Wood Windows Woven Cashmere Fabric Plastic Recycling Machines Architectural Glass
When it comes to windows, there's a variety of materials to choose from. Wood windows are typically the most expensive option, but they are also the most versatile. They can be constructed in any style, stained any shade, or painted any color. Wooden windows can be custom made to match the home's existing windows. This style is called a traditional double hung. Its upper and lower sections open independently of each other. Manufacturers make windows from a variety of woods. This company uses mahogany, a premium rot-resistant hardwood. This computer-guided saw cuts pieces of wood to the required length. The next machine, called the jointer, squares the edges and smoothes the surfaces. Now, they mill each piece to the final shape. A vacuum holds it steady while a computer-guided router works at it from all angles. The router uses up to 33 different tools from its on-board magazine. This piece will be part of a curved window. One tool cuts the basic shape, another tool profiles, and the other bores holes for the dowels. Twelve different tools later, this is the final shape. An assembler pours glue in the holes... Then inserts wood dowels. Their unique shape allows the glue to surround the dowel, maximizing adhesion. Using the dowels as a guide, he connects the two vertical pieces of the window, the rails, with the horizontal pieces, the stiles. This forms the window's sash. He clamps the sash in a hydraulic press. It's calibrated to join the parts together with just the right amount of pressure. He dries the glue with a radio-frequency heating device. They return the piece to the computer-guided router for the final milling. This sideways saw cuts a slot down each side for weather stripping. For double hung windows, another tool cuts openings along the edge. These openings will hold weighted cords that counterbalance the sash. Then, they put the finished sash through a sanding machine. The machine removes tool marks and preps the surface for a paint primer. They install the muntins, short pieces inside the sash that form decorative squares. First, the horizontal muntins, then the vertical ones. Each square will contain its own pane of glass. They sand the muntins by hand to smooth the surface for finishing. Then, the sash is sprayed with a water-based primer. Once the primer dries, the sash goes to the glazing department. This is where they cut the glass panes to size. Windows can have single, double, or triple panes, separated by an aluminum spacer bar. This is a single-pane window. The glazer applies a bead of caulk to the inner ledge of the sash... Then sets the glass on it. He secures the glass in place by one of two methods-- either by driving in tiny, flat nails called glazing points, or by caulking the perimeter and applying small moldings called glazing beads. The glazing beads are fastened to the sash with small nails. Once the glass is secure, the worker removes the excess caulk, cleans the glass, and inspects it for any marks or scratches. The final step is to install the hardware. It varies by window style. A double-hung window has a bar lift on the bottom and a latch that locks together the two sashes. You release the latch to open either one. Once the sashes are installed, they can be painted to match any home's exterior. The art of weaving has been around since the stone age. Traditional weavers use techniques and designs that reflect their cultural origins. Today's fashion industry has built on this tradition to produce fine wool garments. Designers keep a record of the fabrics they have created over the years. They pin samples in books based on quality, colors, and patterns for their customers to choose from. This is what cashmere goat hair looks like when it arrives at the wool mill. Short fibers, called flocks, go through a carding machine. This machine opens up the fibers and mixes colors together. The carding process removes impurities and reduces the fibers to a flat layer. The machine combs and twists the layer of fiber in preparation for spinning. The spinner separates the layer into threads and winds each one on bobbins of over 40 pounds. An operator loads yarn into a dyeing machine. The entire fiber-drying process takes about two hours for a reel this size. Uncarded locks of hair called wool tops are used to make worsted yarn. A worker feeds the ribbon-like thread into a blending machine. The blending process merges twelve threads into one large strip. The machine re-combs and twists the blended fibers, then spins them into a single strand. The coning machine winds the single thread around a cone by pulling it through a tensioning device with a series of spindles underneath. This machine can comb 20 pounds of wool in about one hour. Another spinning machine slowly unwinds worsted-wool bobbins. It accelerates as the threads run through a tensioning device and onto spindles. Even though the machine processes dozens of bobbins simultaneously, this process will last several hours. The set of threads that will make up the woven cloth is called the warp. Hundreds of parallel threads wind up on this roll, called the warping machine. These rolls can stretch several miles long. The warp is now ready for weaving. This shuttle loom holds the warp under tension while it interweaves the over and under threads using two sets of weaving needles. This moving part, the beater, keeps the fabric under tension as it comes out of the loom and onto the cloth beam. This rapier loom can weave fabrics four or five times faster than an automatic shuttle loom, and about 200 times faster than a hand-operated loom. The completed fabric goes to quality control. A worker performs a visual check, looking for any defects in the fabric. If she finds a broken thread, she repairs it by hand. Using a sewing needle, she replaces the broken thread with a new one. Once the fabric passes quality control, it goes through a two-hour cleaning process. Then, the cloth rolls through a steaming machine before accumulating at the end of the production line. The finishing process for a woven cloth can take up to a week. Designers study the fabrics and choose arrangements to make a collection. They mark selected patterns with codes and cut out samples. Then they make a sample booklet of their fabrics for customers to choose from. The fabric collection changes twice a year, providing a wide variety of styles suited to the season. Plastic is a convenient form of packaging, but can be harmful to the environment. Most plastics don't decompose, so they litter the landscape forever. Machines called granulators can help ease this pollution problem. They grind the plastic waste into tiny chips that can then be recycled. Granulators greatly reduce the amount of waste we humans produce. Instead of throwing plastics like these milk crates away, they can be tossed in a granulator. They chop the waste into little pieces, which can be used to make new plastic containers. Making a granulator starts with star-shaped rotors that will hold and rotate the blades of the granulator. A worker machines the center hole of the rotor so that it will fit a steel shaft. Employees slide the shaft through the center of the rotor. Multiple rotors are machined and installed on the steel shaft. The rotors are spaced evenly apart. A member of the team welds the rotors to the shaft. These welds will stop the rotors from sliding out of position during grinding. Next, steel blades are exposed to intense heat for 12 hours. Once they're red hot, an employee plunges them into cooling oil. This removes stresses and strengthens the metal. Next, a grinding wheel refines the shape of the blade so it will fit nicely to the rotors. It also hones the cutting edge until it's extremely sharp. They transfer the rotor-and-shaft assembly to a metal cradle. This rotor system is smaller than the one assembled earlier. It also has triangular rotors designed to chop up plastic jugs. A worker screws six blades to the rotors. He then attaches four blades to the casing, placing them at different angles than the rotating blades. Together, these blades will chop plastic very effectively. But, the gap between the blades needs to be fine-tuned. A worker adjusts the gap to the optimal width. Now, it's over to the granulator's lower casing. A rotating blade shaves the edges to specification. The next worker spray paints the outer-casing parts. This protects the steel from rust. After the paint dries, they install the blade system in the outer casing and add a wire-mesh screen. The screen acts as a sifter, allowing only plastic small enough for recycling to travel through the holes. Now, the upper housing is lowered onto the blade unit. A long hinge is added into the holes so the plastic granulator can be opened for maintenance. They give the blade system a test spin, and it turns freely. Another employee assembles a hopper for the granulator. He drapes a steel curtain over the opening to keep in any flying plastic chips. Using a crane, the team lowers the hopper onto the granulator. They confirm that the two components are correctly aligned, and bolt them together. Next, a 50 horsepower motor is installed below the blade shaft. Then, they loop a pulley from a flywheel on the blade shaft to the motor. Now, the workers cover the pulley system and motor with the steel housing. Then, a drawer is installed to collect the plastic chips as they fall. They're now ready to power up the granulator. Every machine is tested before it leaves the factory to confirm that it's fully functional. This plastic granulator is now ready to take on the growing problem of plastic waste. Glass lends a sparkle to any interior. From a bathroom sink to a staircase, architectural glass is both functional and artistic. The glass can be either handmade or mechanically formed. It's called architectural glass because an architect usually designs its aesthetic features and the objects the glass will be paired with. This company fuses multiple sheets of glass, each about a quarter of an inch thick, to create a finished product of any thickness. For example, this soon-to-be kitchen countertop uses 5 sheets of standard glass. Grabbing one at a time with handled suction cups, they gently place it on a pneumatically operated cutting table. They measure and cut the correct size using a square angle with a diamond tip blade. Diamonds are the only material that can cut glass. This kiln is a specialized oven for baking glass. A craftsman sprinkles white powder onto the base of the kiln. The powder will leave a texture in the sheet of glass. Next, he sprinkles ground-up, colored glass across the glass sheet to give the kitchen countertop a unique color scheme. They sandwich the glass with another sheet of glass, repeating this coloring process with each of the remaining layers. Once the last sheet of glass is put in place, they clean the top surface. Now, it's time to close the kiln and bake the glass. Inside the kiln, the five layers fuse into one unit. At another kiln, a stack of glass has been fused together and is ready for the next step. Workers open the kiln and carefully transfer the newly formed glass countertop onto a rolling cart. They take the counter to the polishing machine. With stones and water, the machine grinds down the edges until the layering is no longer visible. The finished glass countertop is strong enough to span over nine feet without structural support. And because of the heating-and-cooling process, the glass is now scratch-proof and chip-resistant. You can even chop food directly on the surface. At a different kiln, they're making a sink. First, they use a textured glass stamp to press a pattern in the powder. Then, they place three layers of glass over the pattern, carefully aligning the edges. After baking, the three layers are fused into one thick circle of glass. The bottom of the glass has taken on the pattern of the powder, leaving a unique look. This will be the outside surface of the sink. They place the glass over a sink-shaped mold in a different type of kiln. Over several hours, the glass melts into the sink-shaped mold. Once the glass cools, they extract what is now a sink. They carefully measure and mark where the drain hole goes, then they drill the hole with a diamond bit. This generates a lot of heat, so they must continuously cool the bit with cold water. Otherwise, the tool could overheat and jam. The glass sink is finished. They use the same technique to produce glass sinks in various colors and shapes. Sometimes, these sinks are even integrated with glass countertops. Countless other interior-design components can be made from architectural glass.