Mosquito Coils Solar
being eaten alive by mosquitos is no picnic... Well, except to the mosquitos. Not only are the bugs annoying, but just one bite from an infected mosquito can transmit potentially debilitating or fatal diseases such as the west nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever. One way to ward off mosquitos is to light a coil that releases mosquito-repelling vapors. These coils, manufactured in thailand, contain three natural ingredients traditionally used in this country to keep those biting bugs at bay-- eucalyptus, citronella, and turmeric. The first step is to mix them with certain nonactive natural ingredients which form the coil-- coconut shell powder, sawdust, tapioca starch, and joss powder, an adhesive made from the bark and leaves of the litsea glutinosa tree. After blending all these powdered ingredients for 10 to 15 minutes, workers bag the mix in an empty ingredient sack, then empty the contents in a kneading tank. They add fragrance and dye. The coil comes in four varieties. This batch of coils will be pink and cherry blossom scented. Then, they add the coil's only chemical active ingredient, metofluthrin. Its vapors are toxic to mosquitos' nervous systems, yet harmless to humans in low doses. Metofluthrin makes up less than 1% of the mosquito coil. After about 10 to 15 minutes of kneading, the mix exits the tank as a formable paste. A conveyer belt transports it to an extruder, which squeezes the paste through a slot-shaped die, producing sheets approximately 4 millimeters thick. A stamping machine then punches out seven coils per sheet. The leftover paste travels back to the extruder to be reformed into fresh sheets ready for stamping while the stamping machine ejects the paste coils onto a mesh tray. Workers conduct a visual inspection and remove any coils which are misshapen. Then they stack the trays onto trolleys. They roll the trolleys into the drying chamber, which they heat to a temperature of 131 degrees fahrenheit. After 5 1/2 hours, the coils come out of the drying chamber hard and sturdy. After conducting another visual inspection, workers transfer the dried coil to the automated packing line. The machine's first station stacks the coils in piles of five. Workers place a metal coil stand on each stack. Then, the machine's next station packages each stack in clear plastic film. The package holds the five coils tightly together so they don't rattle against each other and get damaged. It also prevents the scent from dissipating before use. At the next station, a high-speed robotic arm grabs and opens the retail boxes, aligning them opposite the arriving packages of coils. The machine inserts a package of coils into each box... Then closes the box. Before packaging the mosquito coils, the company lab tests randomly selected samples from the batch. The chemist lights a piece of coils and places it in the center of a sealed test chamber. Five minutes after the coil has completely burned, she releases mosquitos into the chamber and clocks how much time elapses until they're debilitated. The lab also conducts a burn performance test. This verifies that the coils take between 7 and 8 hours to burn completely. These mosquito coils also come in lavender, rosemary, and herbal blend scents. Provided they're kept sealed in their plastic package and stored away from moisture, the active ingredients remain effective for at least 10 years. The solar-assist tricycle takes urban commuting in a whole new direction. It's part tricycle and part motorized vehicle. The motor runs on a lithium-ion battery that gets its juice from the solar panel on the roof. And it can also be plugged into an electrical outlet for a charge. The solar-assist tricycle is a vehicle for change. Propelled by both pedal power and solar energy, it's an alternative way to get around town. Making a solar-assist tricycle starts with the side panels for the cab. They've been thermoformed from rugged plastic. An employee cuts open doorways in the panels using a router. A fender was molded into the cutout to minimize waste. He cuts a hole in the panel to assemble that fender. Another employee then peels off the plastic film that has protected the panel during the cutting process. She attaches led signal lights and headlights to the tricycle body. She connects the lights to the wiring harness. The molded fender completes the tricycle side panel. She hangs it on a rack to await the next stage of production and writes the order number on it in order to keep track of it. They build the frame from tempered aircraft-grade aluminum. An employee mounts crank arms and chain rings to the front and then attaches pedals. The crankset transmits human pedal power to the drivetrain. Next up is the antlers, an assembly of metal tubes that includes the suspension mechanisms and steering linkage. They install steering arms at the ends of the antlers, then mount an aluminum dashboard support to the antlers. He inserts the steer tube for the handlebars into the slot in the dashboard support. He connects the steering linkage to the antlers using swiveling joints for precise handling. He inserts the handlebar into the steer tube. The team then secures two rugged bicycle wheels to the axle using cap bolts. They position the 1-horsepower motor and transmission between the tricycle's parallel spines and attach them with brackets and bolts. They loop a roller chain from the crank to the transmission and another one from the transmission to the rear drive wheel. They also link the motor to the rear wheel with a roller chain. They equip all three wheels with disc brakes. They install aluminum casing over part of the rear wheel and driveline. This protects these components and also provides structural support. A computerized tool now carves into corrugated polypropylene to create a box for the vehicle battery. An assembler then rivets the battery box to the front of the solar-assist tricycle. The team attaches metal struts to serve as supports for the vehicle body. They're now ready to assemble the body parts to the chassis. They align each panel to the frame and bolt it in nine locations. The fenders frame the wheels to keep road spray down. They fasten side mirrors to the vehicle, drilling the bolts through the body to the dashboard support. The employee then applies decals that identify the product. He protects the motor and transmission with a rugged plastic bonnet. And he screws the adjustable seat to the tricycle's aluminum spine. The team curves the flexible solar panel to the top. They attach the windshield to the front using high-strength double-sided tape. The windshield is made of polycarbonate that's optically clear and shatterproof. After the installation, he peels off the protective liner. The next worker inserts the battery in its compartment. He clips it shut, and the solar-assist tricycle is ready for the road. With its egg-shaped cab, it's certainly unusual-looking. And that's fitting because this hybrid vehicle is something entirely different. Most people use palm oil daily and don't realize it because it just blends in. It's a component of half of packaged food products. And it's also used in cosmetics, detergents, and even biofuels. It has a smooth texture, a natural taste. And it's a natural preservative. Brought to southeast asia from africa a century ago, oil palms have thrived here. Today, this region generates 85% of the world's palm oil supply. At the heart of this palm oil boom are breeding programs that ensure high yields. Technicians start by dissecting the fruit bunches. They analyze the quality of the fruit fibers, kernels, and nuts. They also assess their oil content. This identifies the most productive palms, as well as the trees best suited to particular growing environments. Next, the research team climbs the selected mother palms and pollinates the female flowers with pollen from high-quality male palms. They cover the flowers with thick fabric that allow light in but shields them from accidental pollination by insects and from other flowers. This ensures that hybrid seed will be the product of the selected parents only. It takes 6 months for the new hybrid seeds to be produced. Then it's into a heat chamber for 3 months to break the seeds' dormancy. They soak the awakened seeds in water. Along with the heat treatment, this rehydrating accelerates germination-- a process that takes many years in nature. They place the seeds in drawers and regularly mist them with water. After a few days, the seeds begin to sprout. Skilled staff sort through the sprouted seeds. They reject any that haven't germinated completely or that have crooked shoots. The seed on the left is the ideal specimen. They plant the selected seeds in small bags of soil outside. They shade them during this initial period of growth, protecting them from harsh sunlight. After 3 months, the seedlings develop roots and leaves. They transfer them to larger bags of soil, and 6 to 9 months later, they're 3 feet tall and ready for planting in farmers' fields. After 3 years of growth, the young palms bear fruit. The time is now ripe to tap into the oil-generating potential of these huge fruit bunches. The farmer loads the oil palm fruit onto a tractor cart. And it's on its way to the palm oil factory. Here, fruit from many farms accumulates in the receiving area. When the factory is ready to process the next batch, they open a gate. The fruit spills onto a conveyer. And it delivers it to giant pressure cookers. Cooking the fruit sterilizes it. It stops enzyme activity that would degrade the quality of the oil that's to be extracted. It also loosens the fruit from the stalks, and some break away. A spiraling blade moves them onto a grid screen that sorts the fruit from the stalks. The loose fruit drops into a bin below. And the stalks with remaining fruit go for further separating. Next, presses crush the fruit to squeeze out the crude palm oil. The oil flows into a vat. Impurities will now be spun out in a centrifuge and also filtered out. Meanwhile, the fibers and palm nuts toss in a drum. This knocks off fibers that are stuck to the nuts. A fan sucks up the lighter fibers, which will be used as factory fuel. They crack the nuts, and then a vibrating system separates the shells from the actual kernels. The shells will also be used as factory fuel. And the kernels will be crushed into palm kernel oil. In the lab, they now test samples to determine the oil extraction rate and confirm that the yield is good. They also analyze the oil's purity and the amount of free fatty acids. They confirm that the batch is of good quality. This crude palm oil has gone through many stages of purification. And although tests confirm it, the difference is also plain to see. Today, everything from boats to outdoor furniture to shower stalls are molded out of fiberglass-reinforced plastic resin. This wouldn't be possible without a tool called a chopper gun. It shreds the fiberglass into thin, loose fibers and impregnates them with resin while shooting them into the mold. A fiberglass chopper gun has a chopper that shreds and shoots the fibers, a nozzle that sprays those fibers with resin, and a catalyst to harden it, an air cylinder that drives the entire system, and separate pumps for the resin and catalyst. The make the resin pump, they first cut a stainless steel tube to a length of about 10 inches. All the pump's key components are made of stainless steel, which is very durable and doesn't rust. This tube will become the cylinder for the resin pump. They turn it on a computer-guided lathe. The first machining tool reduces the tube to the required diameter. The second machining tool cuts a groove in the cylinder for an assembly pin. They manually file the edges of the cylinder smooth, then polish the entire surface with sandpaper to remove marks left by the machining. Once all the components are ready, they begin assembling the resin pump. It has a ball valve at the top and another at the bottom, which open with suction and close with pressure to enable or block the flow of resin. Workers fit a rubber o-ring seal around the seat for the bottom ball, then insert the seat into the bottom of the pump. This retaining clip holds the seat in position. They fit another o-ring seal on top, then place the ball, about 10 inches in diameter, in the seat. This spring retainer limits how high the ball can rise when it's lifting to open the valve. Next, they attach the pump cylinder. They take a preassembled upper ball valve, attach a thermoplastic piston seal, then a retainer that holds the seal in position as the pump's piston, which they now screw on, moves up and down with the pumping action. They insert the piston into the cylinder. The tight fit creates a vacuum when the piston moves upward, drawing resin into the pump and pressure when the piston moves downward, pushing the resin out. Next, they add the top of the pump, then assemble the top seal, which contains a guide held in place by a retaining clip that aligns the vertical movement of the piston. They screw the top seal to the pump top. They secure the top by inserting a pin into the cylinder groove. The chopper's main components are the cutting head, the anvil sleeve, and a hard rubber roller, which the chopper's air-driven motor spins, rotating the cutting head at 4,000 revolutions per minute. This bearing pulls the woven fiberglass yarn, called roving, into the cutting head, which has slots for up to eight supersharp stainless steel blades. The more blades you use, the shorter the chopped fibers. This safety cover prevents fingers from accidentally getting chopped in the process. They mount the chopper to this spray gun. The lines from the resin and catalyst pumps connect to the back of the gun. At the front of the gun, dual nozzles simultaneously spray these chemicals onto the fibers right after they exit the chopper. Workers mount the resin pump on a stand along with a filter that prevents the nozzle from clogging. They install the air cylinder, then mount the catalyst pump and hook up lines from both pumps to the spray gun. To operate the machine, you hook up an air compressor to the machine's air input, connect the pumps to the resin and catalyst reservoirs, and set how much catalyst to deliver. Then you insert a strand of fiberglass roving into the chopper and let her rip. No resin and catalyst in this demonstration, but normally, they hit the fibers about 4 inches in front of the chopper gun, which shoots a stream of fiberglass-reinforced resin into your mold.