Replica Foods Traffic Cone Dispensers Rocking Horses London Taxis
This meal may look delicious, but it actually tastes like plastic. This is fake food. It's not for tasting--  it's for tempting. Restaurants and food stores use these imitations to entice customers. Fake food is also used as props in movies and tv because the camera loves it. This fake food will keep that fresh-cooked look forever. That means there will be no waste from the restaurant display case. These authentic-looking fakes start out with the real thing. In this case, it's a sea bass. The worker blots up excess oil from the skin. He then uses an adhesive to glue the fish to the base of a wooden box. Next, he immerses the fish in liquid silicone. 24 hours later, after the silicone is set, he breaks open the box and removes the fish. This detailed silicone negative can now be used to mold exact replicas of the original fish. They preheat the mold until it's warm to the touch. This kick-starts the curing of this liquid plastic, which they pour into the mold. Once the mold is filled, they zap it in a microwave oven for 45 seconds. It solidifies the plastic significantly, but it still needs a bit more curing, so the worker transfers it to a conveyor. It carries the mold under a lamp, whose intense energy completes the curing of the plastic. The worker now extracts the mold and plastic replica. Spillover from the molding has created a few ragged edges, so he trims them with a pair of scissors... Then grinds the edges to smooth away the rest. He also uses the grinder to do some contouring. Now for the real artistry. The worker sprays silvery paint onto the plastic bass. It gives the fish scales a lifelike, luminous texture. A bit of dark-gray paint brings out the silvery undercoat. Brown paint on the tail and fins make them look more realistic. Using an artist's brush, he paints the eyes. He brushes on fine lines that look like natural creases and adds some other typical sea-bass markings. A coat of lacquer keeps the paint from chipping and makes the sea bass look moist. Now the sea bass will always look like the catch of the day. And unlike a real fish, it won't start to decompose. At this faux-food factory, there are 3,500 molds. Each one can be used hundreds of times and will produce an exact copy of the original every time. For things like meat and potatoes, they add color to the liquid plastic before they do the molding. This reduces the amount of painting they'll need to do later. It takes some trial and error to get the pigments just right, but when they do, this fake meal looks good enough to eat. They drizzle the beef and side dishes with gravy-colored glue that makes the fake food adhere to the plate. Now that they've pulled this meal together, it should never come apart. It takes a couple of days to produce all these dishes, but it should be worth it because, compared to real food, it will last forever. Traffic cones create a necessary diversion. They keep drivers away from dangerous situations. But sending workers out onto the highway to set up those cones can be a perilous job. Now there's an automated machine that both dispenses and collects cones to keep everyone out of harm's way. The automated traffic cone dispenser goes where some might fear to tread-- the middle of the highway. Its robotic arm swings back and forth for a speedy deployment of traffic cones. To make one, workers slide three big metal disks onto a shaft and space them evenly apart. They pull a string from disk to disk to confirm all three are aligned. Once they're in place, a worker welds the disks to the shaft. They reinforce this installation job with several braces, welding five to each disk at the point where it meets the shaft. They spin the shaft and inspect the work. Next, they install the tracks that will shuttle the traffic cones to the robotic arm. They weld 13 of them to the disks. The framework for the automatic traffic cone dispenser is now complete, so it's over to the paint booth. They prime and paint it bright yellow, so it will be clearly visible on the highway. Here, a technician then assembles the main control panel. It's the brains behind the cone-dispensing robot. The technician connects cables that deliver power to the motors. He installs a series of switches and relays that will activate the motors that rotate the drum, swing the robotic arm, and deliver the traffic cones. Finally, he tests the circuit breakers to confirm that all systems are go. Down the production line, this worker attaches the gripper to the arm. A pivot bolt allows the gripper to open and close, and this chain will keep it pointed downward, so it's always in position to deploy a traffic cone. He tightens the turnbuckles and then checks the chain's tension. He swings the arm to confirm that it and the gripper move freely. Now he installs the transmission for the motor that will move this robotic arm. Finally, he snaps a retainer ring onto the transmission shaft. Two workers then carry a heavy extender mechanism over to the gripper arm and bolt the mechanism to it. This extender will both support the arm and allow it to move easily from one side of the dispenser to the other. A sensor device, called an encoder, will keep track of the gripper arm's position when it's moving. The technician then installs the motor that will power the gripper arm to oscillate and deploy the traffic cones. Once the gripper arm has been attached to the cone dispenser, they mount the whole unit on a trailer, with the main control box on the front. They adjust the settings for traffic-cone deployment and put the machine through all its paces. This test run ensures that all the parts are functioning properly. A technician tweaks the machine's computer program to fine-tune the drop-off coordinates. After all, releasing the cones too soon could cause them to topple. Every automatic cone dispenser undergoes a road test on the open highway to confirm that it will perform in real conditions. The driver activates it from the safety of the truck cab, while the robotic system is at center line, doing all the lifting and taking all the risks. If they find a problem now, they'll send it back to the factory for modifications, but this machine handles the drop-offs and pickups with precision, and that means it's ready for traffic duty. The ancestors of toy rocking horses may be the wooden horses on wheels of the middle ages, on which knights would practice their jousting skills. Child-sized wooden horses on bow-shaped rockers emerged in england and germany in the 1700s, when queen victoria famously had dapple-gray rocking horses made for her children. This rocking-horse company in the u.k. handcrafts antique reproductions and originals. Some have traditional bow rockers, but most glide back and forth on a safety stand. The horses are made of durable hardwoods, such as oak, maple, and tulipwood. After cutting off knots and other defects, workers run each piece through a ripsaw, slicing off the rough and discolored wood directly under the bar. Then they cut the pieces into 12-inch-wide blocks, and with a planer, slice off a thin layer of wood. This makes the surfaces nice and smooth. These are the blocks with which they'll construct the horse's main body. To make the legs, an artisan lays a template on an as-yet-unplaned piece of wood and traces it. Then he cuts along the trace line with a band saw and runs the leg through the planer. Each leg has a protruding piece on top called a tenon that fits into a slot called a mortise beneath the main body. To build the body, they roll glue onto the body blocks and assemble one to the other, building a large rectangular box with a hole at the center. This hole reduces the horse's weight and relieves structural stress. In some models, the hole also serves as a secret locking compartment. After clamping the assembly and letting it set for 24 hours, they coat each leg tenon with glue and insert it into a mortise. After rough-carving the body, a highly skilled craftsman outlines the head features in pencil-- cheekbones, nostrils, eyes, teeth. Then he begins the meticulous task of carving the horse to completion, hitting a mallet against a u-shaped gouge. This painstaking carving process takes 2 to 3 days. Now, after inserting a glass eye, he rough-files the whole horse using a rasp to remove all the gouge marks. This takes another few hours. Then he smoothes the entire surface with an electric sander four times over, using progressively finer sandpapers. He does the final sanding touch-ups by hand. The wood is now ready to be either stained or painted to the customer's specifications. If it's the latter, the artist first applies a coat of water-based primer, then, for this client's custom order, a coat of light-blue paint that turns gray when varnished. Once the background color dries, he hand-stipples a pattern. After the surface is varnished and waxed, he dresses the horse in a suede saddle blanket. He uses brass tacks to affix it along the leather trim. Next, he nails the leather saddle in place. He squeezes globs of glue into a slot running down the horse's neck and inserts the mane, a weft of genuine horsehair. Then he nails it in place. Now he applies glue to the tail hole and fits a tail, also made of real horsehair. Now they begin constructing the safety stand, on which the rocking horse will glide. To make the posts, they turn cylindrical blocks of wood on a lathe. Then they assemble the posts to the other parts of the stand and stain the wood. They apply two coats of varnish and let the stand dry overnight. They install the stand's stained and varnished gliders and mount the horse. They drill a hole through each hoof and glider, then join them with a nut and bolt. The gliders connect to the front and back of the frame with plated steel swing irons. The angle at which the irons are set ensures a continuous smooth glide. So even though these rocking horses are built to withstand the weight of two adults, riding them is child's play. With curved lines and classic styling, the black cabs of london are internationally recognized as british icons. Many say the london taxi system is the best in the world, and for many london visitors, a taxi ride is more than just transportation-- it's a tourist attraction unto itself. The modern black cab was born in 1948. Today, there are about 20,000 black cabs on the streets of london. Because the taxi can easily be driven 30,000 miles each year, the cars need to be robust. To start, operators position steel panels into a press that uses hydraulics and air pressure to fold them. The press can apply up to 800 tons of force to fold and form each chassis component. Once they get their 3-dimensional shape, the supple panels become stiff side rails. Welders then assemble two side rail with a cruciform to create the chassis assembly. They clamp the side rails firmly in place before welding them. The taxi uses a 4-cylinder, direct-injection, turbodiesel engine that is hoisted in with the gearbox. Then they connect the radiator hoses and pipes to the engine. The axles, wheels, suspension, and exhaust system are now in place. To build the components of the taxi's body, welders assemble sheet metal using a spot welder. The device has two copper electrodes that clamp the sheets together and concentrate electric current into a small spot. Forcing a large current through the spot melts the metal and forms the weld. Now it's time to assemble the taxi's sides and floor. Since the floor is completely flat and the roof is high, passengers with reduced mobility can easily enter and exit the taxi. The body has been covered with an anticorrosion coat and a gray primer. Before the car gets its final color, a worker inspects it for any surface damage. Infrared lamps warm the body shell to 122 degrees fahrenheit to make paint application easier. Not all london taxis are black. They spray this one with yellow paint. Later, they apply a shiny clear coat. Each painted car moves to the polishing room. The bright lights allow the technicians to check for any dirt, runs, dry spray, or other paint defects as they carefully polish the car. A worker bolts the hire sign to the roof. A rubber seal prevents water leaks. They carry the front windshield with rubber suction pads and carefully put it in place. They seal the rubber sides to ensure they are watertight. The body is covered with plastic casing to protect it from damage as it's hoisted down onto the chassis. Although these taxis are large and roomy, their mandatory 28-foot curb-to-curb turning circle allows them to easily perform u-turns. A driver tests the car at different speeds, changing gears, and testing the a.b.s. brakes. Each taxi also undergoes a water test. They check for leaks through the glass and around the doors. With an access ramp and fold-down seats, it's easy for wheelchairs to board the taxi. The taxi offers enough space for five seated passengers. It takes about two weeks to build a taxi. Then it's off to navigate the streets of london.