Sleeper Rigs Pecans Steel Pulleys Acetate Eyewear
Truck drivers spend a lot of time on the road, so their sleeper rigs become a home away from home. Equipped with a refrigerator, tv, and microwave, a sleeper rig is more than a place to bunk down for the night. It can also be a trucker's living space when it's time to pull over. Due to the convenience of sleeper rigs, truckers don't need to pull into a hotel once they've put in their hours. Instead, they simply pull over since they're hauling their own sleeping accommodations. This factory builds custom rigs based on drivers' preferences. Production starts by installing the steel frame rails for the vehicle's frame, or chassis. First, machinists place the rails in an upside down position and wire it for indicator lights and other electrical components. They run hoses for the air brakes and to deliver fuel to the engine. They link the two frame rails with cross members... And bolt an engine support rail to the front of the framework. A crane moves the chassis down the line, while a second crane carries three wheel axles over to the first crane. Technicians guide the axles into position as they're lowered onto the frame. The team bolts the axles to the chassis. A rollover crane flips the chassis and places it on a pedestal that will move it down the line. Next, the fifth wheel hitch is installed. That's used to connect the truck to the trailer. The team secures the hitch with clamping bolts to ensure it's securely in place. The engine and transmission are now connected to the chassis. The team installs the diesel fuel tank. Metal straps are wrapped around the tank, and brackets are fastened to the center of the chassis. Machinists mount the tires and wheels onto the axles in pairs. This dual wheel system has a greater load-carrying capacity than a single wheel. Using a multi-spindled torque tool, a technician tightens all the lug nuts and writes identifying information on the wheel. Now it's over to the industrial robots. These machines assemble the cab and the sleeper and rivet the walls of the structures to frames. With speed and precision, the industrial robots install the roof and pipe sealant on top of the cab frame. A crane lowers the roof onto the cab and bolts the structure together. Meanwhile, other industrial robots paint the cab, sleeper, and hood. The color is usually a custom choice, as are the size and amenities of the sleeper. A team slides the dashboard subassembly into the cab. They bolt the dashboard to the cab and connect the components to the rest of the truck. This is an inside look at the sleeper cab, which has been wired for lights and heat. Technicians install the cabinetry. Other features inside the sleeper cab include cabinets equipped with a radio, charger outlets, cup holders, fold-up bunk beds, and mini fridge. Once all interior components are installed, the team connects the sleeper to the cab. Then they bolt the two pieces together. The cab and sleeper assembly is now ready to be mounted to the chassis. A crane lowers it into place. The team secures the hood to the front rail. The hood contains a mechanism that will allow it to open and close with ease and lock in an open position. Next, the assembled truck heads to the wheel alignment station. There, an inspector monitors alignment readouts from lasers and 3-d cameras. This information lets them know the wheel's positioning on the axle. Based on the data, he loosens the bolts that hold the axles to the wheels and turns the axle to make any additional adjustments. Once all the technical modifications have been made, technicians lock a kingpin into the fifth wheel hitch and turn the wheels to confirm that everything is secure. This truck is now ready to hit the road and get to work. Pecans grow on trees that are native to south central north america. In fact, "pecan" is an algonquin word that means "a nut that takes a stone to crack". Today, computerized shelling machines do that job for you. Pecans add flavor and crunch to any recipe. They can also be a satisfying treat on their own. But manufacturing pecans is an entirely different nut to crack. At harvest time, the husks that contain the nuts start to open. At this orchard, a machine grabs the tree trunks and shakes the nuts to the ground. Once on the ground, a sweeper moves the pecans away from the trees and into a row. It also blows away some of the lighter debris. A harvester with paddle wheels collects the pecans. Once on the harvester, the pecans ride chain conveyors as vacuums remove and discard debris then the pecans are transferred to a cleaning plant. The pecans are unloaded into a pit, and a conveyor takes them inside. The pecans funnel into a slotted drum and tumble around. The drum sorts the dehusked pecans from those that have retained their husks. In this enclosed machine, spinning wire brushes remove more of the husks. Blowers release the lighter husks into a big bin to be disposed of later. After more processing, pictures of the nuts are taken with cameras. A computer monitors the pictures for any husks still attached to the pecans. If any are identified, the computer activates a blower to remove them. With the husks removed, harvesters sort out any of the pecans that are cracked or split open. At this point, the pecans contains about 12% moisture, which is high enough to cause deterioration. So harvesters leave the pecans to dry for 24 hours, to lower their moisture content to 4%. Once drying is complete, the pecans are transferred to the shelling plant, where they are plunged into a chlorine-and-water bath. This both cleans them and rehydrates them. Without sufficient moisture, the pecans will break into bits during cracking, and the objective is to extract intact halves for retail. The pecans are rinsed in water at a temperature of 180 degrees fahrenheit. This step removes chlorine residue, sanitizes the pecans, and raises the moisture content to 7.5%. Now it's time to get cracking with the completely automated process. Inside the sheller, pistons hit each end of a nut simultaneously, cracking it cleanly. The deshelled pecans travel across a vibrating sifter that sorts them by size. Then the pecans fall in front of an electronic system, which releases a blast of air that removes any lingering shell pieces. A second sifting system removes any additional small pecan bits. These pecans will be processed into candy bars and commercial pastries. The electronic sorter has removed most of the shells, but not all of them. Technicians visually scan the pecans and pick out the remaining shells. The pecans continue along the conveyor and fall into cardboard boxes at the end of the line. To prepare a toasted pecan snack food, salt and butter are added to the nuts. Then the nuts are cooked and mixed in a roaster. In packaging, technicians pour the pecans into measuring jugs, then empty them into plastic bags. Hot jaws seal the tops of the bags to keep the pecans fresh and extend their shelf life. Ready for retail, consumers won't have any trouble cracking these pecans. They can go straight to snacking. A belt and pulley system is a simple type of machine. Two or more pulleys rotate, moving a belt wrapped around them, transferring mechanical power. Torque, speed, direction, and other factors can be altered by using pulleys of varying diameters and designs. Split pulleys drive a belt, while idler pulleys apply tension or change its direction. Both are manufactured from steel coil, the industrial term for steel that's delivered to the factory in a roll. The width and thickness of the steel varies, depending on the size of the pulley being made and the load it will carry. To make split pulleys, the coil enters a stamping press, which punches out discs. Each disc, called a blank, will become one pulley. The scrap pieces go back to the steel mill to be recycled. Each blank has a hole in the center. This particular blank has three drain holes. A magnetic arm picks up one blank at a time and loads it into an automated splitting machine. As the blank rotates, a circular knife cuts the border around the blank to a specific depth, splitting the edge of the blank. On the opposite side, another tool spreads the split edge, forming a groove. The machine doesn't remove any steel. Rather, it forms the groove to a specific shape by redistributing the existing metal. A welder places the split pulley into a welding machine, then inserts a machined steel hub in the center hole. The machine welds the hub to the pulley in about 20 seconds. An idler pulley is made from two halves rather than from a single blank like the split pulley. To make each half, the steel coil goes through a press in which a dye with multiple stations stamps the metal to the required shape, then cuts it from the coil. Separate conveyors feed the two stamped halves to an assembly carousel. One half runs through a small press which stamps dimples on the surface, then loads it onto the carousel's first station. The carousel then rotates to the next station, which inserts a radial ball bearing in the center hole. The next station places a stamp without dimples. A press squeezes the parts together until the dimples touch the non-dimpled half. A magnetic arm transfers the pulley to a track, leading to a projection welder. The welder applies an electric current to the dimples, melting the two halves together at the contact points. A robotic arm positions the pulley on the next station, which presses a bore adapter into the center of the bearing. This adapter enables the pulley to be installed with a smaller bolt. The thickness of the bore adapter also acts as a spacer to align the center of the pulley with the belt path. Next, the samples are tested for weld strength. A hydraulic jaw clamps one half of the pulley while another jaw pulls the other half apart. The welds must remain intact to pass the test. Split pulleys undergo a weld strength test on the hub. A hot chemical bath removes traces of lubricating oil left by the machining equipment. A thorough rinse with an anticorrosion chemical prevents the steel from rusting and preps the surface for painting. Once the pulleys are dry, a technician loads them onto the paint line, masking the center with a plug. Inside the automated paint tunnel, three spray guns fully coat the top, middle, and bottom of the spinning pulley with a water-based enamel paint. Then the pulley passes through a tunnel oven, which heat cures the paint in about four minutes. The pulley, upon exiting the oven, goes directly into the shipping box, and an unpainted pulley takes its place on the line. The factory sends select pulleys to an outside facility to be plated with zinc rather than painted. Zinc plating better protects the steel when exposed to corrosive environments. Looking for a new pair of glasses? If so, you might want to look into durable, lightweight, and flexible acetate frames. Acetate is a high-quality plastic made from cotton or wood fibers. It can be produced in an endless array of colors, color combinations, and finishes. This eyewear is made of cellulose acetate, a transparent plastic made from cotton fibers combined with plasticizers and binders. The acetate arrives as a thick sheet. A computer-guided mill cuts a slab for the front of the frame and two pieces for the temples. The cuts are carefully calculated to ensure any color variations will be in the same location on every frame. This machine heats the frame front slab and applies a mold to form the bridge bump, the part of the frame that bulges out over the nose. The machine drops the slab into cold water. Once the slab has cooled, this computer-guided machine shapes it into a frame front. Using 16 different tools operating from five different angles, the machine carves out the eyeholes and makes grooves in them to hold the lenses, then carves the outer shape. An artisan refines the shape and smoothes the surface by hand, using files and custom-made tools. Then the acetate parts are placed in a tumbler with hardwood pegs and polishing compounds. The acetate is smoothed and polished by gentle abrasion. A tiny pocket is carved on each side of the frame front for the hinge. Next, the machine heats the hinge with an electric current and places it in the pocket. The heat melts the acetate, securely setting the hinge. The brand logo features a pyramid comprised of 21 dots. This computer-guided precision drill bores 21 tiny holes into the tip of the temple. A craftsman fills them with translucent epoxy. Once the epoxy dries, the craftsman removes the excess epoxy with a fine sanding disc. This requires applying just the correct amount of pressure. Otherwise, the acetate can get damaged. Custom-designed equipment tapers each temple to an ergonomic shape. The temple is thicker at the hinge for strength, thinner around the back of the ear for comfort, and thickest at the end, creating weight at the back to offset pressure on the bridge of the nose. Next, a craftsman heats the temple to soften the acetate. The temple is loaded into a wire-shooting machine, along with a hinged nickel silver wire. The machine shoots the wire through the core of the temple. The temple is now adjustable and attachable to the frame front hinge. A craftsman carefully removes excess acetate with a razor blade. Then he smoothes out the acetate around the hinge with a heat press. Finally, he covers the hinge with a glue cap. This will shield it from damage throughout the remainder of the production process. A laser engraves the logo, model name, color, and size information on the inside of the temple. Now the glasses are ready to be assembled. A craftsman cuts matching angles on the temples and frame front. He joins the temple and frame front hinges with a nylon-coated screw. The coating tightens the parts together and helps the temples fold and unfold smoothly. A craftsman hand files the angles so there's no gap between temples and frame front. Each frame is hand-polished with progressively finer buffing wheels and different polishing compounds. Optical frames are shipped out with temporary plastic lenses, which an optician replaces with the customer's prescription lenses. This mechanical machine cuts the plastic to the shape of the frame's eyeholes, following a model lens. The temporary lenses have a bevel on their edge, which fits into the lens groove of the frame. From start to finish, it takes two weeks to create a single pair of frames. The process takes over 70 different production steps, more than half of which are performed manually.