How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE"...

ELECTRIC BASEBOARD HEATERS...

...MOLDED PULP CONTAINERS...

...PREPARED CHICKEN...

...AND VIDEO GAMES.

ELECTRIC BASEBOARD HEATERS ARE INEXPENSIVE,

EASY TO INSTALL, AND PRACTICALLY MAINTENANCE-FREE.

UNLIKE RADIATORS, THEY'RE INCONSPICUOUS

AND THEY TAKE UP VERY LITTLE SPACE.

AND BEST OF ALL, YOU CAN CONTROL THE TEMPERATURE ROOM BY ROOM.

A BASEBOARD HEATER IS SIMPLY WIRES

AND A HEATING ELEMENT IN A STEEL CASING.

THEY MAKE THE ELEMENT USING A STRIP

OF PAPER-THIN ALUMINUM 7 INCHES WIDE.

IT'S LUBRICATED WITH SOAP, THEN GOES THROUGH A FORMING MACHINE.

A DIE PUNCHES THE STRIP INTO LITTLE SQUARES CALLED FINS.

THEY MEASURE HALF AN INCH BY THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH

AND HAVE A CIRCLE IN THE MIDDLE.

THE MACHINE PIERCES THE CIRCLES AND CUTS THE FINS APART.

THIS MACHINE CHURNS OUT 600 FINS PER MINUTE.

IT STACKS THEM ON STEEL TUBES, THE LENGTHS OF WHICH VARY

ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH OF THE HEATER.

AS EACH TUBE FILLS TO CAPACITY,

A WORKER TAKES IT AWAY TO BE WIRED UP.

ELSEWHERE IN THE FACTORY, THEY MAKE THE HEATER'S CASING

USING WHAT'S KNOWN AS COLD ROLLED STEEL,

A FLEXIBLE TYPE OF STEEL

THAT CAN BE WORKED WITHOUT USING HEAT.

AFTER A SQUIRT OF OIL FOR LUBRICATION,

THE FIRST DIE CUTS HOLES

FOR ATTACHING THE BASEBOARD TO THE WALL.

THEN THE SECOND DIE CUTS HOLES

FOR ATTACHING THE HEATING ELEMENT TO THE CASING.

NOW THE STEEL TRAVELS THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED THE ROLL FORMER --

A MACHINE WHOSE SERIES OF ROLLERS

SUCCESSIVELY BEND A FLAT STRIP OF METAL,

ONE FOLD AT A TIME,

INTO THE SHAPE OF THE CASING.

FROM START TO FINISH, 20 ROLLERS MAKE 20 BENDS.

THE PROCESS TAKES ABOUT 150 SECONDS PER CASING.

AFTER THE LAST FOLD, A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED DIE

CUTS THE CASING TO THE REQUIRED LENGTH.

THE HIGHER THE HEATER'S WATTAGE,

THE LONGER THE CASING HAS TO BE.

MODELS RANGE FROM 300 WATTS -- ABOUT 2 FEET LONG --

TO 2,500 WATTS -- ABOUT 8 FEET LONG.

NEXT, THEY PUT A STEEL JUNCTION BOX ON EACH END OF THE CASING.

THESE HOLD THE WIRES

THAT THE ELECTRICIAN CONNECTS TO THE HOUSE WIRING.

WORKERS SPOT-WELD BOTH JUNCTION BOXES SIMULTANEOUSLY.

AFTER A THOROUGH WASHING, COMPUTER-CONTROLLED SPRAYERS

COAT THE CASINGS IN PAINT POWDER.

THEN IT'S INTO AN OVEN

FOR 20 MINUTES AT 365 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THIS TRANSFORMS THE POWDER TO LIQUID, DRYING IT INSTANTLY.

AFTER RUNNING A RED WIRE

FOR THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT THE LENGTH OF THE CASING,

THEY RIG UP WHAT'S CALLED

A LINEAR HIGH LIMIT TEMPERATURE CONTROL --

A SAFETY DEVICE THAT PREVENTS THE UNIT

FROM OVERHEATING AND CATCHING FIRE.

GAS INSIDE THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL

EXPANDS UNDER INTENSE HEAT,

TRIGGERING THE DEVICE TO CUT THE CURRENT.

NOW THEY INSTALL SUPPORTS

TO HOLD THE HEATING ELEMENT IN PLACE.

THEY'RE MADE OF SATIN-COAT STEEL, A RUST-RESISTANT METAL.

AS THE ELEMENT HEATS UP, IT NATURALLY EXPANDS.

TO PREVENT IT FROM SCRATCHING AGAINST THE METAL CASING

AND MAKING ANNOYING NOISES,

THEY INSTALL A HEAT-RESISTANT PLASTIC BUSHING.

NOW THEY CONNECT THE RED WIRE

THAT WILL CARRY THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT

TO THE HEATING ELEMENT'S BLACK WIRE,

CAPPING IT WITH A WIRE CONNECTOR.

THEY CLIP IT TO THE COVER OF THE JUNCTION BOX --

EASY ACCESS FOR THE ELECTRICIAN INSTALLING THE BASEBOARD.

THEN THEY CLOSE THE JUNCTION BOX COVER.

AT THE OTHER END,

THEY CONNECT THE RED WIRE AND THE BLACK WIRE

TO THE TEMPERATURE-CONTROL WIRE.

THIS RUNS THE ELECTRICAL CURRENT

THROUGH THE SAFETY DEVICE AT ALL TIMES.

AFTER A VOLTAGE TEST,

THEY CLOSE IT UP AND SNAP ON A PANEL TO COVER THE ELEMENT.

BEING TOASTY WARM IS NOW JUST AN INSTALLATION AWAY.

Narrator: "MOLDED PULP" ISN'T EXACTLY A HOUSEHOLD WORD.

BUT IT IS A HOUSEHOLD ITEM.

CHANCES ARE, YOU'VE GOT AN EGG CARTON IN YOUR FRIDGE

THAT'S MADE OF IT.

THIS THICK, CARDBOARDLIKE MATERIAL

CAN BE SHAPED INTO A VARIETY OF CONTAINERS,

LIKE THOSE DRINK CARRIERS

THEY GIVE YOU AT THE FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS.

FARMS SHIP OUT THEIR EGGS IN TRAYS CALLED FILLER FLATS.

THESE FLATS BEGIN AS RECYCLED PAPER --

OLD PHONE BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, CARDBOARD --

PRETTY MUCH ANY PRODUCT MADE OF PAPER FIBERS.

THE FACTORY EVEN RECYCLES ITS OWN FLATS

THAT HAD BEEN REJECTED BY QUALITY CONTROL.

THE RAW MATERIALS GO INTO WHAT'S CALLED THE PULPER --

A GIANT BLENDER THAT MASHES EVERYTHING UP

AND BLENDS IT WITH HOT WATER

THAT'S 110 TO 150 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

THE HOT WATER SWELLS THE FIBERS, CAUSING THEM TO BREAK APART.

AFTER 20 MINUTES, THEY BECOME PULP,

A WATERY MIXTURE ROUGHLY THE CONSISTENCY OF HOT OATMEAL.

THE PULP EXITS OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE PULPER

THROUGH A FILTER THAT SCREENS OUT PLASTICS

AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS.

SHAPING THE FLATS IS A FULLY AUTOMATED PROCESS.

FORMATION MOLDS DESCEND INTO A VAT FILLED WITH PULP.

A VACUUM SUCKS THE MUSHY MIXTURE ONTO THEM.

WATER JETS RINSE OF THE EXCESS.

ROTATING ABOVE ARE TRANSFER MOLDS.

THEY GRAB THE FLATS OFF THE FORMATION MOLDS

AND MOVE THEM ONTO A CONVEYOR.

BEFORE THE TRANSFER MOLDS GRAB THE FLATS, THOUGH,

A BRUSH APPLIES A WATER-BASED LUBRICANT.

THIS ENSURES THE FLATS WON'T STICK TO THE MOLDS.

IT'S JUST LIKE GREASING A BAKING PAN.

THE MOLDS THEMSELVES ARE MADE OF BRONZE, PLASTIC, OR ALUMINUM,

DEPENDING ON HOW LONG THE FACTORY INTENDS TO USE THEM.

THEY'RE COVERED WITH A STAINLESS-STEEL MESH.

THIS MESH ENSURES AN EVEN VACUUM THROUGH THE MOLD

SO THE PULP SPREADS OVER IT EVENLY.

THE SOGGY FLATS NOW GO INTO AN OVEN FOR 12 MINUTES TO DRY OUT.

THE 400-DEGREE-FAHRENHEIT HEAT EVAPORATES THE WATER.

THIS BONDS THE FIBERS TOGETHER, FORMING A RIGID MATERIAL.

AFTER THEY EXIT THE OVEN,

A DEVICE APPROPRIATELY CALLED AN UP-ENDER

FLIPS THEM UP SO THAT THEY STACK INTO EACH OTHER.

A BUILT-IN COUNTING MECHANISM TRIGGERS THE MACHINE

TO SECTION OFF THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF FLATS PER PACKAGE...

...THEN COMPRESSES THEM...

...AND SEALS THEM IN PLASTIC FILM TO KEEP THE DUST OUT.

THE FACTORY USES THE SAME MOLDING PROCESS

TO MAKE FOUR-CUP DRINK CARRIERS.

THESE, TOO, GO INTO AN OVEN TO DRY OUT THE PULP,

BUT ONLY FOR SIX MINUTES --

HALF THE TIME THE FILLER FLATS NEED

BECAUSE THIS PRODUCT IS SMALLER AND LIGHTER.

AUTOMATED COMPACTORS STACK THE FINISHED DRINK CARRIERS.

THEN WORKERS COMPRESS THEM FOR PACKING AND SHIPPING.

THE FACTORY ALSO MAKES DISPOSABLE URINAL BOTTLES

FOR HOSPITALS.

THEY ADD CHEMICALS TO THE PULP

TO MAKE THE BOTTLES LIQUID-TIGHT.

THESE MOLDS ARE THREE-DIMENSIONAL

AND LINED WITH MESH ON THE INSIDE.

WHEN THEY SUBMERGE INTO THE PULP VAT,

A VACUUM SUCKS IN THE PULP.

WHEN THEY RESURFACE,

WATER JETS RINSE THE EXCESS PULP OFF THE BOTTLE NECKS,

AND THE VACUUM SUCKS OUT THE WATER.

A SPIKED CONVEYOR BELT

TRANSPORTS THE BOTTLES TO THE DRYING OVEN.

THEY DRY AT A LOWER TEMPERATURE

THAN THE FLATS AND DRINK CARRIERS DO --

350-DEGREES FAHRENHEIT --

AND FOR LONGER TIME -- A HALF-HOUR.

THIS ENSURES THE CHEMICALS THAT MAKE THE BOTTLES LIQUID-TIGHT

CURE THOROUGHLY.

WHILE URINAL BOTTLES CAN'T BE RECYCLED FOR SANITARY REASONS,

DRINK HOLDERS AND FILLER FLATS ARE RECYCLABLE,

MAKING THEM EXTREMELY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.

Narrator: IN THE YEAR 2001,

THE AVERAGE PERSON ATE 61 POUNDS OF CHICKEN.

GIVEN THAT RATE OF CONSUMPTION,

IF WE HAD TO PROCESS THE POULTRY OURSELVES,

CHANCES ARE, WE'D BE IN A RATHER FOUL MOOD BY DINNER.

THANK GOODNESS FOR CHICKEN-PROCESSING PLANTS.

THE CHICKENS ARRIVE AT THE FACTORY

WITH THEIR FEET, LEGS, AND HEADS ALREADY CUT OFF.

WHAT'S LEFT ARE THE BREASTS AND WINGS.