Rice Cookers Concealment Furniture Promotional Origami Hedge Shears
Preparing rice in an electric cooker is easier than cooking rice on the stove. You throw in the rice and water, press a button, and walk away until it's ready. This machine is designed to steam rice to perfection. Rice cookers use indirect heat to circulate steam around rice and water, from the outer pot to an inner pot. This process cooks the rice evenly in half an hour. To cast the outer cooking pot, aluminum ingots are melted in a furnace. A robotic arm scoops up the required amount of molten aluminum with a ladle... Then pours it into the top of the mold. It takes the metal four minutes to cool and solidify. Then technicians extract the pot from the mold. To refine its form, the pot is mounted on a computer-guided lathe. As it spins, several machines contour the pot's outside surface to its final shape. Next, the pot is loaded onto an automated drilling machine. The machine punctures 18 holes through the bottom. The rice cooker's heating components and its painted steel shell are attached to the outer pot through these holes. Then the pot is returned to the computer-guided lathe. A tool polishes the interior until the aluminum is smooth and bright. A disk of stainless steel is placed in a press. The press molds the steel into the inner cooking pot. The next press trims off any excess metal around the top, leaving a clean and even edge. Another machine curls that edge to form a rounded lip. The lip strengthens the pot and provides a place to grip when the inner pot is placed into the outer pot. Once polished, the pot is placed in another press. This press stamps water-level lines on the side and a trench on the bottom. The trench helps the water evaporate quickly. Next, an automated booth paints the rice cooker's steel shells. The shells are baked in an oven for 15 minutes at 390 degrees fahrenheit so that the paint can set. With a pad printer, the company logo is applied to the shell. Technicians install part of the switch mechanism to the shell. Another technician places the heating element in a slot on the bottom of the outer pot, securing it with three clips. They install two connection plates used to attach the steel shell-- a porcelain plate and a magnetic core. The core controls the on/off switch based on the temperature inside the cooker. The technician connects the power cord and attaches the thermal-insulation sheet, which allows the cooked rice to maintain a temperature of 158 degrees fahrenheit. This part of the switch mechanism hovers over the magnetic core. When the cooking temperature hits 158 degrees fahrenheit, the core activates the switch to turn off the heating element and start up the thermal-insulation sheet. After more switch wiring, technicians install the fuse, which prevents the cooker from overheating. One end is connected to the heating element, the other end to the power cord by the porcelain plate. The painted steel shell is attached to the base of the outer pot. Once attached, each connection plate is secured with screws, then handles are installed. Finally, every rice cooker undergoes a temperature test. After starting the machine, the cooking temperature is measured with a thermometer. Once approved, the cooker is packaged with a cover and perforated insert for steaming other foods. To use the cooker, you put rice and water in the inner pot and water in the outer pot. In under an hour, the heating element turns off, and the insulation sheet kicks in to keep your rice warm. One way to keep personal valuables secure and safely out of sight is by storing them in concealment furniture. This custom-designed home decor allows you or your family an understated place to store and lock a number of items. This seemingly ordinary bookcase has a few surprises. Behind it's decorative medallion is a hidden release for side pullout compartments. And inside the lower section is a wireless keypad which unlocks a drawer. This company handcrafts various items, from dressers to mirrors to wall art. Each piece of furniture is customized based on the customer's wood, finish, and storage configuration. To create a valance at the top of a bookcase, a planer levels a piece of wood to its required thickness. A computer-guided router carves designs into the wood and cuts out the shape of the medallion. Next, the medallion is attached to the valance and release device through three slots at the center of the valance. This is one of the side pullouts after assembly is complete. Like the valance components, the router carved the design on the front panel. A craftsman uses an electric sander on the pullout's side panel which has no carving. All the decorative details are sanded by hand. The craftsman assembles the second side pullout. A laser engraves the company's name and logo on the inside of the side panel. The craftsman measures and marks where the pullout's bottom and top panels will be placed. Glue is applied into a groove running the length of the fluted front panel. Then the side panel is inserted into the groove and the parts are clamped together. The bottom and top panels are glued at the pre-marked points and secured. All the wooden components of the bookcase are glued to each other. Three temporary boards in between the top and bottom panels keep the structure square while the glue dries. Next, a craftsman assembles the top of the bookcase, attaching the base and sides, back, top, the valance, and crown molding. The customer selects the color of the finish. Painted on by hand, the stain takes up to an hour to dry. A craftsman sprays on a coat of vinyl sealer. Once the sealer dries, the surfaces are sanded and two coats of fast-drying lacquer are applied. The craftsman sands the wood between applications. Next, the hardware is installed. A technician attaches the drawer slides for each side pullout... Bolts in the lock for the hidden release device, and secures a triangular latch to the pullout. Then a long rod is inserted. This connects the locks to the release so when you slide the center medallion right or left, it pushes the rod against the pullout lock, popping the latch. The corresponding drawer slides are attached to the pullout. The triangular latch, which releases the pullout, goes in the top front corner so that it aligns with the lock. Once the pullouts are installed, they form the sides of the upper section of the bookcase. These sections are now useable, sturdy storage compartments. The next step is to connect the rod to the center medallion. The craftsman bolts a rectangular piece of metal to the medallion through the valance's top slot, connecting the medallion to the valance through the other two slots. A large opening on the top of the bookcase provides access to the device should it ever need repair. Once joined with the lower section, the bookcase, like this china cabinet, is ready for double duty. Often associated with japanese culture, traditional origami is best known as the art of paper folding. It dates back to at least the 17th century. Today, marketing companies are engineering origami for promotional use, creating materials with more impact than your standard brochure. Open this invitation, and an interesting scene unfolds. Based on strategic marketing research, nontraditional invitations and three-dimensional paper structures can attract more interest. A specialist known as a paper engineer replicates an ultrasound machine in origami. The paper engineer breaks down the design into flat parts to be printed and folded into modular pieces. Guided by a digital design, a machine cuts and scores a thick sheet of paper in the shape of the engineered origami parts. Later, the scored shapes will be punched out and assessed. The design will need tweaking before the pieces of paper ultrasound are ready for mass production. Next, the designer folds the cutouts and glues them together, creating the base of the ultrasound. This particular module is a test build to confirm that it folds correctly and will fit to the other parts of the mini paper replica. The designer makes more prototypes and adjusts some of the parameters. He builds the undercarriage and wheels out of chipboard. These elements support the paper modular structure. Each part is labeled accordingly. The designer constructs the final prototype, checking that the seams are tight and that all the parts are in perfect alignment. Once structurally sound, the designer starts building the graphic details. He refers to photos of the prototype and compares them to the flat screen image. When complete, the artwork is printed, producing a proof. The proof is a test copy of the artwork. The areas to be glued or cut out are printed in green. This is done to indicate that no ink or coatings are needed during the final printing. The technician does an initial check to confirm the quality of the print and that all the art has been properly placed. Then, the designer and the production supervisor evaluate the proof. They confirm that the lines correspond with those of the cutting die by comparing folded modules to the flat proof. This step ensures that when the artwork is printed for mass production, the cutouts will fit. Adjustments are made to any problematic areas of the proof. Once the artwork is complete, the revised artwork is printed and scored by a digital cutter. This computerized cutter is only used for test purposes. A cutting die will be used for mass production of the origami parts. Technicians insert the cutouts in the corresponding parts of the die. This step confirms that the lines are correct and are ready to go to print. Machines may mass produce thousands of printed and die-cut sheets, but it's up to the assemblers to fold and glue the modules together. The assembler starts with a base, followed by the articulating arm for the ultrasound screen. The arm fits into a slot in the base, which can be lifted and lowered. The assembler attaches the control panel to the lower part of the arm. He installs the folded ultrasound screen on the top and inspects his work. Weeks of design and planning have gone into this moment. Now assembled, this piece of promotional origami can be packaged and mailed to targeted recipients. Hedge shears have long steel blades that hold a sharp edge. They're essentially a serious pair of scissors. Used by a skilled gardener, they can cut a large area of vegetation with one stroke. Needless to say, hedge shears can truly change the landscape. Taming an unruly hedge or garden often calls for sheer strength. That's why, for many gardeners, hedge shears are a go-to tool. To make hedge shears, technicians cut out the blades from carbon steel using a die cutter. The steel uncoils and travels over a roller conveyor, sending it to the cutter. The die cutter stamps out multiple blade blanks. Once the steel advances, the die cuts the next batch of blanks, cutting a hole in the center for the assembly of the shear blades. A technician arranges the blade blanks on a conveyor heading to the oven. The blanks bake at 1,470 degrees fahrenheit. This heat treatment is the first stage of the hardening process. Another technician exposes the cutting edge to the heat. This makes the edge a little stronger than the rest of the blade. The technician submerges the blade in oil to bring down the temperature, which completes the hardening process. A grinding stone removes the dull, gray layer on both sides of the blade. This gets rid of scorch marks, and it brightens the finish. Then the grinder cleans and sharpens the blades. Before the grinding, the hedge-shear blade looked lackluster, and its performance would have been dull. The grinding has given the blade a sheen and a cutting edge. Next, technicians install a rubber bumper device on the blade's stem. The rubber will cushion the force of the impact created as the shear blades come together. Another technician joins the blades with a pivot bolt and nut. This connection allows the shears to swing toward each other. A team examines the blades to confirm they're engaged properly and operate smoothly. If needed, they adjust the interface by bending back the blades. This tweaking can be critical to the functioning of the hedge shears. Then the shears are placed in a fixture, and the device press-fits telescoping handles onto the tangs. An inspector tests the telescoping action to confirm that the handles extend and retract effectively. Other technicians slide plastic gripper sleeves onto the ends of the handles. It's an initial installation. The gripper sleeves will need to be pushed further up the handles. A mechanical pusher shoves the grippers into their final position. It's a press fit--  no glue or screws required. The tips of the hedge shears are dipped in an anti-rust solution and placed on a rack to dry. Then a worker rubs the solution residue into the steel. The shears undergo another inspection, which checks the interface of the blades one last time. The technician tweaks the angle of the blades and tightens the pivot bolt. A label is pressed on the shears, providing product information and safety precautions. The hedge shears undergo a final inspection. Once cleared, they are packed for shipping. These hedge shears should hold up to years of trimming, cutting, and pruning. Without them, gardens might look a lot wilder.