Downhill Ski Bindings Immersion Parts Washers Mining Ventilation Pencil Sharpeners
The binding is the most important component of a downhill ski. It attaches the ski boot to the ski. It prevents injury by releasing the boot if the skier falls. Also, an integrated brake engages upon release, stopping the ski from sliding down the hill. Every downhill ski binding has a toe and heel piece. The toe usually releases sideways in a fall, and the heel releases upward. The earliest bindings were made of heavy stamped steel and had no safety release. Today's bindings are made of lightweight material, such as extruded aluminum and fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Using 3-d software, the research and development team designs the binding along with the molds and dyes used to manufacture the components. The team produces a prototype of each component and uses three-dimensional measuring tools to verify the specifications. Workers paint the visible aluminum and plastic components then cure them in an oven for 40 minutes. They also dry them at room temperature for 24 hours. This company produces high-end racing models, as well as less expensive models for beginner to intermediate skiers. This aluminum housing is for the toe piece of a racing binding. They screw on plastic tabs to keep the metal from damaging the plastic ski boot. Then workers assemble the indicator, which is used to adjust the release setting. The release setting determines how much torque is needed to trigger the binding to release the ski boot. The torque is generated by the weight of the skier falling. They place a bronze and aluminum ball joint in the metal base. The ball joint acts as the rotational center of the toe piece when it releases. They lubricate the ball joint with grease before putting the base in an assembly fixture. Then they add the toe piece housing... And a plastic cap with a white line on the side. As they screw down the cap, it compresses the spring underneath. They test the finished toe piece. This machine stamps the company logo on the heel piece of a binding that's designed for beginner to intermediate skiers. This one is made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic with a clear polyurethane protective cover. You press the heel piece with the ski pole to get in and out of the ski. Next, they mount a heel piece to a base and assemble the internal mechanism. This includes a screw-down cap that sets the internal spring to a specific release setting. An automated machine tests each heel and toe piece to make sure the mechanism functions correctly. Another machine unscrews the cap halfway to lower the release setting to the midpoint. Next, a metal pin connects the pivoting top of the heel piece to the base. This setting tool locks the pin in its lateral position. Now, workers mount the ski brake to the heel piece. The ski boot maintains pressure on the brake to keep it in the off position. In a ski accident, the fall releases that pressure, triggering the brake. After the binding has been adjusted to the length of the ski boot, workers insert a notching pin that locks the heel piece to the mounting plate of the ski. These plastic caps hide the heads of the lateral metal pin. Finally, workers connect this lever to the notching pin. You simply pull it up and back to disengage the pin and adjust for boot length. The company subjects random samples from the production line to rigorous quality control tests. Bindings are made to international standards. These standards dictate how they're supposed to react to falls. Provided the binding is correctly set for the skier's weight, boot size, and skiing ability, these standards ensure the ski boot releases in an accident but doesn't inadvertently release if the skier hits a big bump. Removing oil, heavy soils, scale, or rust stains on a piece of metal can be tough. This is where industrial cleaning technologies come in handy. Immersion parts washers use degreasing and descaling compounds to clean metal. They also use ultrasound to literally shake off the muck. An immersion parts washer agitates water mixed with an industrial detergent to clean a mechanical part or piece of metal. A pneumatic lift mechanism moves the platform up and down inside the tank as the water heats to about 150 degrees. A robot loads stainless steel into a laser cutter, using suction cups to manipulate the sheet metal. A cnc cutter uses a 2,500 watt laser to cut the steel, following a layout entered in a cad system. The layout maximizes the number of parts made out of a single sheet. The machine parts come out on an unloading platform where an operator performs a visual inspection. He takes the parts to a cnc folding table. The machine bends the sheet metal to form the outside shell of the immersion parts washer. This is also called the tank skin. A hydraulic bending machine makes flanges in the sheet metal to reinforce the tank walls and provide a surface for welding. This high-end sheet metal-forming technique allows workers to produce a series of parts for multiple units. A worker assembles the machine parts on a welding fixture. He uses clamps to hold the pieces in place as he welds them together using an electric mig torch. Welding such a thin sheet of stainless steel is a tricky job because it's more susceptible to warping from the heat. The tank goes through a 24-hour leak test before painting. A painter applies epoxy and acrylic hybrid electrostatic powder coat. The coat combines the protective strength of epoxy and the resilience of acrylic. The painter places the tank in a massive curing chamber... And sets the oven time and temperature. The baking process gives the powder coat a grainy, textured finish. A worker grinds down the weld profiles and polishes the top tank walls with fine sandpaper. Another worker brings in the lift arm and inserts it in the tank. He puts the bearing support mechanism in place and bolts it onto the tank. He inserts the rollers that will support and guide the lift arm... Then drives a shaft through the bearings. He installs the pneumatic cylinder behind the bearing support and pins it on top of the lift arm. He brings in the agitator pump and installs its 3/4-horsepower electric motor next to the bearing support. A plumber installs the fittings for the tank filter. The filter removes contamination and debris from the cleaning solution. A worker installs the platform and bolts it on the lift arm. He installs a rack on the platform. It's made of grainy fiberglass to prevent the pieces from shifting during a cleaning cycle. After testing the movement of the lift arm and platform assembly, workers install the steel lid on the tank... And attach its hinge. Then they check the fit of the lid. An electrician makes the connections for the heat and timer controls... And screws the electric panel onto the side of the tank. He closes the electric box, then tests the lift arm, the lid, and the agitator pump. As the lift arm moves up, the platform lifts clean parts out of the water. Washers like this one can clean anything from automotive castings to printing press parts. In an underground mine, ventilation is critical for the safety of the miners. Above-ground fans can either blow in fresh air or they can suck out toxic gases using ventilation ducts suspended from the ceiling of the mine shaft. The black ventilation ducts are made of fiberglass. The yellow ducts are made of vinyl reinforced with steel wire. Both are designed to withstand negative pressure when drawing out gases and positive pressure when blowing in air. To manufacture sections of fiberglass duct, they use a steel mandrel. Workers wrap plastic around the mandrel to prevent the fiberglass from sticking. They also wrap cardboard around one end of each duct section to increase its diameter. Next, they start up the fiberglass winding machine. It draws 29 strands of fiberglass roving through a bath of resin, then winds them in a helical pattern up and down the mandrel, building up a layer between 3 and 10 millimeters thick, depending on the application. The regular end is called the spigot. The wide end is called the bell. The spigot of one duct section fits snugly inside the bell of the next. This way, multiple sections can be connected to each other. Workers embed d-rings at regular intervals along the top. These rings are used to suspend the ducts from the mine shaft ceiling. Once the winding is finished, workers cut the roving... And roll the fiberglass-covered mandrel into a large oven for curing. It takes about 30 minutes to cure the resin on a duct this size. Once it's cured, they extract the mandrel. They saw through the middle of the fiberglass duct to divide it into two shorter ducts of equal length. Each has a bell end and a spigot end. Workers use a hand saw to cut and shape some pieces into fittings. Fittings are angled or "y"-shaped pieces that connect two straight pieces, allowing the route of the ducting to turn or branch out. They connect the cut pieces with galvanized metal tape, then they seal the gaps with strips of fiberglass cloth saturated with resin. To make spiral duct, they weld together sheets of vinyl to create a wider sheet. On one end of the tube, they weld in a ring made of galvanized wire rope. At the other end of the tube, they weld in an adjustable coupler. To connect duct sections, the ring of one section fits into the coupler of the next one. They mount the tube on the guide bar of the spiral winding machine. The machine applies steel wire to reinforce the vinyl. It also enables the duct section to collapse into a compact hoop. As it works its way down the tube, the machine covers the wire with a strip of vinyl. It welds the vinyl to the tube, forming a pocket that both locks the wire in position and protects it from wear. When the machine reaches the opposite end of the tube, they cut the wire and remove the duct section. The last step is to attach hangers at 2-foot intervals. The hangers are used to suspend the ventilation ducts from the mine ceiling. Spiral ducts are the easiest type of ventilation to transport and install because they're collapsible and lightweight. However, they can get damaged in high-traffic work areas, so mines prefer to use sturdier fiberglass ventilation ducts. Before the pencil sharpener, people used knives to sharpen the tips of pencils. It was in the mid-19th century when a french inventor came up with a clever tool-- a little box with a blade and a cone-shaped opening. Just twist the pencil into it, and it makes a very precise point. The pencil sharpener has been a favorite of pencil pushers for over 150 years. With a few twists, it can hone the graphite tip of a pencil to a very fine point. To make pencil sharpeners, they start with high-carbon steel for the blades. The steel unwinds through a straightener, then a feeder serves it up to a punchcutter. It cuts out five blades in one action, complete with assembly holes in the center. It also embosses the company logo onto it. This machine can generate well over 100,000 pencil sharpener blades in an hour. A worker distributes the blades onto a conveyor that will take them to an oven. The temperature inside is 1,500 degrees. The blades slowly circle in the oven. This step takes 15 to 20 minutes. Exposure to the intense heat and a quick cooldown in oil harden the blades, but it also leaves them tarnished. So they drain the oil by spinning the blades in a perforated drum. Then they add a mix of dried corn and polishing paste to the blades. The drum tosses the blades in the polishing medium for six 6 to 12 hours. This restores them, as we see in this before-and-after shot. A circular feeder sorts them into a single file and racks them on a metal rod. Once on the rod, a machine grinds a cutting edge into all of the blades at once. Next, they manufacture the housing for the pencil sharpener blades. A circular saw cuts a ridged magnesium bar to the correct length. The magnesium blocks tumble into a feeder, which funnels them into a stamping machine. The machine stamps the company logo onto the top and lower side of the blocks. Machinery moves the pencil sharpener bodies forward to a drill that bores cone-shaped, pencil-sized holes into them. A second drill carves holes in the top for screwing the blades into the pencil sharpener bodies. A little metal rod shoves the pencil sharpener bodies out of the machine and into a bin. A worker plunges the pencil sharpener bodies into five chemical baths. Each bath has a different formula. The chemicals soften the edges of the magnesium bodies, making the surface shinier. A worker spreads the pencil sharpener bodies across a mesh conveyor. The conveyor takes them through a dryer to remove any residue left behind by the chemical solutions. These pencil sharpener bodies are now ready to receive blades. A feeder system delivers them to an assembly station. The screws funnel into an automated screwdriver at the assembly point. A mechanism slides the blades into the pencil sharpener bodies as they arrive. The pencil sharpeners fall into a bin, ready for retail. It's taken many different processes to produce these magnesium pencil sharpeners. Here's a recap of the process. Over a century and a half after its invention, the manual pencil sharpener is still making life easier. And in modern factories, the concept has been honed to a fine point.