Hollow Disk Pumps Palm Sugar Yachts
Today on "how it's made"... And... Many industries require pumping a wide variety of liquids. And there are many different kinds of pumps that can do that. One type, the hollow rotary disk pump, uses a rotating disk to create sufficient suction to move thin or thick liquids in a forward or reverse direction. When the pump in the blue runs, a hollow disk inside it oscillates. This creates suction, drawing liquid into one side of the pump and pushing it out the other. Some of the pump components are cast in sand molds like this one for casting the first part of the pump's two-part body. The molten iron takes a few hours to cool and solidify inside the mold cavity. Then, a vibrating machine breaks the sand mold to release the cast part. A computer-guided milling machine then finishes the shape. The cut-off pieces of iron go back into the furnace to be melted down for subsequent castings. After it's cast, the second part of the pump's body is machined to its final shape on a computer-guided lathe. The pump's hollow disk, which the lathe machines from a bar of steel, requires a complex cut that only this electric disk charge machine can perform. Its cutting tool is a gold wire charged with a high-voltage current conducted by water. Guided by a computer, the wire erodes the metal in its path, cutting a teardrop-shaped opening in the disk. A laser printer engraves a part number and a batch number on the finished disk. To assemble the pump, a worker begins with the first part of the two-part body. The worker applies glue to the shaft sleeve and inserts it into a channel from the front. Next, they insert a lantern ring into the same channel from the back. The worker places a bearing on top of the lantern ring. Then, from the other side, they insert one more bearing. The worker inserts the pump shaft through all the bearings in the channel. The bearings minimize friction, enabling the shaft to rotate smoothly. Along with this retaining clip, the bearings also prevent the shaft from moving up and down or shifting side by side with the pump's movement. Workers take the second part of the pump's body and glue a bronze plate, called a diaphragm, into a groove at the top. Then they join the two parts of the body, placing a gasket in between to prevent leaks. The gasket is made of special gasket paper like the type used in car engine piping. The workers fasten the two parts of the body with 10 massive bolts and install a heavy-duty steel spring in a groove in the shaft. A steel cap keeps the spring firmly in position. The worker compresses the spring with a tool and inserts a bronze stem bushing. This spring loading is critical because it enables the disk to adapt to thin or thick liquids without clogging or getting damaged. Now, they mount the hollow disk onto the bushing and bolt on the front cover. When the motor turns the pump's shaft, the hollow disk oscillates around the diaphragm, which acts as a barrier, separating the suction side of the pump from the discharge side. This plate covers where the customer will later install a safety valve. The oscillating hollow disk produces suction, which pulls liquid through the inlet port, then out the opposite side, through the outlet port. Workers mask the inlet and outlet ports before spray-painting the pump. Next, the worker installs a metal coupling joint, which is comprised of several parts, including rubber members, which make the joint flexible enough to withstand some vibration or slight misalignment of the connection between the pump and the gear reducer. The gear reducer acts as the middleman between the motor and the pump, lowering the motor speed of 1,800 revolutions per minute to the disk oscillation speed of approximately 300 revolutions per minute. Such slow rotation speed is critical, as it enables the pump to move even very thick fluids. The disk can also rotate in reverse so that liquid can be loaded or unloaded using the same pump. Palmyra palm sugar is derived from the palmyra palm tree and is considered a healthier form of sweetener than many others, just 41 on the glycemic index with only 1/10th ounce of fructose per 3 1/2 ounces. It's also one of the few plant-based sources of vitamin b12. Palmyra palm sugar doesn't come out of the palmyra palm tree looking like this. From harvesting to processing, there are many steps between the tree and the ultimate product. The tree produces the round fruit seen on the right and the cylindrical flower cluster on the left. A palm sugar harvester prepares specialized containers for harvesting the sap by threading twine through a hole near the rim. These tubes are made from bamboo. And in thailand, they're called... the harvester adds wood chips to the tubes. The wood chips come from the shorea tree, which is called... in thailand. The chips well help prevent the sap from fermenting. Some palmyra trees are more than 100 years old. Here, the harvester climbs a ladder that reaches up around 66 feet. At the top of the tree, the harvester uses a machete to cut the tip off the palmyra flowers. Safely on the ground, he demonstrates what he does up in the tree. He starts by binding together two of the cylindrical flowers and then carefully trimming off their tips. Where they've been cut, the flowers exude drops of sap, which will collect in the bamboo tubes. Up in the tree, the harvester secures the tubes in place. Having swapped empty tubes for full ones, he brings the sap he's collected to an outdoor stove. The harvester prepares a basket covered with several layers of gauze to filter the liquid. He then slowly and carefully pours the sap through the filters, into the wok below. The harvesting stage is complete. Production now begins. The filtered sap now boils away in the wok for approximately 45 minutes as it thickens into a sugar. The worker takes advantage of the hot oven fire to sterilize his bamboo tubes. He turns them upside-down, one by one, over small holes in the oven. The worker must harvest twice a day. If he doesn't, the cuts will heal over too much. And he'll be forced to wait for a specific period of time before making additional cuts in order to prevent damage to the tree. The boiling process thickens the sap. And the worker must stir it frequently to keep it from sticking. After roughly 30 minutes, the sap begins to turn white. The tubes are now thoroughly sterilized. And the worker can remove them and let them cool. The bubbling sap has now been reduced to a thick substance. The worker removes the pan from the heat source. It's ready for the next phase on its path to becoming sugar. Although it's often referred to as palm sugar, it's also known as jaggery. The worker now uses a custom-made whisking tool to thoroughly mix the jaggery. Shaped like a large spring, the whisk helps cool the sugar while mixing it. He continues mixing the jaggery until it thickens and cools to a paste-like consistency. At this point, the jaggery is too thick for the whisk. So the worker continues mixing it with a simple stick. Finally, the sugar cools and dries to a thick, flaky texture, ready to be packaged and shipped around the world. It has taken nearly a gallon of palmyra palm sap to create roughly 2 1/4 pounds of this highly nutritious alternative sweetener. The first yachts were simple, sturdy vessels used to take explorers on voyages of discovery. Today's yachts are floating vacation homes. Equipped with every convenience, the luxuries increase with the scale of the vessel. Modern yachts are the ultimate way to explore the coastline. If you can afford one of these, you're living the dream. This motor yacht offers all the comforts of home on the water. Making this mid-sized yacht starts with a mold for the hull. The team sprays a gel-coat paint onto the entire inner surface of the mold. This paint will transfer to the hull during molding. They layer fiberglass strips around a p.v.c foam core and create a series of distribution channels for resin. The crew now drapes an enormous sheet of clear plastic over the materials in the mold and seals the edges with tape. The crew leaves a lot of slack in the plastic to conform to the mold's deep recesses. A vacuum hose suctions out the air beneath the plastic. The crew then connects plastic tubing to the ports in the distribution channels. All this plastic tubing leads to one place-- the vacuum pump. The vacuum pulls resin through the network of tubing, into the ports and through the distribution channels. The resin saturates the fiberglass strips that surround the p.v.c. foam core. The vacuum sucks the layers into a tight sandwich and pulls out more air and excess resin. A worker pulls the plastic away from dry spots so the resin flows into these areas. The resin cures, and the fiberglass layers harden. The next day, the team removes the plastic sheet from the molded part. They pull off the resin distribution channels and the ports. A crane lifts the newly molded hull out of the mold. The gel coat has adhered to it, giving it a glossy finish. The crane transfers the hull to a wooden cradle. Next, they create the yacht's deck. The crew covers some areas of the mold in plastic to protect them from the first gel coat in a 2-toned paint job. After the first color goes on, they gel-coat the areas that had been covered in plastic. This two-toned paint job is done for aesthetic reasons. But it also color-codes the areas that have a nonskid texture. Like the hull, the crew makes the deck mainly from fiberglass. A worker cuts out the strips in different sizes. The fabrics have various thicknesses and weaves, all geared to the deck's structural requirements. He numbers the pieces to designate their placement in the mold. And the worker stacks them sequentially. After arranging some of the fiberglass strips in the mold, the crew builds up the deck in certain areas using pieces of balsa wood. Balsa wood is extremely lightweight. But it will add strength when laminated into the fiberglass sandwich. The strategic placement of the balsa wood in high-traffic areas creates a solid core that will hold up to heavy use. A worker lays more fiberglass strips, encapsulating the balsa wood. They'll laminate the layers with resin the way they did with the hull. The crew also makes the roof structure the same way. A boat builder applies putty to the fiberglass to even out any irregularities. And after grinding the hardened putty smooth, they spread polishing compound on all the yacht's body parts. The worker buffs the fiberglass until the glossy surface gleams even more. Using a router, the crew cuts out holes for lights, portholes and other features. An inspector taps the fiberglass to check for air voids that would compromise the yacht's structural integrity. He confirms that everything is shipshape. Production now moves to the yacht's interior. We'll have the inside information coming up. A motor yacht is a home away from home. It's usually equipped with a full kitchen, one or more bathrooms, and luxurious common areas called salons. Everything is designed to fit into the limited space below deck. The waters may get rough. But in the yacht's private quarters, the living is easy. With the bulkheads now in place, the hull is ready for furnishings and fittings. A computerized router cuts american cherry wood to a set of exact measurements. This particular piece will be part of a storage locker. At another station, a craftsman glues a dozen cherry strips together for a valence. These laminated strips will be easier to bend to the desired shape than a thick board. He wraps them in wax paper to prevent the glue from seeping out during bending. The team places the laminated strips between the two parts of a bending jig. They clamp the jig to close it tightly. The adhesive sets overnight. And the wood hardens to the curved shape of the bending jig. The woodworker now clamps the valence to the workbench to steady it as he trims the edges. He positions a template on the valence and follows it with a router to cut out a hole for an air-conditioning vent. Yes. The yacht will be equipped with air conditioning. The woodworker inserts the custom wooden vent in the hole. Turning now to the salon's coffee table, a router cuts holes in the cherry wood while bristles keep the dust down. A worker applies glue and inserts pieces of maple into the cutouts. He lightly hammers the pieces to drive them further into the holes. Then, it's into an automated sander. It sands the inlaid wood flush to the cherry tabletop. A crew now brushes varnish onto all the wood pieces. The varnish enhances the wood grain. And it protects the surface. After the varnish dries, another worker polishes the wood to a high sheen. A worker then screws pedestal hardware into the back of each table to prepare them for installation in the yacht. The hull has been equipped with the two diesel engines at the back. A worker now assembles the clothing locker in the guest stateroom. And in the master stateroom, construction on the en suite bathroom is underway. The worker screws the toilet in place and connects the water and waste hoses. They roughen a utility room for a washer and dryer at the back of the yacht, next to the mechanical systems. The crew situates the propellers in the molded niches in the bottom of the hull. And the technician connects them to swiveling mechanisms called pods. He hooks up a pump that will replace the lubricating oil when needed, so there'll be no need to pull it into port for oil changes. The technician installs intake systems that will suction lake or ocean water into the hull to cool the diesel engines. The other mechanics include the air-conditioning system, water heater and a generator. And now, the big moment. Using a crane, the crew lowers the yacht's deck and pilothouse onto the hull. This deck assembly weighs 3 tons. Looks like it's a good fit. Using crowbars, the team pulls the rim, also known as the flange of the deck, over the hull. They drill threaded holes through the fiberglass flange and the hull and screw bolts into those holes to connect the two. Special adhesive has been applied to these bolts to keep water from penetrating the vessel. Here's the view inside. The cherry paneling in the pilothouse seamlessly matches the paneling in the living quarters. The builders complete the furnishings, giving the cabin the look and feel of luxury. They install a high-end galley kitchen. And this yacht is complete. After 6 months of work, let the good times begin.