How It's Made (2001–…): Season 15, Episode 11 - Grapples/Flavourings/Dog Sleds/Athletic Shoes - full transcript

-- Captions by vita -&www.M

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Narrator:
At many work sites,

Grapples do
all the heavy lifting.

Dangling from crane booms,

These huge mechanized claws
move mountains of material

One load at a time.

Some are equipped
with powerful electromagnets

For gathering
small bits of metal

Along with the large ones.

Not much can escape the grasp
of the mighty grapple.



A magnet at the center pulls
metal from the scrap heap,

While four fingers
dig into the pile.

It then transfers the load
of steel for recycling.

It actually takes
some of that recycled steel

To make a grapple
in the form of steel plate.

A computer-guided flame
burns through the steel

To cut out
the various part shapes.

It will take
approximately 50 pieces

In a range of shapes and
thicknesses to make one grapple.

A press brake repeatedly rams
one of the parts

While an operator adjusts it
forward between thrusts.

The process curls the part
to give it a claw-like profile.

It's the basic shape
of a grapple finger.

Using a template,



He checks the curvature
to confirm it's on target.

He'll curl four fingers
per grapple.

Meanwhile, a welder pieces
together the grapple's core,

Working within a special fixture

That allows him
to assemble it precisely.

After he tack-welds them
together,

It's over to the robot.

It does the permanent welds

As the core slowly rotates
in a special device.

They hoist the welded grapple
core over to the magnet

And feed its main wire
up through the core.

They lower the core,

And it fits onto metal dowels
protruding from the magnet.

This allows them
to align the two precisely.

They thread high-strength bolts
into the dowels

To secure the assembly.

Next, they place
a turntable bearing

On the grapple's top flange.

This bearing
is an important part

Of the claw-rotator mechanism.

They fasten the bearing's
outer ring to the flange

With numerous bolts,

Torqueing each one tightly
to withstand the spinning action

Of the bearing's inner ring.

As demonstrated here,

The bearing turns
in both directions

To give the grapple's claw
movements a lot of flexibility.

A worker now lowers
the upper rotator assembly

Onto the turntable bearing.

This assembly holds
the rotator's motor

And the manifold
that feeds hydraulic fluid

To the cylinders
that power the claw.

They now slide the hydraulic
cylinders into their slots

And lock them in place
with pivot pins.

They install a total
of four cylinders.

Each one will power
one grapple finger,

And together, they'll open
and close the grapple claw.

They connect the hydraulic feed
lines to the cylinders

And reinforce the connection
with a four-bolt flange

That can handle the pressure
of the hydraulic fluid.

They guide each still finger
into slots in the grapple core

And align them correctly.

They slide a pivot pin
into the attachment holes

To link the two.

This pin will also act
as a kind of hinge

As the finger opens and closes.

They fasten the pivot pin
to the grapple

With a nut that's split
in one spot.

This split enables it
to be squeezed tightly

Around the large pin
with a small bolt.

They attach the hydraulic
cylinders to the claw fingers

With more large steel pins.

And they're now ready
to power the grapple claw

And test the gripping action.

The four tines, or fingers,
open and close in unison.

The tips mate correctly.
There's no overlap.

They roll paint
onto the company emblem,

And this grapple claw
is now ready for the jobsite.

It weighs 4.5 tons,

And just dropping it on a car

Will crumple it
like a piece of tissue paper.

It takes about 150 hours
to manufacture a grapple claw

That can get a grip
on the really big jobs

In a matter of seconds.

Narrator: Whether it's
boysenberry in your muffin,

Hazelnut in your coffee,

Blue cheese
in your salad dressing,

Or spearmint
in your chewing gum,

The source is usually
a prepared flavoring.

Food and drink makers typically
approach a flavorings company

To custom-design and produce
whatever flavor they need.

Not only do flavoring companies
produce ingredients

For commercial use,

They also manufacture
stand-alone flavoring products

For retail sale,

Such as those syrups
you squirt into coffee,

Fountain drinks,
and other beverages.

In the company's research
and development laboratory,

Flavor chemists
create each recipe,

Drawing from an elaborate
arsenal of ingredients.

If they're designing an orange
flavoring, for example,

They might combine orange
essence and orange peel

With extracts
from other citrus fruits,

Tweaking the proportions

Until they achieve exactly
the taste they're after.

This chemist is designing
flavoring for a soft drink.

He pours a specific amount
of his trial recipe into water,

Then carbonates the mix

By adding
pressurized carbon dioxide.

Then he bottles the drink

And sends it to the client
for approval.

Once the client gives the okay,

Plant technicians
mix a production formula,

Following very precise
weights and measures

Set out in the recipe.

Once they combine
the formula's key ingredients,

They add them
to the liquid fillers --

Such as fruit juice and water --

And solvents such as ethanol.

The solvents
trigger molecular changes

That transform
the oil-soluble key ingredients

Into a water-soluble state.

Without this conversion,

The finished flavoring
would simply float on top

Of any liquid
to which it's added.

At several points
throughout the process,

The company's
quality-control lab

Performs an array of tests

To assess color,
flavor, viscosity,

And other characteristics.

The last ingredients to go
into the production formula,

When the recipe calls for them,
are colorings.

Sometimes a client wants
a powdered flavoring

Rather than a liquid one.

So chemists
develop a liquid recipe

That a machine
called a spray dryer

Can process into a powder.

In the production plant,

Workers pour the required
quantity of production formula

Into a large processing kettle.

They add whatever
additional ingredients

The recipe may call for,

And if required, heat the mix.

If they're making
a powdered flavoring,

Then from the kettle,

They pour the liquid
into a mixer

Containing water, gums,
and starches.

These keep all the ingredients
evenly blended.

Then they open a hatch

And drop the mix
directly into the spray dryer.

The machine uses high pressure

To transform the liquid
into a fine mist,

Then heat
to dry the mist particles

Into powder particles.

They put the powder

Into a machine
called a ribbon blender

And add whatever dry ingredients
the flavoring recipe calls for.

Then mixing blades slowly blend
all the powders together.

The plant sends a sample
from the blender

To the quality-control lab.

Among other tests,

Lab technicians put the sample
under a microscope

To analyze the particle size,

Which indicates how thoroughly
the ingredients are blended.

Exiting the ribbon blender,

The finished flavoring passes
through a vibrating screen,

A magnet, and a metal detector.

The packaging equipment
weighs a specific quantity

And dispenses it into cartons
lined with polyethylene.

A suction hose vacuums
what dusts up in the process,

Because airborne powder
is an explosion hazard.

The plant sends a sample
from every batch it produces

Back to the lab.

Trained testers
smell and taste the sample

And compare it
to the model lab batch.

The testers flag
any production sample

That's even the slightest bit
off the mark,

In which case they alert
the flavor chemists,

Who then diagnose
and fix the problem.

This procedure,

Along with the various
quality-control measures

Throughout
the production process,

Ensures taste consistency,
which is absolutely critical,

Whether the prepared flavoring
is an ingredient

In a commercially produced
food or beverage

Or a retail flavoring

That you squirt into or
sprinkle onto a drink or snack.

Narrator: For centuries,

Dog-driven sleds were a lifeline
across the frozen north,

Delivering medicine
and other supplies

To far-flung communities.

Today, aircraft and snowmobiles

Have mostly taken over
that work,

And dog-sledding
has become a sport.

And a well-made sled
is behind every winning team.

A dog-sled race is
an endurance test for the dogs,

The driver, and the sled itself.

A good sled is both flexible

And sturdy enough
to go the distance.

At this factory,
they make sleds from white ash.

A worker angles
the ends of vertical bars

So they can be fitted

To the sled's top rail
and handlebar.

These bars
are called stanchions.

He shapes the other end of them

So they'll fit into grooves
in the sled's runner.

All the parts of this sled
are designed

To fit together
like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

A worker
now screws aluminum rails

Onto the bottom
of the two runners.

He slides plastic strips
into those aluminum rails,

Which gives the runners
a smooth base

For gliding over ice or snow.

He secures the plastic strips
at each end with screws.

The crew
is now ready to assemble

All the pieces of the dog sled.

They attach metal screw eyes
to the runners.

They'll thread rope through them

When they're ready to tie
the parts of the sled together.

All the parts of the framework

Fit into notches
made specifically for them.

The location of those notches
has been precisely mapped out.

If one is even a fraction
of an inch off,

The sled would collapse
like a house of cards.

They measure the space
between the runners

To confirm
they're perfectly aligned,

And now tie the joints together
with nylon rope.

These ties are called lashings,

And there are 22 of them
on this dog sled.

Historically, lashings were made
of moose hide,

But nylon is tougher.

They cut the rope
with a hot blade,

Which seals the fibers
so that they won't unravel.

They tie the midpoint joints
together...

...And the focus then moves
to the dog-sled handlebar.

A worker glues strips of ash
together.

The strips are thin
so they can be easily bent,

Allowing him to curl
the glued layer around a u-form.

He clamps the wood to the form,

And the glue cures
for three hours.

It hardens into the u-shape,

Creating
the dog-sled handlebar.

He secures the handlebar
to the dog sled

With the nylon lashings.

The team then assembles the bed
of the sled.

They clamp the slats into place,

And then screw them
to the framework.

They install
the sled's front bumper,

Called the brushbrow.

Next, a worker cuts off
the metal bead of a bicycle tire

And discards it.

He uses the remaining tire tread
to create foot pads

By wrapping it around
pieces of thick plastic

And screwing it into place.

He installs a treaded pad
on each runner

To keep the driver's feet
from slipping off.

Then they install
an aluminum bar brake.

These pivot bolts
will allow this bar brake

To be raised when not needed,

And lowered to engage
the metal talons.

He loops a bungee cord
on each side of a cross bar

And burns off an end.

He hooks the other end
of the cord to the brake.

This simple
bungee-cord mechanism

Will enable the dog-sled musher
to activate the brake.

He heat-shrinks rubber tubing
around the base of the cord

To protect it.

They now weave
the back of the sled,

Using nylon cord to create
a basket for carrying things.

It's big enough to hold
a tired animal.

The worker then loops
and ties the bridle

To front stanchions
beneath the sled.

He forms a "v" as he threads it

From the back of the sled
to the front.

He paints urethane
onto the wood,

And even over the lashings.

This will protect them
against wear.

It's taken about three days

To make this traditional
basket dog sled,

And now it's ready to mush.

Narrator: Athletic footwear
dates back to ancient times,

But the concept gained traction

With the development
of treaded rubber soles

In the early part
of the 20th century.

These rubber-soled shoes

Were lightweight, comfortable,
and hit the ground quietly,

Earning them the name sneakers.

Design improvements

Have broadened the appeal
of athletic shoes.

People wear them everywhere.

The athletic shoe
has definitely gone mainstream.

Using a hydraulic press,

This employee forces a die
through synthetic fabric

To cut out patterns
for the upper part of the shoe.

At the next station,
he punches out leather toe tips.

The toe tip
is one of numerous cut-outs

That add shape and structure
to the synthetic upper.

After arranging the tip parts
on a nonstick tray,

This worker places strips
of thermal resin onto them.

She drapes a nonstick sheet
over the tray,

Then slides it
into a hot metal press.

The resin melts into the leather
to stiffen and strengthen it.

Another worker stamps the model
number onto the heel cutout.

Then it's over
to the sewing department,

Where a worker stitches
a reflector

Onto the athletic shoe upper.

Other accent pieces call for
more intricate stitching,

So she arranges the parts
on a computerized platform.

The platform
moves back and forth,

Allowing the needle
to do a perfect job

Of stitching the accent pieces
to the upper.

This stitching would be
difficult to execute manually.

Once some of the more
substantial pieces

Have been applied to the shoe,

It's time to sew on
a reflective logo,

And the needle is once again
guided by computer software.

This athletic-shoe upper
is now ready

For its resin-fortified
leather toe tip.

She stitches it in place,

And then pieces together
the collar

And sews it
to the back of the shoe.

She installs thick foam padding
on the inside of the collar,

And then turns it right-side-out

To tuck the padding
neatly inside and hide the seam.

Putting on the collar
has obscured the top lace holes,

So she clears them
with a compressed air punch.

Down the line,

More computerized needles
embroider brand information

Onto the tongue panels.

The next worker sews a liner
and padding to the panel,

Again working inside-out
to hide the seam.

Another worker
then stitches a fabric base

Onto the athletic shoe.

She applies a rigid plastic
to the heel.

That adds structure and support
to the back part of the shoe.

Further down
the production line,

A worker tugs the shoe
onto a foot form called a last.

They heat it
to make it malleable enough

For this machine to pull it
to the shape of the last.

At the same time,

Nozzles apply cement to glue
the overlap to the fabric base.

Then a machine heats both
the upper and the rubber sole.

The heat activates glue
applied to the sole earlier

And also prepares the upper
for bonding to that sole.

They initially use manual force
to press the two together,

And then the shoe is subjected
to mechanized pressure.

Inside this machine,

A rubber bladder expands
to force the two together

For a complete seal.

The shoe then gets a foam insole
with an arch support.

The worker laces it partially

And then pairs it up
with the other shoe.

An inspector examines the pair
for defects.

It has taken about 21 minutes

To make this pair
of athletic shoes.

And they should be able to take
a real workout.