Plant Oil Extractors Custom
In glass extractors, solvents capture liquids from solid or semisolid materials. For example, oils can be extracted from plants to obtain the essence of their fragrance and flavor. The plant oil can then be bottled for use or incorporated into products. Inside this glass apparatus, extraction happens. Solvent continuously treats a solid material to extract an oil or other component of interest. Making an extractor starts with glass tubing of various lengths and diameters. A glass worker uses this one to form a standard taper joint in one end of the extractor tube. He heats the end to soften it and places a forming tool over it. In its softened state, the glass conforms to the profile. After controlled heating removes internal stresses, he grinds the joint to the final dimension. The grinding gives the joint a frosted appearance. Another worker widens one end of the main extractor body and forms it into an outer joint. This end will connect to the condenser. The other end connects to the lower extractor body. A worker joins them together. Then, using a glass support tool, he inserts an inner siphon tube. He melts a hole in the lower extractor body and attaches the inner siphon tube to it. He makes another hole in the extractor's main chamber. He then fuses another siphoning tube to the outside of the main extractor body and bends it into a "u" shape. He connects the other end of the "u" to the inner siphon tube and melts the connecting point all the way around to seal the glass. He burns another hole in the lower end of the extractor and installs a tube for solvent overflow. He bends it into a vertical position. He forms another hole near the top of the main extractor body and connects the overflow tube to it. Moving on to the condenser now, a worker shapes the end into a joint that will fit into the top of the extractor. He pumps air into the condenser tube to expand the heated glass within a forming tool. Another member of the team applies an aggregate compound. He inserts in it a spinner that grinds the compound against the glass to refine the profile. He tests the fit of this inner joint against a standard outer one. Blowing air into one end, he heats the condenser tube in three locations. The air gravitates to the heat and forms bulbs in the part, increasing the surface area inside to improve efficiency. He opens up one end of the condenser tube. Continuing to heat the end, he inserts a reamer tool to widen the opening. He carefully slides the condenser into the outer body using a piece of cardboard. The worker burns a hole in the bottom of the outer body and fuses the end of the condenser to it. He then connects the stem that will eventually carry the condensed solvent to the extraction chamber. Next, he makes a hole in the top of the condenser and seals a stem to it. This top stem opens the system to the atmosphere to prevent pressure buildup. He also equips the condenser with connectors for cooling fluid hoses. A worker moistens a decal of the company logo and places it on the condenser unit. Then he places the unit into an annealing oven to gradually ramp up the temperature to 1,040 degrees fahrenheit, and then slowly brings it down. The process both strengthens the glass and bakes the decal into it. Heated, evaporated and then condensed, the solvent in the extractor will separate liquids from solids. After more than a century of use, it's still a neat trick. The perfect chandelier can be the cherry on the decor sundae. There's no shortage of fabulous fixtures in lighting stores and online, but when customers have a unique design in mind, or want someone to design something special, they have to go to a lighting manufacturer that does custom work. This striking chandelier is a unique custom design. A rustic faux-wood-finish exterior contrasts against a shimmering gold-leaf interior and has handblown, ribbed glass globes suspended like colored jewels. A worker constructs the frame for the chandelier's drum shade out of flat bars of cold-rolled steel, steel whose composition makes it flexible enough to be bent without heating. After bending two bars into rings, the welder connects them with four vertical ribs made of the same type of steel bars. He tack welds the pieces at first, then verifies with a level to make sure the ribs are straight. Then, he fully welds the frame and grinds every weld flat to make the joints invisible. The manufacturers laser cut and weld sheets of cold-rolled steel to make the light kit that contains the lights and wiring and supports the shade with four crossbars. Turning the kit upside-down, the bottom is spray painted gold. The workshop's custom painter applies adhesive and begins gently laying down delicate sheets of gold leaf. He flattens the leaf with a soft-bristled brush, working the entire surface. Once he's sure the gold leaf has adhered everywhere, he brushes away the excess. Once the gold-leaf adhesive is dry, he sprays on a coat of clear, high-gloss lacquer, then removes the masking tape covering the side and top. The painter also gold leafs the inside and rim of the light housings. An assembler now installs them in the light kit, then installs an led bulb in each housing. To make the shade, manufacturers mold two half drums of acrylic and paint them black on one side and gold on the other. Another painter brushes white lacquer-based paint on the black side. Once the paint dries, he applies a coat of diluted brown paint in uneven striations to create the look of wood grain. He doesn't let this coat dry because he wants overlapping colors to bleed into each other, so he quickly applies the third coat. He immediately applies the fourth and final coat, diluted gray. He spreads it with a cloth using small gentle strokes. He compares his work to the design sample to make sure it matches. Then, he lets the paint dry thoroughly overnight. The next day, the first painter applies gold leaf to the reverse side of the painted drum halves. Again, he coats the gold leaf in clear lacquer and lets it dry overnight. The next day, an assembler takes the drum-shade frame, which has since been painted black, and installs the two half shades, locking them into a lip on the top and bottom rings. A worker completes the light kit by splicing the nine wires coming from the led lights to a central wire coming out from the center of the kit's top cover. Then, workers line up the kit's four crossbars with the shade's four ribs and insert each crossbar through a notch at the top of the shade. They screw the top ring to the crossbar. Globes are crafted by a local glassblower. The assembler strings each one on a stainless-steel braided cable with a brass check ring on top. He sets spring-loaded ball grippers above and below the globe to lock it on the cable. The grippers make the globe vertically adjustable. This chandelier has seven cables, each one suspending one to three globes. A brass connecter at the top of the cable screws securely into a small threaded hole in the light kit. With its creative trio of faux-wood, gold and glass, this custom-designed chandelier makes an illuminating statement. Strength training is an important component of a fitness regimen. One way to build strength is to lift weights or exercise on machines that provide resistance when users pull, push or lift. Typically, weights produce that resistance, but some machines use a completely different system. This exercise machine doesn't have the typical stack of weights. Instead, the handles are connected by a rope-and-pulley system to a pneumatic cylinder which creates resistance. This computer-guided laser cuts many of the parts out of sheet steel. It can make complex cuts, which are accurate within 100 microns, the width of two human hairs. The parts go into a vibrating tumbler filled with ceramic stones and water. The stones rub against the parts, removing what's called scale, a flaky substance produced on the surface of the steel by the heat of the laser and oxygen in the air. A worker clamps the parts for the trainer's power module onto a welding fixture. The fixture is on a robotic cell. The cell rotates, delivering the parts to the robot, which proceeds to weld them together. Welding the power module takes 14 minutes. When the robot completes the welding, the cell returns the fixture to the worker, who inspects the module thoroughly, then transfers it to the finishing area. A worker grinds the welds flat, then, with a finer grinding disc, smoothes them out so that they won't show once the steel is painted. After washing the module in iron phosphate, a worker applies a positive electrical charge to the module and a negative one to the powder paint. Opposite charges attract, drawing the paint particles onto the surface in an even coat. Then the worker bakes the paint onto the steel in an oven. Elsewhere in the factory, another worker drills a 12-inch-deep hole into a cylinder rod. The rod is steel, the piston on its end, aluminum. He inserts the cylinder rod into the cylinder, also made of aluminum, then carefully inserts a sensor rod into the cylinder rod's hole. The sensor relays the cylinder's position to the machine's computer. Snap rings hold the parts together. After a paint-job inspection, the trainer is ready for assembly. First comes the decals. The assembler wets the surface with soapy water, then applies them. Once the decals are partially dry, he gingerly removes the transfer tape and inspects for bubbles or gaps. Next, he installs the machine's computer. It calculates the power produced with each pull on the handles. Then, he installs what's called the accumulator tank, which stores the air for the return stroke of the handles. He installs the cylinder. The bottom is assembled to a central pulley that connects to both handles. The top connects to the accumulator tank with an air hose. The amount of force is determined by how much air pressure the user lets in when pushing the yellow resistance-control buttons. The buttons are attached to air hoses and wired to the computer. The assembler routes a 26-foot-long rope through the central pulley and through the machine's 12 additional pulleys. The configuration is designed to enable a wide range of exercises. After closing up the power module with a cover panel and installing the two height-adjustable arms, the assembler installs a swiveling pulley on each arm and ties what's called a clevis to the end of each rope. The clevis holds a wide range of other attachments. Once assembly is complete, an inspector checks for any aesthetic or functional defects. He sets a resistance level, then pulls on the handles to make sure the cylinder sensor is reading correctly. Pulling a handle pushes the rod into the cylinder, forcing the piston against the incoming air pressure supplied by a compressor. Because this power trainer uses air, rather than weights, to produce resistance, users can work out at faster speeds, which producers higher power. Single-serving coffee pods provide almost instant gratification. The concept has changed the way coffee is prepared, no need to wait around for a whole pot of coffee to brew. By simply inserting the pod in a compatible machine, it brews the coffee in seconds. These coffee pods are designed to be composted after use. They offer the convenience of a quick coffee without long-term landfill consequences. The process of making coffee pods starts with bags of unroasted beans from different parts of the world. These beans will be combined to create specific blends, but first, they must be thoroughly tested and graded. A technician inhales the aroma to sniff out defects. He examines the physical condition of the beans. He's looking for insect damage or fragmentation. If he finds too many defects, the lot will be rejected. Too much moisture would be another indication that the coffee beans are substandard, so he measures the water content using an electronic analyzer. He roasts samples of the beans in these mini roasters. This unlocks the flavors and aromas in the green coffee beans. The color deepens. The beans harden and double in size due to the release of gases and water vaporization. For lighter, milder beans, he does a shorter roast. For darker, more intensely flavored beans, he roasts them a little longer. He inspects the color frequently, and when satisfied, he empties the beans into receiving trays. Fans underneath cool the beans and stop the cooking. Roasting has transformed the bitter green beans into something entirely more flavorful. The technician grinds small amounts into different glasses in order to prepare for a flavor analysis known as cupping. The q grader takes over. He's a certified coffee taster. He inhales the bouquet of the coffee and assesses it. He then pours hot water onto the coffee and lets it steep. The grounds float to the surface and form a thick crust. He breaks the crust with a spoon and inhales again. Then, after skimming off the grounds, he slurps the coffee and ponders its flavor, body and acidity. He grades the samples accordingly. The highest-grade beans will now be made into coffee pods. Big batches tumble in a computer-controlled roaster. The computer slowly increases, and then drops, the temperature for the desired result. The roaster ejects the beans onto a perforated pan, and rotating paddles mix them to dissipate the heat. In this industrial grinder, rollers pulverize the coffee beans to a specific granulation. Too fine, and the coffee will taste bitter. Too coarse, and the full flavor won't be extracted. To test the granulation and density, a technician dispenses some of the coffee into a 1-pint container and then weighs it. If the coffee is too heavy and compressed, water won't flow easily through the coffee pod. Once it passes the density test, the coffee is packed into pods. The filter material unwinds through tensioning rollers towards the assembly machine. The pod rings, made from plant-based plastic, head in the same direction. A pusher moves the rings into slots on a revolving drum. The system pulls the mesh filler material over the pod rings. Heated devices descend as the drum turns and seal the mesh to the rings. Formers stretch the mesh to shape it into filter cups. As the drum continues to turn, depositors fill rows of the mesh filter cups with coffee. Paper lid material unwinds from the other side, and heat sealers fuse it to the pods. At the same time, the ceiling heads punch out the pods, separating them from the mesh and the excess lid paper. The coffee is now encased in pods. Exiting the drum, an overhead system moves the pods forward to be weighed. This mechanized system produces 220 coffee pods a minute. Each will provide a quick, caffeinated pick-me-up.