before pushing it out of the tank. Each roller assembly is tested by spinning it from the bottom. A robot then pops it out and moves it to the next station. Here the electric motor is attached to the roller pumping mechanism. Then it gets a magnetic sleeve and a plastic cap. All the parts that make up the pumping mechanism have now been assembled. Next comes an end cap with a filter made of metal mesh. A metal sleeve slides over the pump unit, and the whole thing is press-fit together. Inside this chamber, large magnets generate a very strong force field. This causes the metal sleeve to collapse, crimping at one end so that it holds everything together. Next, retainer rings go into slots in the fuel-pump cap. A metal bracket goes over the pump. It steadies the assembly and serves as a guide as workers install the brushes and coils which will supply electricity to the fuel-pump motor. A brass terminal slides onto the end of each coil and brush assembly to facilitate the electrical connection. Then the terminals are attached to the assembly. When the job is done, a robot removes the bracket. They built this fuel pump from the inside out, and now the actual workings are complete. Inspectors hook each pump up to a power source and run fluid through them to test the pumping action. Then they check for proper flow and pressure. If the pump passes inspection, a robot sends it down the assembly line... Where a tubing system is being assembled to carry the gasoline to the engine. The joints are sealed with a brazing paste. Then it's into a gas oven, where the paste hardens and fuses to the tubing. Workers remove the tubing from the oven and brush off any unwanted bits of metal and unwanted bits of metal and hardened paste. Hardened paste. The ends of the apparatus are capped to keep them from collecting dirt and debris during shipping. Rubber tubing is attached to the pump and secured with metal clamps. Then the rubber tubing is clamped to the metal tubing system. Workers wire the fuel pump, then hook up a connector which will attach to the engine's wiring. This is the sending unit. It's a float with a metal arm that's attached to an electronic sensor. The sensor sends information about fuel levels to the fuel gauge on the dashboard. A computerized system checks the sending unit's accuracy as the sensor is moved up and down. Once everything checks out, it's time to fill the tank and hit the road. Up next-- cricket, anyone? We'll go behind the scenes at a we'll go behind the scenes at a bat factory. Bat factory. References to the game of cricket date back to the 1300s. Historians believe it started as a children's game. In the 1600s, working men took up the pastime, and before long, it caught on with the upper classes. By the 18th century, cricket was one of england's favorite organized sports. Cricket bats are made of a particular species of white willow. It has stringy wood fibers that are usually long. These give the wood elasticity, the key to its performance. Bat makers use as much sapwood as possible because it's moister and more flexible than the heartwood at the tree's core. Production begins with willow pieces about 2 1/2 feet long. The first machine trims them down roughly to size. A few sprays of water limber up the wood fibers. Then each piece goes through a pressing machine three to four times. A curved roller applies up to three tons of pressure, rounding the bat's face and compressing the wood by almost half an inch. This pressing is essential to the bat's performance and durability. The bat maker draws a "v" on the end where the handle will attach. Then he removes the bulk of wood behind the "v" on a table saw. This minimizes the amount of work he'll have to do by hand later. Now he cuts out the "v". This creates a joint in which to insert the handle. The handle is made of cane, dried vine stems, glued together in sections, and coated with rubber. The grip end has been shaped on a lathe. The other end will attach to the blade. The bat maker cuts the block-shape tip into a wedge that will fit into the "v" cut, then glues the two pieces then glues the two pieces together. Together. A few taps with a hammer ensures a tight fit. He spreads the excess glue all over the joint to seal it. Now he shapes the bat's profile using a classic woodworking tool called a drawknife. This takes only a few minutes but requires years of experience and an expert eye. Then he completes the shaping with another pressing to curve the bottom third of the bat. International cricket rules regulate the length and width of bats, but there's no restriction on curve. Getting it right is tricky, though. Too much curve, and he'll limit the blade's flexibility and performance. The bat maker finishes off the shape using specialized tools. Then he uses a metal hand plane to flatten the blade's edges. He ensures the bat has good spring by hitting it with a dense wooden mallet. He also analyzes the sound of the strike. The softer the sound, the softer the wood, and the better the bat will play. He smooths the bat against an air-filled drum sander that molds to the bat so it doesn't wear away the shape he worked so hard to achieve. Then a worker smooths out the rest of the surface with a belt sander designed specifically for cricket bats. The entire bat is sanded twice, first with a coarse abrasive, then with a fine one. Next, the bat is mounted on a binding machine, where its handle gets a coat of glue. A wrapping of twine binds together the sections of cane together the sections of cane that make up the handle. That make up the handle. Extra glue prevents the twine from unraveling. Next, they polish the blade next, they polish the blade using a cotton wheel. Using a cotton wheel. Once the wood is shiny enough, brand-name decals go on. Finally, a rubber grip goes over the binding to prevent the player's hands from slipping. The bat's two main components complement each other when striking the ball. The willow-wood blade flexes enough to deliver a good hit, and the cane handle absorbs that energy, protecting the player's hands. When you return-- making the when you return-- making the machines that make our change. Machines that make our change. Change machines were invented in the mid-1950s in response to the vending-machine boom. They began as simple mechanical coin changers, converting a quarter into nickels and dimes. Today's modern machines can even convert $20 bills. Times sure have changed. It's like magic. In goes the bill, and presto, out comes the exact change. But behind the scenes, there's no slight of hand-- just innovative design and some pretty high-tech equipment. Production begins with the machine's cabinet. A computer-guided laser cuts the cabinet parts from a sheet of steel measuring 1 by 1/2 yards. Workers shake the parts free and push out the openings in the panel that will become the cabinet's front door. The parts are then shaped in a machine called the press break. This is one of the door panels. The machine forces it against a die, bending the edge. These bent edges will strengthen the door and help it fit snugly into the frame. The laser cutter also makes a series of holes in another cabinet part. Then workers press threaded studs into the holes. A vibrating feeder automatically dispenses the studs into the insertion machine. Now they bend the sheet, again using a press break, and make the three-sided panel that will become the cabinet sides and back. They attach the top and bottom panels. Then they position the cabinet on a computerized welding station and rotate the table. A robot makes precision welds behind a steel partition that shields workers from heat and harmful rays. Now they assemble the change machine's coin dispenser. It has two counter-rotating discs fitted to the diameter and thickness of a coin. They work together to seize and align the coins, then drop them into the coin chute. Workers set in these metal discs, along with a plastic gear mechanism that rotates them. Then they secure the parts on a fixture... And drill holes into the gear and drill holes into the gear mechanism. Mechanism. Roll pins are inserted to hold the parts together. Then workers make sure the coin discs spin freely. The next task is to assemble the coin-dispenser discs and gears. This is precision work. First, they set the parts in a metal casing. Plastic rings go around the discs to guide and support the gears. Then they attach the gear-train motor which powers the motor which powers the change-dispensing discs. Change-dispensing discs. A plastic guide on the casing helps the coins drop in properly. Next comes the coin chute that guides the change out of the dispenser and into the machine's coin cup. The dispenser holds up to $800, which can weigh a hefty 45 pounds, so it needs a strong handle. It's locked into place with this tool, called a ring fastener. Now it's time to put the whole machine together. First, an electric power supply is installed on the inside back wall. Next comes the bill validator. And the coin cup. Then the coin dispenser and electronic control board, the brains of the machine that calculates the change. Finally, on go the instruction decals. So, how do bills transform into coins? Let's open the door and see. First, the bill acceptor scans the bill's paper and ink, then stacks it in a box. The processor calculates the transaction, then cha-ching, exact change. Coming up-- turning iron and steel into the pipes that keep steel into the pipes that keep our cities running. Our cities running. Chances are you use ductile-iron pipe every day and don't even know it. The underground pipes that transport a city's drinking water are cast from ductile iron. So are the sewer pipes that take away household waist. Ductile iron is more flexible than ordinary gray iron. Under pressure, it will bend before it breaks. Ductile-iron pipes are made of 90% recycled metal and have a life-span of hundreds of years. Production begins in the pipe factory's scrapyard. These old cars are on their way to a shredder that chews them up into little bits. The factory sorts the bits by material. It discards the plastic, sells the aluminum and copper, but keeps the steel and iron. The factory also gets scrap steel from demolished buildings and other sources. The shredded metal is analyzed by its chemical composition and sorted accordingly. A crane operator uses an industrial magnet to gather precise amounts of steel and iron. The shredded metals then go into a blast furnace fueled by coke, a form of coal. At 2,500 degrees fahrenheit, the iron and steel liquefy, while impurities are carried away. Workers then add magnesium. This turns the metal from ordinary gray iron into stronger, more flexible ductile iron. The molten iron travels down a trough into a casting machine. It enters a spinning mold, where centrifugal force spreads the centrifugal force spreads the iron against the mold walls. Iron against the mold walls. A cooling system chills the walls, and the iron solidifies within seconds. Then an extractor pulls out a 20-foot-long cast-iron pipe, the standard industry length. Before each casting, workers insert a round form, called a core, into one end of the pipe mold. The molten iron fills the void between the core and mold, forming a flared edge, called a bell. The core also seals off that end of the mold, preventing molten iron from flying out during casting. When it's time to connect the pipes, installers will fit the bell of one pipe over the straight end of another. A rubber gasket seals the link together. The casting machine can make pipes of different diameters by changing the size of the mold inside. After the pipe is extracted, inspectors weigh it and measure the wall thickness to be sure everything meets specifications. Then, on the bell end, they remove the core. Since it's made of sand and plastic resin, it simply plastic resin, it simply disintegrates. Disintegrates. This factory makes pipes in several diameters, but regardless of size, the casting process is always the same. It just takes less time with smaller pipes because they harden faster. A freshly cast pipe is around 1,500 degrees fahrenheit, but it cools quickly after leaving the mold. Such rapid cooling makes the iron brittle, so the pipe goes directly into a gas-fired annealing furnace that reheats it to 1,700 degrees fahrenheit. This alters the internal structure of the iron, making it strong and flexible. The pipe then runs through a cooling chamber that showers it in cold water. To prevent the iron from corroding, the inside gets sprayed with cement, building up a lining an eighth of an inch a lining an eighth of an inch thick. Thick. Then the pipe is spun for a few seconds to smooth out the cement. The entire pipe is painted inside and out. This seals the surface, enabling the cement to cure over the next 24 hours. It also provides some extra rust protection. Finally, a robot paints a stripe around the straight end of each pipe. This is a depth guideline so installation crews know when they've inserted the straight end of one pipe as far as it can go into the bell end of another.