How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: HEADLIGHTS AREN'T JUST FUNCTIONAL.

THEY'RE OFTEN THE FIRST DESIGN FEATURE

THAT CATCHES THE EYE OF A POTENTIAL BUYER.

UNLIKE THE METAL AND GLASS VERSIONS OF THE PAST,

TODAY'S HEADLIGHTS ARE MADE OF DURABLE PLASTICS

THAT CAN BE CREATIVELY MOLDED INTO A MULTITUDE OF SHAPES.

IN ADDITION TO THE MAIN BEAM, THIS PICKUP TRUCK HEADLIGHT HAS

AN INTEGRATED AMBER TURN SIGNAL AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT.

MOST OF THE HEADLIGHT'S COMPONENTS

ARE MADE OF INJECTION-MOLDED PLASTIC.

THE MACHINE MELTS PLASTIC PELLETS INTO A GOOEY LIQUID,

THEN SHOOTS IT INTO A MOLD FOR THE SPECIFIC PART.

THE HEADLIGHT LENSES ARE MADE OF CLEAR POLYCARBONATE,

A STRONG PLASTIC

THAT'S RESISTANT TO EXTREME HEAT AND COLD.

THE MOLDING PROCESS STRESSES THE PLASTIC.

TO RELIEVE THAT STRESS,

THEY PUT THE LENS INTO AN ANNEALING OVEN

FOR 20 MINUTES.

WHEN THE LENS COMES OUT,

THEY WIPE IT DOWN WITH AN ANTI-STATIC CLOTH

AND INSPECT THE SURFACE METICULOUSLY.

NEXT, A ROBOT SPRAYS THE LENS WITH A PROTECTIVE COATING.

THIS WILL PREVENT SCRATCHES,

CHIPS, OR YELLOWING FROM EXPOSURE TO ULTRAVIOLET RAYS.

THEY RUN THE LENS THROUGH A TUNNEL OVEN TO CURE IT.

THIS COMPONENT IS THE REFLECTOR FOR THE HEADLIGHT'S MAIN BEAM.

IT'S MADE OF FIBERGLASS-REINFORCED POLYESTER.

THEY SAND AWAY ANY EXCESS MATERIAL,

THEN HAND WASH THE PART WITH SOAP AND WATER

TO REMOVE ANY POLYESTER RESIDUE LEFT BY THE SANDING.

THEN, THEY PUT THE REFLECTOR INTO A MACHINE

SIMILAR TO A DISHWASHER.

A ROBOT SPRAYS ON A COAT OF PRIMER.

IT GOES ON CLEAR,

BUT TURNS YELLOW AFTER IT CURES IN AN OVEN.

NOW COMES THE PROCESS THAT MAKES THE REFLECTOR REFLECTIVE.

INSIDE AN ALUMINIZING CHAMBER,

A FIXTURE ROTATES THE REFLECTOR

ON ITS OWN AXIS AS WELL AS AROUND COPPER ELECTRODES

AT THE CENTER OF THE MACHINE.

AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE TO THE COPPER ELECTRODES

GENERATES HEAT, WHICH VAPORIZES AN ALUMINUM WIRE

THAT'S WRAPPED AROUND A SPIRAL TUNGSTEN FILAMENT.

THE ALUMINUM BECOMES A MIST

THAT DEPOSITS EVENLY ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE REFLECTOR.

NOW THEY ASSEMBLE THE HEADLIGHT,

BEGINNING WITH THE HOUSING.

IT'S MADE OF INJECTED-MOLDED POLYPROPYLENE.

AFTER INSTALLING THE REFLECTOR FOR THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT,

THEY ATTACH THE MAIN BEAM REFLECTOR.

THEY INCLUDE PIVOTS AND ADJUSTING SCREWS

SO THAT THE BEAM LEVEL CAN BE CUSTOMIZED.

THEY SCREW IN THE REFLECTOR FOR THE TURN SIGNAL.

IT'S MADE OF ALUMINIZED PLASTIC.

THEN, A ROBOT APPLIES A SEALANT WHICH PREVENTS WATER, DUST,

AND INSECTS FROM PENETRATING THE HOUSING.

THEY PLACE THE ASSEMBLY IN A LENS BINDING MACHINE.

THEN, THEY INSERT THE MAIN BEAM LENS,

WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN JOINED

TO THE TURN SIGNAL AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS.

THE TOP OF THE BINDING MACHINE DESCENDS,

SECURING THESE ASSEMBLIES TO EACH OTHER WITH SCREWS.

NEXT, THEY SCREW IN A HALOGEN BULB

FOR THE MAIN BEAM REFLECTOR.

THE BULB HAS TWO FILAMENTS FOR A HIGH AND LOW BEAM.

THEN, THEY ADD HALOGEN BULBS FOR THE TURN SIGNAL

AND DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS.

THE LAST STEP IS TO LEVEL THE MAIN BEAM REFLECTOR.

THIS LEVELING MACHINE TELLS THEM WHICH ADJUSTABLE SCREWS

TO TURN TO TILT THE REFLECTOR INTO THE CORRECT POSITION.

THIS IS THE MANUFACTURER'S DEFAULT SETTING.

AUTO MAKERS CAN CHANGE THIS BEFORE INSTALLING THE HEADLIGHTS

IN THEIR VEHICLES.

THIS MODEL HOOKS UP TO WIRING COMING FROM THE PICKUP TRUCK.

SOME HEADLIGHTS HAVE BUILT-IN WIRING

THAT CONNECTS TO THE VEHICLE.

IT'S EASY TO CHANGE A BURNT OUT BULB IN BOTH DESIGNS.

YOU SIMPLY LIFT THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE

TO ACCESS THE BULB FROM THE REAR OF THE HEADLIGHT HOUSING.

Narrator: WHEN WORK CREWS NEED TO LAY PIPES OR CABLES,

THEY USE A DIRECTIONAL DRILL

TO BORE A HORIZONTAL HOLE UNDERGROUND.

IT ENTERS THE GROUND AT AN ANGLE,

DRILLS UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE HORIZONTALLY,

THEN EXITS AT AN ANGLE ON THE OTHER END.

A DIRECTIONAL DRILL ENTERS THE GROUND AT AN 18 DEGREE ANGLE.

ONCE IT REACHES THE DESIRED DEPTH, IT DRILLS HORIZONTALLY.

THE MACHINE CAN ATTACH SEVERAL ONBOARD DRILL RODS

FOR INCREASED DRILLING DISTANCE.

MOST OF THE MACHINE'S PARTS ARE MADE OF STEEL,

CUT TO THE REQUIRED SHAPE BY A COMPUTER-GUIDED LASER.

WORKERS USE A PRESS BRAKE TO BEND CERTAIN PARTS.

THIS IS PART OF THE DRILL'S UNDERCARRIAGE,

THE FRAME ON WHICH EVERYTHING ELSE SITS.

AFTER THEY BEND THIS PART,

THEY WELD IT TO OTHER PARTS TO BUILD THE ENGINE MOUNT.

THEY WELD THE ENGINE MOUNT TO THE REST OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE.

ONCE THE UNDERCARRIAGE IS COMPLETE,

THEY CLEAN THE STEEL WITH A CHEMICAL

TO MAXIMIZE THE ADHESION OF THE INDUSTRIAL-GRADE PRIMER

AND PAINT.

ONCE THE PAINT DRIES,

THEY INSTALL A RUBBER TRACK ON EACH SIDE.

TIRES LEAVE RUTS IN THE GROUND,

SO TRACKS WORK BETTER.

THE TRACK LOOPS AROUND A RAIL AND SPROCKET AT THE BACK.

WORKERS MOUNT THE SPROCKET ON A HYDRAULICALLY-POWERED MOTOR,

THEN ALIGN THE SPROCKET TEETH WITH THE TRACK.

WHEN THE MOTOR RUNS,

THE SPROCKET ROTATES, DRIVING THE TRACK.

THEY APPLY THREAD-LOCKING FLUID

TO THE BOLTS THAT SECURE THE SPROCKET TO THE MOTOR.

THIS ENSURES THE SPROCKET WON'T LOOSEN.

THEN, THEY INSTALL A TRACK TENSIONING SPRING

AND TIGHTEN IT WITH A PNEUMATIC WRENCH.

NEXT, THE STEEL HYDRAULIC TANK.

IT HOLDS THE HYDRAULIC OIL

FOR THE MACHINE'S 23 DIFFERENT HYDRAULIC FUNCTIONS.

NOW THE WATER PUMP.

IT LUBRICATES THE DRILL ROD

WITH WATER TO HELP IT MOVE THROUGH THE GROUND.

IT ALSO CLEANS THE MACHINE AFTER EACH DRILLING JOB.

THEY INSTALL THE PIVOT MECHANISM

THAT OPENS AND CLOSES THE ENGINE HOOD.

NOW THAT THE HYDRAULIC TANK,

WATER PUMP, AND HOOD PIVOT ARE IN PLACE,

THEY BEGIN INSTALLING THE MACHINE'S DIESEL ENGINE.

IT'S SIMILAR TO A TRACTOR ENGINE.

THEY CONNECT ITS WIRING TO THE OPERATOR CONSOLE

AND SEVERAL OTHER COMPONENTS ON THE MACHINE.

THE OPERATOR CONSOLE CONSISTS OF THE DRIVER SEAT,

DASHBOARD LCD DISPLAY, AND JOYSTICK CONTROLS.

NEXT, THEY JOIN THE RACK

CONTAINING ALL THE DRILLING COMPONENTS TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE.

THEY INSTALL TWO PLASTIC TANKS --

WHITE FOR WATER, BLACK FOR FUEL.

THEN, THE ONBOARD COMPUTER THAT RUNS THE ENGINE

AND DRILLING COMPONENTS.

THEY ALSO INSTALL CONTROL VALVES FOR THE HYDRAULIC LINES.

THEY MOUNT THE ROD BOX,

WHICH HOLDS 40 DRILL RODS,

EACH MEASURING 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER

BY 10 FEET IN LENGTH.

LARGER MODELS HAVE LONGER AND WIDER DRILL RODS.

THEY CONNECT THE VENTILATED PLASTIC HOOD TO THE HOOD PIVOT

THEY INSTALLED EARLIER.

THEY CLOSE THE HOOD OVER THE ENGINE,

THEN APPLY MAKE AND MODEL NUMBER DECALS.

THIS DIRECTIONAL DRILLING MACHINE IS NOW FULLY BUILT

AND READY FOR TESTING.

AS THE RACK TILTS DOWN AT THE FRONT,

HYDRAULICALLY-POWERED OUTRIGGER FEET AT THE BACK DESCEND,

RAISING THE MACHINE INTO THE DRILL POSITION.

GIANT AUGURS AT THE FRONT KEEP THE MACHINE ON THE GROUND.

THE RACK'S GEARBOX IS POWERED BY A HYDRAULIC MOTOR.

IT ROTATES THE DRILL ROD

WHILE THE CARRIAGE MOVES THE ROD THROUGH THE GROUND.

WHEN THE JOB'S DONE, THE CARRIAGE MOVES BACK,

RETRACTING THE ROD.

WITH ALL ITS RODS JOINED TOGETHER,

THIS SMALL MACHINE CAN DRILL ALMOST 400 FEET.

Narrator: PET GROOMING COMBS

ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR ANIMAL FUR.