Bullseye Factory Tour

You might've seen the factory tour videos of Kokomo Opalescent Glass that I've posted before

If so, you might also have seen my comments that the lack of PPE used when the glass ingredients are being measured out. I comment on that every year with my students because I make them wear N95 masks when they measure out the silica and other glass batching ingredients. They're doing it once, and I insist on PPE. The Kokomo folks are assumedly doing that every day and - at least as of the time of the videos being filmed - they aren't using any breathing protection at all.

Today's video works as a contrast to that with Kokomo representing an old-school, 'that's how we've always done things' look at manufacturing, and the Bullseye Factory Tour shown above shows how more modern manufacturing should look.

I went looking for more Bullseye factory tour videos to check for PPE again. The above one was posted in 2017, and it shows PPE. The below one was posted in 2016, and it shows PPE. There's another that's dated 1979 that doesn't show the same PPE, but it also doesn't show the ingredients being measured out, and that's where I'm most concerned about the use of PPE masks. It does, however, show smoking on the floor of the glass factory which feels incredibly dated. The second video below, the one from The Oregonian specificially mentions some of the environmental concerns involved in the production of glass. It's more about the use of heavy metals, but it's a valid concern.

How the World's Most Expensive Color is Made

This video definitely doesn't make me sad, though I would understand why you might end up a bit blue after learning about the manufacturing process of lapis lazuli-based paints.

The Cennini method described here is understandably expensive - because it's insanely labor-intensive.

Understandably, Mohammed has a less labor-intensive method that he developed, but he's not sharing that with us in the video.

From about 6:40 onward, the video shifts from following the production method to looking into the mining of lapis lazuli in Afghanistan, a more political discussion than the initial portion of the video. Then they come back to Mohammed as he explains why natural, lapis-based paints are 'better' than its synthetic replacements.

How Disc Golf Discs Are Made (MVP Manufacturing Tour) - Smarter Every Day 301

Summer of George!

I do want Destin to get back to making shorter videos like his initial, six-and-a-half-minute Prince Rupert's drops video, but I understand that he's just working to optimize for the algorithm. 

At least the Smarter Every Day videos are quality videos from tip to tail, showing brilliant views and asking questions along the way of the entire manufacturing process.

I learn so much from all of Destin's videos.

And I'm going to get myself some of those MVP discs. 

How This 300-Year-Old Pastel Stick Maker Creates Nearly 2,000 Colors — More Than Its Competitors

#forbiddenfrosting

Most hand manufacturing processes are stunning to watch, and in this case it apparently produces a product that is superior to mass manufactured competitors. It has to be way more expensive and time-consuming, though.

So pretty...so mesmerizing...so colorful...

ROBOFORMING: The Future of Metalworking? (I Had NO IDEA This Was Possible) - Smarter Every Day 290

There is so much happening in manufacturing that I am blown away by.

I understand the absolute minimum basics of forging, stamping, casting, and a few other processes, but this concept of slightly deforming a metal sheet by pushing with two (by the company's founders) end effectors without any mold and just using CNC robotic arms is amazing to watch. The process is referred to as incremental forming.

The amount of computing power required to do all of this is stunning to me.

I think manufacturing might be becoming more complicated over time...just maybe.

This second video is ninety-four minutes of behind the scenes footage that Destin edited down into the thirty minute video up top.

Venice’s Last Glass Factory Makes Mosaics for Dolce & Gabbana and The Emir of Dubai | Still Standing

I do love a pretty mosaic.

Park Gruell in Barcelona is one of the most magnificent mosaic collections that I've ever seen, and I'm a sucker for pretty much any mosaic construction.  This video does make me a little sad, however, as I wasn't aware that the glass industry had largely left Venice, one of its historic homes.

Cement Tiles Almost Disappeared. Now They’re More Expensive Than Ever | So Expensive

Those are absolutely gorgeous tiles. When my wife and I were redoing our shower, I went with a raku tile for the small accent shelf that we added, but if I'd known about these cement tiles before hand, I might've been tempted by them. 

Remember, of course, that these are cement tiles, not concrete tiles...ceramic not composite...though the layering might make them a laminar composite anyway...hmmm...

Why Melted Bugs On Candy And Lemons Fuel A $167 Million Industry | Big Business | Business Insider

The process of making shellac is scientifically fascinating, ridiculously complicated, economically important, and ethically questionable.

Like so many products that are 'natural', shellac amazes me because I have absolutely no idea how anyone would have thought to go through this process to turn bug secretions into a furniture sealant, a citrus fruit polish, a candy coating, and so much more.

Making aluminum pots

Making aluminum pots
by u/DukeOfBagels in Damnthatsinteresting

There are a million things I could probably say about safety regulations, but let's just focus on the remarkable malleability of aluminum and enjoy the processing.

Discover the Harrison Spinks' Wire Drawing Department

We draw wires in the ASM summer materials science camp, but nothing that we do in camp remotely approaches this level of professionalism.

In terms of drawing a wire, we're an introductory art student, and the Harrison Spinks folks are Picasso.

See, 'cause they can draw wires better than we can.

Get it...Picasso...because he's an artist...he did drawings.

In all seriousness, seeing the very clean, seemingly safe process shown above makes me appreciate the less careful process for a similar result shown below.

Forged - Making a Rogue Barbell - 4k Extended Cut

Pretty...so pretty...

This video takes full advantage of gorgeous images of fire and smelting from a steel refinery - even timed and slo-mo'ed to match the pace of the accompanying music - then follows that steel through the factory as it's turned into a barbell. 

Honestly there's not much teaching going on here. It's just really nicely edited footabge of manufacturing.

The Genius of 3D Printed Rockets

There's a part of me that looks at this video's tour guide like he's from the Parks and Rec Grizzyl offices. I know he's probably brilliant - his wikipedia article certainly suggests so - but it's like Dr Derek is getting a tour around a rocket factory from a teenager. 

This is another video where I spent much of the time with my mouth agape once I realized how revolutionary this method of production could be if they get all the hiccups worked out. The process seems like an extreme of the 'build it fast and wrong, then build it again and better' style of prototyping and manufacturing.

If you have the time, compare this video in which rockets bodies and engine parts are 3d printed from aluminum and alloys to the old-school rocket manufacturing tour from Smarter Every Day. I don't know which is better, but they show radically different approaches.

Manufacturing plywood boards: then and now

I like that the music choice for the video. The beat is a little propulsive but isn't overpowering, and the groove over top of the beat is smooth enough that it can play for nearly seven minutes without becoming repetitive or annoying.

By the by, I came upon this video because my wife and I were watching a video about the making of an apple tart in which the youtuber referred to his process as being kind of like making plywood. He's correct in that he had a rotary cutter slice off lengths of apple - as the rotary cutter slices off lengths of the tree - and then reassembles the apply lengths as the tree slides are reassembled (though he went for a round tart rather than the flat plywood.)

It's interesting to see how many people were needed for making plywood in 1954 and how few are needed in modern manufacturing. 

Robots? They took our jobs, am I right?

HOW ROCKETS ARE MADE (Rocket Factory Tour - United Launch Alliance) - Smarter Every Day 231

So much to cover here.

The quick version is that Destin (of Smarter Every Day) shows us his tour of United Launch Alliance (ULA with their CEO, Tory Bruno. The ULA factory has some pretty highly-regulated manufacturing going on.

I'll go with a bullet point list of things I found interesting and possibly useful for a material science class. Admittedly, the full video - fifty-four minutes long - is probably more than any class could watch in total, but it's got some awesome clips.

• 5:15 - The video cuts to avoid filming "that" to Destin's left and right, items that Tory narrates but that he says flatly can't be filmed and shown.
• 7:15 - Quick discussion of the supply chain for the aluminum sheets that the rocket fuel tanks are made of
• 8:30 - We see the finished product of a machined isogrid panel as well as why that design - not the ideal design - was chosen because of the limitations of FEA analysis calculations in the 1990s.
• 9:50 - Discussion of the safety margins in space flight (1.1 - 1.25 times designed load) as compared to those of land-based transportation (7-12 times designed load)
• 12:15 - Amazingly, we get a mixture of, as Bruno says, "the pinnacle of technology...high-tech, robotic operations but mixed in [with] craftsmanship with people who are very skilled and have great attention to detail." That's amazing that something this precise is partially done by hand. This will come back in a bit.
• 13:30 - Machining, subtractive manufacturing is mentioned...as well as their recovery system for recapturing the aluminum chips for eventual recycling.
• 17:00 - 19:20 - Advertisement for Audible, skip it
• 19:30 - Replacing the isogrid with an orthogrid, saving time and weight, along with a quick discussion of strain and work hardening that happens by hand after the machining. We get a nice close-up of the orthogrid at 21:10.
• 22:00 - Destin uses the term strongback to describe the construction of the press used to curve the machined panels. That's a term I had to look up.
• 22:45 - Destin questions whether the aluminum is annealed, and Tory says they allow the aluminum to artificially age at room temperature after they are slightly work hardened from the curving process.
• 24:15 - Back to manual manufacturing to a precision level that - according to Tory - can't be achieved by automation. "You will always get better results by doing it by hand," he says.
• 27:30 - We see the anodizing facility to create a thick oxide layer for hardness and corrosion resistance. I knew that bare aluminum automatically formed an oxide layer, but I hadn't heard - as Tory says around 28:10 - that the natural layer is very thing and porous, leading to poor corrosion resistance.
• 31:30 - I wonder what the various acid concentrations are.
• 32:10 - We head toward the friction stir welding area, and Tory explains why friction stir welding is the better choice for strength of their final tank.
• 34:05 - Destin 'peaks over there' at a highly pixelated area. Cute
• 36:00 - Quick explanation of why it's better to order one large pizza than to order two medium pizzas
• 37:40 - Another pixelated section with the specialized head of the friction stir welder
• 40:15 - We switch over to stainless steel - half the thickness of a dime - instead of aluminum as we switch from boosters to upper stages. 
• 43:00 - We get a finished view of the 5m composite payload faring and a discussion of ULA having brought the manufacturing of that from Switzerland to north Alabama via business partnership.
• 44:00 - Bruno discusses ULA's record of flying both payload and actual people successfully with 135+ consecutive, successful launches. 
• 45:20 - Discussion of mass fraction (without explanation)...I had to look that up, too.
• 46:30 - Changes coming from hand arc welding to automated welding in the next version of Centaur (the upper stage) to save time (and assumedly cost).
• 47:40 - We get a quick glance of the team of people who are walking around behind the scenes with Destin and Tory. Admittedly, it looks like Tory is taking Destin around solo, but there are clearly people supervising even the CEO the whole time.

In general, I'm incredibly impressed with Bruno's knowledge of the entire process. It's amazing to see that from a CEO. Maybe that's the way that all CEOs are, but I doubt it.

And, if you want even more, there's a second video - on Destin's second channel - where the guys get into some discussion about the rocket engines themselves and ULA's position within the industry. It's less materials-focused, but it's worth watching.

How It's made - Aluminum cans

The top comment on the video (at least when I checked in on it) said the following "I watched this whole video to see how the pull tabs were assembled on the top of the can–sincerely disappointed."

So, I'll warn you in advance that this video stops with the cans assembled - except for the top of the can being attached, something that happens after the can is filled with liquid. If that means you don't want to watch the video, move along.

The main reason I watched the video was to find out how the polymer liner is put into the can. Thankfully, that part was included - the polymer liner is sprayed in as a 'varnish' (but take that with a grain of salt because the whole video uses British language such as aluminIum) at about 3:40.

Making Marbles

I'd been told that marbles were made using shaker tables to round the blobbed, swirled glass 'drops' into spheres. So I went hunting for a video to see that.

That clearly is not how this company makes their marbles.

Instead, this looks to be some sort of screw drive processing as the glass cools followed by a really long run to - I assume - keep the marbles round while they're cooling further.

If anybody finds a marble production video using the shaker table method, please share it.

HYPNOTIC Video Inside Extreme Forging Factory: Kihlbergs Stal AB Hammer Forging

I don't know that the video is hypnotic. That's overselling things.

It is, however, impressive to watch the forging that's being done here. I'm especially impressed with how much of the forging is done by hand, the pieces moved, rotated, shifted, pierced - all by hand.

Does anybody know the name of the tool used for the notching done at 2:55? Is it a notcher? A notching tool? A notch? A wedge? A notch wedge? Wedge notch? Triangular wedge notching tool? Notch wedge triangular prism with metal handle?

A forging series

This forging series comes to us from Terry McInerney of Impact Forge in Columbus, IN.

Terry spoke at our ASM teacher material camp at the University of Indianapolis as part of the Forging Foundation's outreach through the camps. Terry spoke to the advantages of forged parts and brought with him a number of finished products. I asked Terry if it would be possible to have a full forging series to show my students (and campers) the process from start (the billet, the cylinder on the left above) through to the finished product (the far right) and the flash (the 'waste' that is 'cut' off in the final forging step - the ring and punched center on the farthest right).

Terry was kind enough to send me two sets of the series - one for my classroom and one to travel with (though the 40+ pound series is a bit daunting for anywhere that requires a flight.)

Terry had the following to say about this series...

In each box is a complete progression of a Ford Explorer wheel hub. One billet, preform, blocker, finished part, perimeter flash, and pierced slug. These parts are forged at 2300 degrees f in a 2500 ton mechanical press, then trimmed and pierced in a 300 ton trimming press. The material is 1045V, quite normal for hubs. The [V] represents vanadium added [for grain refinement] during the heat treatment process. A finished hub is normall around 38 to 43 RC. The parts in the condition you see are microalloy material and have been rapidly air quenched on a special cooling conveyor to reach the desired hardness. They are then shipped to the customer for machining and assembly.

Big, big, big thanks to Terry McInerney and to Impact Forge for the donation to our program.

Mizuno Grain Flow Forging: Factory Tour

Chris Voshall walks around during most of the video. It wasn't until I watched the video for a third time that I saw his title, "Golf Club Engineer."

Not that there's anything wrong with faking being a golfer or anything. Heck, I've been doing it for years. (ba da bum - rimshot!)

Seriously, though this video does a brilliant job explaining the forging process from billet to primary forging through trimming (and repeating the process) and in explaining why forging works (see the wood splinter/metal crystal grain analogy at about 0:40).

(By the way, that whole "I've been doing it for years" is a lie. It was just too easy a joke to make, though. Really, I'm pretty much just into frisbee and miniature golfing. In total, I think I've played 27 holes of real golf. Thanks, Brian and Brian for taking me out for those two rounds.)

Thermal Protection System Facility

We've seen the miracle of shuttle tile insulation systems before, even the ability for edge heat to be shed very, very quickly while the core holds the heat amazingly well.

Here we get a more impressive and confident demonstration of that at about 2:14.

The quote at 3:40 says, "it has very, very low specific heat and very low conductivity." That phrasing alone is worth the price of admission and watching the lower-quality video and audio of the first 2/3 this video.

At 4:12, then, we get, "it's a little counter-intuitive, but it sheds heat really quickly from the outside, but it's insulating, so it holds heat in."

Later in the video we get a demonstration of the ceramic's ability to absorb huge amounts of water due to its "microporosity"

It's not necessarily a flashy video, but it's very nice at explaining what makes this material so brilliantly special.