Fencing Masks Books Ocean Drone Transformers 3D Puzzles
Today on "how it's made"... Fencing masks... Books... Ocean drone transformers... And 3-d puzzles. Fencing is one of the oldest forms of armed combat. In the late 18th century, fencing evolved into a sport. As fencing gained popularity, a steel mesh mask was invented to protect the eyes and face from injury. Before fencers say "en garde," they don a face guard. Today, fencing is recognized as an olympic sport, so special mesh masks are required to compete. Regulation fencing masks are made from rectangular pieces of tight steel mesh. A machinist uses a guillotine blade to cut the corners of the mesh piece on an angle. Then he transfers the mesh to a press with a large mold that's shaped like a face. The hydraulically powered mold press bears down on the steel mesh and forces it into a rounded shape. Using a special tool, the machinist bends steel wire to a form. He brings the ends of the wire together to close the loop. An automated welder fuses the ends. The machinist transfers the hoop to the next fixture and places the rounded steel mesh on top of the hoop. A frame descends, affixing the mesh to the hoop. Then multiple welding guns spot-weld the mesh to the hoop. A large welding gun closes the gaps between the spot-welds. Once fused, the hoop will prevent the mesh from fraying and add structural rigidity. Using a nibbler tool, the machinist trims the mesh, revealing a clean edge. Next, the technician works on the mask's side piece by bending steel wire into a rectangle. He places the rectangular frame in a fixture and sets a piece of mesh over the frame. He spot-welds the mesh to the frame. This step provides a more consistent weld around the entire mask. Copper welding wheels fuse and seal the mesh to the frame. Then the machinist uses a grinding wheel to remove any sharp bits or protrusions. This is the result. A bending device rounds the part so that it will fit to the sides and top of the head. He welds the rounded part to the back of the fencing mask. A large welding gun spot-welds the assembly together in preparation for a final weld. Once complete, the machinist makes a full seam weld, closing all gaps. This will prevent a sword from piercing through the mask, potentially wounding the wearer. Next, the technician pounds out any remaining dents with a hammer, restoring the mask to the desired contours. He places the fencing mask on a rounded post and uses a plastic mallet to hammer the mask against the post. This step will improve the overall shape of the mask. They big is made out of high molecular polyethylene, which is strong and extremely light weight. The bib includes a thick rubber band that attaches to the mesh mask. Once the mesh is coated with plastic, another technician installs rubber trim along the perimeter of the mask. The plastic coating on the mesh insulates the mask, preventing electrical interference from the scoring system's wiring. The technician pipes epoxy glue around the mask just above the rubber trim. He pulls the bib's rubber band over the mask and down to the bead of glue at the bottom. He tucks the pieces of material under the band for a neater look. As the glue cures, the bib's rubber band adheres to the fencing mask. Another machinist drills rivet holes through the bib and mesh along the sides of the mask. Then he inserts and flattens the rivets to pull the bib flush to the mesh. Each fencing discipline requires its own uniquely designed mask. Regardless of the design, each mask will allow the athlete to safely enjoy the sport. Book-making has evolved over time, from scrolls to writing on sheets of paper bound together, to the invention of the printing press. People continue to develop new ways of recording history. Today, thanks to digital technology, the possibilities of recording the spoken word are endless. A fine book-making specialist makes just a few limited edition books per year, using traditional printing and binding techniques. Production begins with a case of tiny brass molds. One mold, called a matrix, contains letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. A typecasting specialist inserts the matrix case into a machine called a monotype composition caster. And melts lead alloy ingots in the machine's gas heated pot. Guided by a computer, the machine casts one character at a time for every word of the book. The computer program assigns a location code to every matrix. To cast a character, the program communicates a specific code through plastic tubes, while puffs of air align that character's matrix with the injection nozzle. The nozzle dispenses molten lead into the matrix while the machine ejects the cast character onto a tray called the galley. As the lines of text exit the machine, the typecast specialist inserts a strip of lead to create spacing, called leading, between each line. He transfers the galley to the press room, where a proofing press spreads ink on the type. He places a sheet of newsprint over the galley and releases an impression roller. The roller prints the characters on to the paper, generating a proof. Meanwhile, a typesetter assembles the larger display copy manually by placing individual letters into a composition stick. This method was used for all copy prior to the invention of the automatic typecasting machines in the 1890s. Books printed in large sizes of type must be made entirely by manual typeset. Once complete, multiple galleys that make up several pages of the book are placed in a steel frame called a chase and loaded into the printing press. This cylinder press feeds one sheet of paper at a time to grippers that pull the paper around a cylindrical roller. As the roller rotates, the paper drops onto the inked type, printing the characters into the sheet. One press sheet typically contains eight pages per side. Another machine folds the sheets, then bookbinders manually collate groups of 16 consecutive pages to form sections of the book called signatures. Next, a bookbinder sews the signatures together one at a time until the book is fully assembled. This method of bookbinding, called smyth sewn binding, after its 19th century inventor, is of the highest quality because pages can't fall out or be removed. Like the binding, the book cover is meticulously handcrafted. A book binder hot glues a piece of cloth to the back of the cover. The cover is made of flexible paper and thick cardboard. Then she flattens the cloth on all sides. Using a razor blade, the book binder makes a slit for the cloth, where she'll place a recessed label later. This enables the cloth to spread out and form to the spine's rounded shape. The cloth is pressed firmly against the structural components with a plastic tool called a bone. Another book binder attaches the cover to the bound pages, called the book block. First, she applies glue to both components. Then she positions the book block on the cover... And presses them together. She places the book in a nipping press. That puts pressure around the spine, fusing the book block and cover together. Then the front and back of the cover are glued to the first and last pages of the book. The book then sits in another press overnight, bringing this book-making story to a close. There's a new class of autonomous vehicles that can travel the ocean. Some dive and some sail, but very few can do both. An ocean drone transformer shifts from sailboat to submarine by rearranging its shape and altering its mode of operation. This is an autonomous underwater and surface vehicle. It's an information-gathering machine capable of propelling itself over and under waves, using nothing but wind and solar power. To create the vehicle's hull, technicians unroll sheets of fiberglass over a mold, which has been machined from a block of styrofoam. They fiberglass fabric is cut to fit the interior of the hull. Thanks to its extraordinary durability, the fiberglass will allow the watercraft to spend months at a time at sea. And it won't interfere with the vessel's electronic signals. Technicians carefully tape the material to the mold. This yellow material will allow liquid resin to flow easily. Then technicians unroll a strip of gray ribbon which will help direct the flow of resin. Next, an incision is made in the middle of the ribbon for the nozzle, which will be the entry point for the resin. A layer of plastic is taped onto the hull, which will help to vacuum seal the assembly together. A shut-off valve is added to control the flow of resin. The resin is poured into a container. And as the resin infuses the flow media, it displaces the vacuum until it has completely saturated the fiberglass material. The resin is cured for 12 hours. The mold splits open at the bottom so technicians can easily release the hull assembly. A technician paints the vehicle's keel, which is made of marine-grade aluminum. The torpedo-shaped keel bulb is made of lead. Electric cables run through a hole drilled length-wise down the center of the keel. The interior structure of the vehicle starts as a flat material made from a combination of fiberglass and epoxy which they form into large sheets using intense heat and pressure. Then water jet technology precision cuts the sheets into the required shapes and sizes. Technicians assemble the shapes into a structure that supports the hull while housing the vehicle's equipment. In-house technicians build the multiple circuit boards that make up the central processing unit, or cpu. Each board controls a separate element of the vehicle, such as the sensors, the wing, or the communications system. Electronics and water are not a compatible combination, so the manufacturer designed a water-tight acrylic tube to hold all 10 of the circuit boards that make up the cpu. Specialized cable connectors are installed so water doesn't leak through the cover plate. Once the enclosure is sealed, technicians vacuum out flammable oxygen and pump in non-flammable gases to protect the cpu. A technician prepares the battery, which is an off-the-shelf lithium ion unit. A battery housing is 3-d printed out of a.b.s. and infused with epoxy to ensure that it's completely water tight. Next, a technician installs the battery in its designated spot. Solar panels on the vehicle's surface will recharge the batteries. A hose will allow the cpu to transfer water from one ballast tank to another to control the boat's up and down motion or pitch. The vehicle's tails serve as housings for the backup communications antenna system. In stealth mode, the vehicle can sit below the water surface with only its tails above the waves. Designed to fold down and tuck into the body of the vehicle, the rigid wing multi-tasks as the primary antenna and the sail, which propels the vehicle when it's above water. Due to its user-friendly technology, an operator can program a mission at any time from any location via satellite or wi-fi. The first jigsaw puzzle was invented in europe in 1760. Nearly two centuries later, a canadian inventor reshaped the popular pastime. His puzzle pieces, made of thick foam rather than cardboard, could stand upright, turning the puzzle into a three-dimension model. Constructing a 3-d puzzle yields impressive results. To do so, two 800-piece puzzle sets are used to create this spectacular castle replica. An industrial designer creates the puzzle's three-dimensional structure. An illustrator uses techniques, such as visual textures and shading, to transform flat graphics into a three-dimensional rendering. The industrial designer prepares the printing and cutting layout, fitting up to three puzzles per sheet. The puzzle pieces are made from rigid foam. The foam is specifically engineered to be chemically compatible with the paper graphics and proprietary adhesive. A technician feeds one sheet at a time into a custom designed lamination machine. The first station spreads hot glue over the top of the foam sheet. An automated arm with vacuum suction cups lifts a single sheet of printed paper and places it on the glue-coated foam sheet. As soon as the paper adheres to the foam, the she is released from the suction cups. Then the foam moves under a roller that presses down the paper. As the laminated foam exits the machine, a technician rolls a tube over the foam, pressing out any remaining air bubbles to ensure the paper adheres fully. In the development phase, the industrial designer assembled a blueprint for how the puzzle pieces would be shaped and laid out. That design went to a toolmaker who produced a corresponding cutting die out of steel knives. The die is mounted inside the cutting machine. A technician feeds the machine one laminated foam sheet at a time, paper side down. Grippers grab the edge of the paper, pulling the sheet into the machine. The cutting die slices the puzzle pieces into the foam. Even though the cutting pressure compresses the foam, it immediately bounces back, keeping the sheet intact. Thanks to a high-quality rubber sheet inserted between the blades, the pieces don't get stuck in the die. The stiff rubber provides counter-pressure to help remove the foam sheet. If the sheet has two or three puzzles printed on it, the cutting die separates them. Then a technician places the puzzle on a semi-automatic conveyor belt that moves it to the dismantling machine. The machine infuses the die-cut puzzle sheet with steam. The steam prevents static electricity, which causes pieces to cling together or to the inside of the machine. The machine separates the pieces. And dispenses them into a puzzle box. A technician adds the standard instructions sheet, and seals the box. The instructions are in black and white, but can be viewed in color online. The first step is to sort the pieces by color and design and set aside the ones marked with a red dot which is part of the manufacturing process, not the puzzle itself. The next step is to assemble the puzzle, section by section. All the sections are flat, so the final step is to attach the flat sections to make the puzzle three-dimensional. For an additional challenge, you can forgo the step-by-step instructions and refer only to the photos on the box. If you happen to lose a puzzle piece, you can go to the company's website to trace the number of your missing piece, then order a new piece online. The company will mail it to you so that you can complete your puzzle. Unlike a traditional flat puzzle, you can move your 3-d puzzle without it falling apart. It takes four to six months to develop and design this incredible 3-d puzzle. Now it's time to spend even longer piecing this puzzle together.