How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

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

TRUCKS -- WE'LL TELL YOU HAUL

YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM.

ADHESIVE BANDAGES --

WE'LL STICK TO THE FACTS IN THIS REPORT.

COMPUTER CIRCUIT BOARDS --

LETTING THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.

AND LIQUOR --

WE DISTILL THE WHOLE PROCESS FOR YOU.

WHETHER YOUR RIG OF CHOICE RIDES ON 8, 10, OR 18 WHEELS,

TRUCKS HAVE GOT THE GOODS,

AND THEY GET THEM TO WHERE THEY HAVE TO GO.

TRUCKS NOT ONLY TRANSPORT MOST OF TODAY'S CONSUMABLES,

THEY'RE THE UNDISPUTED KINGS OF THE ROAD.

FABRICATING THESE MASSIVE TRUCKS

REQUIRES MANY HIGHLY COMPLEX STEPS

SINCE THE PARTS ARE USUALLY HEAVY AND TRICKY TO HANDLE.

ASSEMBLY BEGINS WITH THE FABRICATION

OF THE BEARING FRAME,

THE MAIN PART ON WHICH THE TRUCK'S CAB, MOTOR,

AND TRANSMISSION WILL REST.

THEY BEGIN BY ASSEMBLING THESE TEMPERED-STEEL STRINGERS,

BEAMS VARYING IN LENGTH BETWEEN 25 AND 43 FEET.

THE CHASSIS IS MADE AS A HUGE MECCANO SET.

THE STRINGERS ARE SOLIDLY ATTACHED TOGETHER

WITH NUTS AND BOLTS

AND TIGHTENED WITH POWERFUL PNEUMATIC TOOLS.

ONCE ASSEMBLED, THE MAIN CHASSIS IS TRANSPORTED

TO ANOTHER STAGE OF CONSTRUCTION.

NOW THEY'RE GOING TO INSTALL THE MECHANICAL PARTS.

THEY START WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL,

THE AXLE, AND THE SPRINGS' LEAVES.

THE BRAKE MOUNTS ARE THEN PUT IN PLACE.

THE PLATES INSTALLED IN THE MOUNTS ALLOW THE TRUCK TO BRAKE.

THEY INSTALL THE WHEEL HUB

ONTO WHICH THE WHEELS WILL BE ATTACHED.

THEN THE TRANSMISSION SHAFT,

WHICH WILL POWER THE DRIVING WHEELS, IS INSERTED.

THEY FINISH THE REAR-WHEEL ASSEMBLY

BY MOUNTING THE HEAVY BRAKE DRUM MADE OF CAST IRON.

TO FACILITATE THE MOUNTING,

EVERYTHING IS ASSEMBLED UPSIDE DOWN.

WITH AN OVERHEAD CRANE CAPABLE OF LIFTING A 26,000-POUND LOAD,

THEY THEN TURN THE PART RIGHT-SIDE UP.

NEXT STEP, THE MOTOR-PROPULSION ELEMENTS.

THE TRANSMISSION IS BOLTED TO THE MOTOR, SEEN HERE IN YELLOW.

THE MOTOR-PROPELLING ELEMENTS

COMPRISE THE CLUTCH AND THE TRANSMISSION,

INSTALLED AT THE FRONT END OF THE TRUCK CHASSIS.

A TRUCK HAS BETWEEN 6 AND 10 WHEELS 22 INCHES IN DIAMETER.

THE TIRE AND WHEEL TOGETHER WEIGH ABOUT 120 POUNDS.

BECAUSE OF THIS HEAVY WEIGHT,

THE WHEELS ARE INSTALLED WITH THE HELP OF THIS POWERFUL TOOL.

THIS BOLT FASTENER ALLOWS TIGHTENING OF ALL THE WHEEL NUTS

AT THE SAME TIME.

THE MECHANICAL PART IS ENDED,

AND THEY NOW PROCEED WITH THE CAB ASSEMBLY.

THIS BEGINS WITH PAINTING.

THE CAB IS MOVED TOWARD THE FRONT

TO FACILITATE THE INSTALLATION OF VARIOUS COMPONENTS.

THIS WORKER ATTACHES THE SUPPORT FOR THE HORN

TO THE ROOF OF THE TRUCK CAB.

NOW FOR THE CAB'S INTERIOR.

THEY BEGIN BY INSTALLING THE DASHBOARD,

WHICH WEIGHS ABOUT 80 POUNDS.

FOLLOWING THIS, THEY ATTACH ALL THE WIRES,

THE TURN INDICATORS, THE SPEEDOMETER, AND THE PEDALS.

THE SEATS ARE THEN INSTALLED.

THE CAB WORK IS NOW ALL COMPLETED.

IT IS BOLTED ONTO THE CHASSIS.

NOW FOR THE MOTOR'S HOOD.

THEY FINISH OFF WITH THE LIGHTS,

THE EXHAUST PIPE, AND THE MUDGUARDS.

THE TRUCK IS NOW ALMOST READY TO HIT THE ROAD.

THEY START IT UP AND VERIFY THAT EVERYTHING'S OPERATING PROPERLY.

AND IT'S NOW READY FOR DELIVERY TO THE CUSTOMER.

IT REQUIRES 95 TO 100 HOURS OF WORK

TO ASSEMBLE A TRUCK LIKE THIS.

IN SPITE OF THEIR 11,000-POUND WEIGHT,

THESE TRUCKS CAN MOVE ALONG

AT A TOP SPEED OF 75 MILES PER HOUR,

AND THEY CAN CARRY A LOAD OF SOME 30 TONS.

Narrator: CUT YOUR FINGER?

WELL, YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OF FIRST-AID OPTIONS.

YOU CAN WRAP IT UP IN BULKY GAUZE

OR YOU CAN APPLY A FLEXIBLE ADHESIVE BANDAGE.

IF YOU'RE LIKE MOST PEOPLE, YOU'LL TAKE THE BANDAGE

AND SAVE THE GAUZE FOR YOUR MUMMY COSTUME NEXT HALLOWEEN --

FROM BOO-BOO TO BOO.

ADHESIVE BANDAGES ARE MADE OF VARIOUS MATERIALS,

AMONG WHICH IS THE MAIN SUPPORT CALLED E.T.S. --

A FABRIC THAT'S ELASTIC IN ONLY ONE DIRECTION.

IT'S A FABRIC THAT WILL BECOME

THE ADHESIVE PORTION OF THE BANDAGE.

THIS 6,000-FOOT ROLL OF FABRIC

CAN MAKE 1.8 MILLION SMALL BANDAGES

OR 300,000 LARGE BANDAGES.

A THIN COATING OF GLUE IS APPLIED

TO ONE SURFACE OF THE FABRIC.

THEN IT'S HEATED TO 120 DEGREES IN AN OVEN

TO PUFF IT UP, CREATING HOLES IN THE GLUE COATING.

THEN THE FABRIC IS NEWLY ROLLED UP

INTO AROUND 1,000-FOOT LENGTHS.

BANDAGES ARE DIFFERENT SIZES.

THESE BLADES CUT THE GLUED ROLLS INTO STRIPS OF VARYING WIDTHS.

THESE ROLLS ARE TAKEN AWAY AND STACKED,

READY FOR THE NEXT STEP --

APPLICATION OF THE LITTLE CUSHIONED PROTECTIVE PADS.

THE MATERIAL USED FOR THE PADS IS SHOWN HERE

AS A LARGE ROLL OF FABRIC WHICH WILL HAVE TO BE CUT.

HERE, A MACHINE CUTS THE FABRIC PADS.

THESE EXTREMELY SHARP BLADES HAVE TO BE SHARPENED

EVERY SIX MONTHS.

THE CUSHIONED FABRIC IS SEPARATED INTO NARROW STRIPS

WHICH WILL LATER BE GLUED TO THE E.T.S. FABRIC.

THE STRIPS OF CUSHIONED FABRIC

ARE NOW READY TO BE APPLIED TO THE BANDAGES.

THIS IS THE MACHINE THAT FABRICATES THE BANDAGES.

THE ROLL OF BANDAGE COMPONENTS IS UNROLLED.

THE MACHINE ASSEMBLES THEM,

THEN CUTS AND INDIVIDUALLY WRAPS THEM.

THE BANDAGES ARE WRAPPED ONE BY ONE.

THIS MACHINE APPLIES THE UNPRINTED WHITE WRAPPING PAPER

THAT PROTECTS THE BANDAGES.

AND NOW THEY PROCEED TO PACKAGING.

PACKAGING SPEED DEPENDS ON THE PRODUCT,

VARYING BETWEEN 300 AND 1,500 BANDAGES A MINUTE.

THIS ROLLER PERFORATES HOLES THAT ALLOW THE BANDAGES

TO BE EASILY SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER.

STRIPS OF BANDAGES ARE THEN PLACED INTO BOXES.

HERE WE SEE OTHER SMALL BANDAGES

THAT ARE MADE IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

THE CUSHIONED STRIP IS POSITIONED

AT THE CENTER OF THE E.T.S. FABRIC STRIP.

THE CUSHIONED PAD ISN'T STERILE AT THIS STAGE.

THEY WILL HAVE TO BE STERILIZED

RIGHT AT THE END OF THE FABRICATION PROCESS.

NEXT STEP, APPLYING TWO PLASTIC PAPER PROTECTORS

OVER THE GLUE-COVERED ENDS OF THE BANDAGE.

THIS DONE, THE BANDAGE IS DRAWN BY SUCTION WITH A ROBOTIC ARM

AND PLACED BETWEEN TWO WRAPPING PAPERS.

IN SLOW MOTION, WE SEE THE WRAPPING ACTION BETTER.

THIS MACHINE IS MUCH FASTER THAN THE EYE.

AT FULL SPEED, IT CAN WRAP 300 BANDAGES A MINUTE.

THE BANDAGES EXIT THE MACHINE PERFECTLY WRAPPED.

CERTAIN TYPES OF BANDAGES

HAVE TO GO THROUGH A SEQUENTIAL BANDAGE MACHINE

TO HAVE AERATION HOLES PIERCED IN THEM.

THESE HOLES ALLOW AIR TO CIRCULATE

AND THUS HELP PROMOTE HEALING.

THESE BANDAGES ARE NOW READY.

SOMETIMES THEY PRINT INSTRUCTIONS

ON BANDAGE WRAPPERS.

THIS PAPER-PRINTING MACHINE IS USED WITH BANDAGE MACHINES.

TWO POLYMER PLATES RECEIVE INK FROM A SERIES OF ROLLERS

IN ORDER TO REPRODUCE THE DESIRED DESIGN.

THE BANDAGES PASS THROUGH AT HIGH SPEED.

BEFORE BEING PACKAGED,

THE BANDAGES ARE FINALLY STERILIZED 10,000 AT A TIME.

BANDAGES ARE AUTOMATICALLY COUNTED HERE,

PLACED IN A CHUTE, AND FALL INTO THE PACKAGING BOX.