Compression & Extension Springs Micro Drill Bits Skiffs Painted Glass Backsplashes
Compression and extension springs... Micro drill bits... Skiffs... And painted glass backsplashes. Coiled wire springs are designed to change shape when weight is added or removed. Some coils, such as compression springs, are made to keep components apart. Other types of coils, like extension springs, hold things together while the spring expands and contracts. When a load is applied to a compression spring, it contracts, while an extension spring expands when pulled. Compression and extension springs are made from steel wire. The diameter and qualities of the wire varies, depending on the use of the spring. Spooled onto a reel, the wire uncoils, pulled by rollers, which lead to a forming machine. Guide rollers steer the wire, as does this aperture. Multiple feed rollers push the wire towards computerized forming tools. The rollers pause, while the tools do their work, and then resume to supply wire for the next spring. Meanwhile, other rollers push the wire around a mandrel, where it's coiled into an extension spring. A side-arm controls the diameter, while another tool cuts it to length. The forming process has caused internal stresses. To remove those stresses, the springs are heat-treated. As the springs move out of the oven, they travel through a cooling chamber. The heating and controlled cooling improves the physical properties, allowing the springs to withstand repeated compression. With internal stresses relieved, it's time to work on the outer surface of the steel springs. A rack conveyer dips extension springs into a vat of water-based paint. The paint seeps into the crevices of the coils, providing even paint coverage. Then the rack conveyer takes the painted springs on a ten-minute loop through an oven. This step bakes the paint onto the steel, providing a corrosion-resistant finish. This is what the springs look like before and after painting. These truck suspension springs are made differently. A machinist heats the end of a steel rod in a furnace, inserting it between forming tools to taper it. This taper will allow the completed spring to sit upright. Next, the entire rod goes into a 1,796-degree furnace. Once the rod in red-hot and malleable, it exits the furnace and is transferred to the forming mandrel. The mandrel spins to wind the soft, steel wire, transforming the straight steel rod into a spring. The spring is placed in a bucket and lifted to an oil bath. The bath quenches and hardens the steel. Then the spring travels through a furnace. The heat burns off quenching oil residue. A technician inserts the compression springs in a revolving fixture, allowing the ends of the springs to extend outward. As the fixture revolves, grinding wheels remove material to flatten the exposed ends. This flattened profile is another way to ensure that the springs will sit upright. Once complete, the technician measures the height of the spring to confirm that the correct amount of material has been ground off. The grinding has made a substantial difference. The next machine removes surface flaws. An operator places the spring inside the machine. As the spring spins, a fine, abrasive steel shot sands away imperfections. You can see the difference this step makes in the spring on the right. The exposure to heat has made the steel wire more flexible. A technician places the wire in a press machine and sets the compression and height. The press squeezes the coils until the desired amount of compression is achieved. After the spring has been painted, the company name and model information is stamped onto the springs. It takes two hours to make a spring, and now it's finally ready for some flex time. Thousands of years ago, our earliest ancestors might have picked up a pointed rock and spun it between their hands to bore a hole in something they wanted to modify. Today, you can buy drill bits in all shapes and sizes. Drill bits are often associated with carpentry, but from electronics to surgery tooling, there are all kinds of fields that require ultra-thin, high-performance drill bits. The production process begins with lengths of 100% carbide called blanks. A diamond grinding wheel lubricated with a specialized cutting liquid is applied to a chamfered edge on one tip of the blank. This step removes the rough edges left when the blanks were cut down to size. A vibrating device organizes the blanks inside a rotating bowl. The vibrating action shifts the blanks into single file so they can proceed one-by-one to the next step. This machine is called a centerless grinder. The blanks move between two rotating drums, which grinds them down to a specified length. The blanks pour out of the machine immersed in the lubricating fluid. An operator selects one and places it in a quality control gauge to check that it meets the manufacturer's required tolerances. The blanks now enter a cnc rollomatic. An operator sets up the tool and programs its work process. A robotic auto-feeder picks up the blanks one-by-one from a specialized palette. The robotic arms places each blank carefully and precisely in a waiting chuck, or collar, and then moves them back into position. The tool moves forward, holding the blank perfectly still as a pair of wheels close in. Liquid coolant pours over the blank as the wheels precision pinch-grind the tip of the blank, grinding it down to about 1/10 of a millimeter-- the width of a human hair. It's a delicate process. The rollomatic produces 48 pieces per hour. Next, a technician places small sheets of plastic foil in a jig. The foil is shim stock, color-coded according to its thickness. The jig raises the metal support to a specified height. When the blank advances over the support, a mark left in the blue ink determines whether the metal blank is centered. Once complete, a technician uses a magnifying tool to fine-tune the placement of the blank and ensure that it's perfectly centered. This process can take four to five hours. The blank is finally ready for the crucial fluting process that will transform it from a cylindrical length of carbide with a narrow tip into a micro drill bit. After hours of preparation, this operation takes just a few seconds. An industrial grinding diamond wheel has sliced a microscopic groove at a precise angle. The technician inserts the bit, sharp-end first, into a precision machining device. A steel bushing with a brass insert holds the tip of the bit in place as a cutting wheel slices an angled point. It's impossible to see the difference between a bit before and after fluting. Using a magnifying device, the technician conducts a quality control check of the bit. As the screen reveals the finely-cut flute, the technician ensures the tool's parameters meet manufacturing standards. Once such parameter has to do with the shape of the flute, which has a forward taper. This means the flue groove becomes shallower from tip to base at a very precise angle. This feature simultaneously strengthens the tool while increasing the chip flow along the groove. Although carbide is incredibly strong, when it's milled to the thickness of a human hair, it becomes fragile. Needless to say, careful packaging is extremely important. A skiff is a lightweight motorboat designed for use on shallow water. Unlike most boats that have a v-shaped hull, a skiff's hull is relatively flat, allowing it to sit high above the water. This type of boat is known as a poling skiff. It's designed with a platform set over the engine, which provides fishermen a ledge to stand on while moving the boat along with a pole. A technician cleans the hull mold and coats it with a release agent, then sprays on a gel coating. The gel coating forms the glossy outer layer of the boat. Then the technician measures the gel coat layer with a mill gauge and leaves it to harden for about an hour. Computer-guided machines cut pieces for the hull, deck, and cockpit floor from four different materials-- woven fiberglass mat, rigid pvc sheet-foam, kevlar-- a high-strength, heat-resistant synthetic fabric-- and stiffer kevlar reinforced with carbon fiber. Chopped fiberglass saturated with resin is applied onto the gel coat. With spray-glue, a technician adheres a layer of carbon kevlar, fiberglass, foam, and a second layer of kevlar to the base. These layered materials create a mold for the boat's deck and cockpit floor. The flat squares are aluminum-retention plates, where components will be screwed down. Raised squares are where openings will be cut out for storage compartments. Each mold is bagged and connected with hoses to a vacuum-infusion system. The vacuum compresses the layers to 2/3 their original thickness, then the system draws a specialized resin through the materials, which will bond them into a single unit. The system removes all excess resin so that the ratio of resin to materials creates maximum strength with minimal weight. Next, another technician assembles the boat's wiring into a unit known as a wiring harness. He winds the individual wires around a schematic that's custom-designed for this specific boat. He attaches connectors on the ends that fit into water-tight plugs. Every wire is labeled for easy identification. Once the resin has fully cured, the plastic vacuum bag is removed from each mold. A technician knocks wedges under the flange that formed around the perimeter, and thanks to the release agent, a team can easily lift the flange out of the mold. The flange is trimmed, and the openings are cut with a diamond saw, which leaves clean, straight edges. Next, a team begins assembling the boat. First, they apply adhesive to the hull to prepare the cockpit floor for attachment. Once the cockpit's in place, white pvc tubes are installed for storing fishing rods under the deck. Then the wiring harness is installed. The aluminum fuel tank is mounted in the bow. These components are made of strong, lightweight materials. A technician places screws into the metal retention plates that were molded into the structure. Next, the wiring harness is attached to water-tight plugs connected to the electrically-powered components. After installing plumbing lines for the aerated live bait compartment, team members glue the deck to the hull. The lids are installed for the deck openings. This one covers the forward storage compartment containing the fuel tank and the tubes for the fishing rods. Next, the console helm is assembled, which is the nautical equivalent of a vehicle dashboard. Onto the helm, a technician installs the steering wheel, the engine gauge, the panel containing the ignition and switches for electrical components, and the throttle, which controls speed. Then, two technicians bolt the outboard motor onto the engine mount at the stern. While this skiff is built with a square stern and pointed bow, its sides are flat. This enables the boat to move quietly through the water. Next, technicians mount the poling platform over the engine, securing it with glue and screws. Finally, a technician installs the finishing touches, and the skiff is ready for launch. Due to its low profile and light weight, this boat can operate in just mere inches of water. Painted glass is an un-traditional backsplash choice specifically designed to look minimalistic. Due to fewer grout lines, these painted panels are also easier to clean so that when grease splatters, the backsplash can be wiped down quickly. These panels are painted on the back so the neutral color shows through the front side. Since glass is reflective, this backsplash brings both subtle color and light into the kitchen. Production starts with an automated loading system. Suctioning grippers transfer the glass to the rails of a conveyer. This is low-iron glass, a kind of glass with a very high clarity. Once color is applied to the back, the color will appear more clearly on the front than regular glass. For easy identification, a computerized system applies labels to each of the parts to be cut. A diamond cutting tool scores the glass, mapping out backsplash panels and smaller pieces to be used for showroom samples. Once complete, rollers move the glass sheet to the next station. Two technicians snap the glass along the score lines. This snapping action creates clean cuts, preventing the glass from shattering. The snap action doesn't work for cuts within the panel. Instead, a highly pressurized water jet mixed with garnet grit cuts through the glass. The cutting device makes holes for electrical switch plates and for mounting hardware. With the cutting done, a technician rinses the residual grit. The sharp edges are profiled so the glass will be safer to handle. As this display model demonstrates, there are several choices. Next, an operator loads the glass backsplash into a slotted conveyer, which transfers it to the edging machine. Underneath the edging machine, there are a series of grinding and buffing wheels. As the glass travels over the wheels, the edge of the glass will transform. Once the machine is activated, the wheels spin, while lubricant flows over the glass. The wheels profile and buff the edge of the glass that will be the top of the backsplash. Next, the operator examines the edge to confirm that it's been contoured and that there aren't any imperfections. Apart from making the glass safer to handle, the profiled edge will reduce the possibility of chipping and breakage. At the next station, spinning brushes with soft bristles scrub the panel. The process removes any dust or polishing grit to prepare it for the next steps. Once out of the washing machine, the glass backsplash travels through a 1,299-degree oven. The intense heat followed by a quick cooling tempers the glass to make it heat resistant. Roller conveyers transfer the glass to the painting station. A technician mixes the acrylic paint. Since paint doesn't stick to glass on its own, a special adhesion-promoting chemical is added to the mixture. The technician mixes the colorants into the white base according to the formula. Specific amounts of red and yellow paint produce a brilliant orange hue. Next, sprayers apply the paint evenly across the back of the panel as the glass moves along a conveyer. Then the backsplash enters an infrared oven heated to 302 degrees fahrenheit. The painted glass bakes in the oven for about four minutes. Once heating is complete, a technician applies gray paint over the backside of the backsplash. This coat won't affect the orange hue, but it will protect the backsplash from damage during transport and installation. Neutral-colored backsplashes make a more subtle statement, while brightly-colored backsplashes can make a kitchen pop.