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--captions by vitac--
Www.Vitac.Com
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Captions paid for by
Discovery communications, inc.
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Narrator: if you take a closer
Look at the products around you,
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You'll notice
That many are made of parts
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That have been
Assembled together.
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One way factories
Make product parts
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Is by melting material such
As metal, rubber, or plastic,
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Then pouring or injecting them
Into molds.
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To make a plastic part
For a product,
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The manufacturer has to first
Commission a mold-making company
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To design and produce
A plastic-injection mold.
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The mold begins
As bars of chromium steel,
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A highly durable metal
That can withstand
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Repeated high-pressure injection
Of plastic.
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Workers assemble several bars
Into a block called a mold base.
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They mount this base
On a milling machine,
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Which shaves the bars
To the right dimension.
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This step is critical, enabling
Them to later machine the base
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Into a mold that's true
To the technical design,
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Right down to
The hundredth of a millimeter.
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A mold usually consists
Of two halves,
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Each of which is comprised
Of several components.
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The factory drills strategically
Positioned holes in each base
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For the guide pins and bushings
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That hold
The components together
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When the plastic's injected.
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A grinder now goes to work,
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Smoothing
And leveling all surfaces.
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This prepares the base
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For the high-precision
Machining operations
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That will transform it
Into a mold component.
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A computer-guided
Tooling machine called the cnc
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Slowly machines the base,
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Wearing away the steel,
Particle by particle,
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To create
The mold-component shape.
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This one, part of a mold
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For the plastic rim around
A snowmobile's front headlight,
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Takes 20 hours to complete.
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From here, most mold components
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Go on to
A second tooling machine,
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Especially if they require
Fine detailing
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That this cnc machine
Isn't capable of carving.
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The second machine is outfitted
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With a copper electrode in
The shape of the plastic part,
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In this case,
A snowmobile oil gauge.
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After polishing the electrode
To ensure flawless casting,
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They use a sophisticated
Measuring device
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To verify the dimensions.
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The electrode goes facedown
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On the second tooling machine,
Called the edm.
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Directly underneath
Is the mold half
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That's been partially formed
On the first machine.
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A strong electric current runs
Through the electrode
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And penetrates the mold,
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Forming a cavity in the shape
Of the electrode.
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After tooling,
They drill coolant lines.
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This is for
The cooling fluid they'll use
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To accelerate the hardening
Of the molten plastic.
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Some plastic product parts,
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Like that snowmobile oil gauge
We saw earlier,
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Have lettering on them.
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The factory engraves the letters
In reverse
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Inside the mold cavity.
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After the plastic's injected,
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The writing is right-side out
And raised.
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This surface of the mold cavity
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Is pretty rough
From all that tooling,
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So they polish it smooth
To ensure proper casting.
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Here's what the two halves
Of a finished mold look like.
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The pins and bushings
Fit together
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To close the mold
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Before injecting
The hot liquid plastic.
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Once the plastic
Cools and hardens,
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It's just a matter of extracting
The molded plastic part.
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Here's a different
Molding method --
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A two-step process
They're using to make buttons
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That go on the steering handle
Of a jet ski.
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First, they mold a structural
Base out of hard, white plastic.
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Then, they put the base
Into a second mold
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And inject a rubberlike
Gray plastic.
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This softer plastic
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Covers everything
But the raised lettering,
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Giving the button a softer feel.
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Factories also make molds
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For aluminum injection
And rubber injection,
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Among other materials.
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They build those molds
From different types of metal
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But using the same techniques.
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Narrator:
Changing your car's oil filter
A couple of times a year
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Is an easy way to prolong
The life of your engine.
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The oil pump forces oil
Through the filter
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To the moving parts
In the engine.
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The filter's job is
To block dirt and metal debris
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From getting in between those
Parts and causing engine damage.
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They make many oil-filter parts
From steel coil --
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A sheet of steel on a roll.
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They start by unwinding the roll
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And feeding the coil
Into a press.
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The press contains
A series of dies,
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Each of which
Progressively stamps the steel
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Into the shape of the specific
Part they're making.
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This press is churning out
Tapping plates,
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A component
On the end of the oil filter
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That screws onto
The car's engine.
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Hot off the press,
The tapping plates
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Travel on a magnetic conveyer
To the welding station.
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There, a robotic arm loads them
Onto the welding carrousel.
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00:07:01,586 --> 00:07:03,896
But before any welding begins,
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A nozzle applies sealant
Around the rim of each plate.
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This will fill any gaps left
Between the parts after welding.
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A robot
Now welds the tapping plate
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To another steel part
Called the bottom ring.
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This ring will hold the gasket,
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The rubber seal that prevents
Oil from leaking out
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As it travels through the filter
Into the engine.
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The welded parts,
Known as the bottom assembly,
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Now go onto a machine
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That cuts a thread pattern
Through the center.
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This will enable the oil filter
To be screwed onto the engine.
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Another press produces
The oil filter's steel body,
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Called the cannister.
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The dies first stamp out
A rough cannister shape.
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Then, they reduce the diameter
And make the can taller.
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Finally,
They cut off the excess.
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Elsewhere in the factory,
Another machine
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Cuts and perforates
Pieces of tin-plated steel coil
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And rolls them into tubes.
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We'll see
Where those tubes go shortly.
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00:08:10,379 --> 00:08:14,275
Yet another machine prepares
The filter's key component --
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00:08:14,275 --> 00:08:17,137
A filter paper
That works like a fine sieve,
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Trapping dirt, carbon, and soot.
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First,
The machine pleats the paper
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So it will fit
Inside the cannister.
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00:08:32,551 --> 00:08:34,206
Next, the machine cuts
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The continuous ribbon
Of pleated paper into lengths.
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00:08:37,896 --> 00:08:40,068
It folds each piece
Into a circle,
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Fastening the ends
With a steel clip.
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The next machine assembles
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What's called
The filter cartridge.
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It places each filter paper
Over a tube.
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The tube's job
Is to reinforce the paper
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Against the force
Of the oil pumping through it.
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This machine
Glues a capping disk
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On each end
Of the filter paper
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To hold the tube in place.
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00:09:10,827 --> 00:09:12,862
A heater cures the glue.
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Now for the final assembly.
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As the cannisters go by
Upside down,
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Automated arms insert
The filter cartridges.
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A worker then puts
A thin, rubber disk
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On top of each cartridge.
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This disk will prevent the oil
From draining out of the filter.
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Now for those bottom assemblies
We saw them making earlier.
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A worker positions
One on each cannister.
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Then, a machine called
A seamer folds its edge down,
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Forming a rim,
Just like the rim of a soup can.
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Now the conveyer turns
The filters right-side up,
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As they file by five nozzles
Spraying powder paint.
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An infrared oven dries the paint
In about 90 seconds.
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Then, a printing machine stamps
On the product information.
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The conveyer now turns
The filters upside down again,
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As they travel
To the gasket inserter.
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Its automated plungers insert
A gasket into each bottom ring.
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These automotive oil filters
Are finally finished
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And ready to do the dirty work.
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Narrator: whether you work
In a sprawling corporate office
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Or in a home office,
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Filing cabinets
Are an essential component
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Of an efficient workplace.
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They keep your paperwork tidy,
Organized, and out of sight,
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Yet just a drawer away.
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And when you're short on space,
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They make a handy counter
For the coffee maker.
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Filing cabinets begin
As sheets of cold rolled steel,
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A thin type of metal that's easy
To bend, weld, and paint.
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As the sheet comes off the roll,
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It goes through a straightening
Machine that removes the curve,
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Then, into a press,
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Whose dies punch out
The shape of the specific part,
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Complete with holes, slots,
And embossments.
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A filing cabinet is made up
Of over 60 steel parts.
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For the top-selling models,
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The factory has dies specially
Designed to punch out each part.
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But that's too costly a system
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For models
That aren't mass-produced.
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To make low-volume
Or custom-made filing cabinets,
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The factory uses
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This computer-controlled
Punching machine.
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This equipment operates
At a far slower speed
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Than the presses we just saw,
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00:12:07,965 --> 00:12:10,827
But the advantage is
That it can be programmed
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To punch out any size, shape,
Or design,
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No matter how complex.
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Several filing-cabinet parts are
Designed to be bent into shape.
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Workers do that manually, using
A machine called a press brake.
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This particular part will become
The top of the filing cabinet,
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So they're making downward folds
Along the perimeter
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To create 1 1/2-inch-wide edges
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With strong
And tight corner seams.
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This machine
Is called a dedicated bender
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Because it only bends
One type of part --
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The filing-cabinet doors.
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The factory produces doors
In such high volume
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That it pays to design
A special machine to shape them.
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00:13:21,344 --> 00:13:24,655
The doors are also bent downward
Along the perimeter
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To create edges half-an-inch
Wide with tight corner seams.
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The cabinet's base is welded
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From the same type of steel
Sheeting as the other parts.
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00:13:36,758 --> 00:13:39,517
Small steel reinforcements
Make it rigid enough
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To support the excessive weight
Of file-filled drawers.
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00:13:44,344 --> 00:13:47,137
To join the cabinet's
Side and back,
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00:13:47,137 --> 00:13:49,965
Robots perform what's called
"Resistance welding,"
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00:13:49,965 --> 00:13:52,724
Fusing metal using heat
From an electric current.
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The next set of robots
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Welds the side and back unit
To the cabinet top.
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After this,
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00:14:00,103 --> 00:14:03,896
Workers attach the base using
What's called "Mig welding" --
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00:14:03,896 --> 00:14:06,517
Welding that adds extra metal
Along the joint
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00:14:06,517 --> 00:14:09,000
To create a strong seam.
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00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,862
Once again, it doesn't pay
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00:14:10,862 --> 00:14:13,655
To invest
In robotic welding equipment
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00:14:13,655 --> 00:14:16,379
For models
That aren't mass-produced.
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00:14:16,379 --> 00:14:18,793
They manually weld
Low-volume items
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00:14:18,793 --> 00:14:23,758
Such as those small filing
Cabinets that roll under desks.
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00:14:23,758 --> 00:14:26,172
In the paint department,
Rotary atomizers
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00:14:26,172 --> 00:14:29,241
Envelop the filing cabinets
In a mist of paint
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00:14:29,241 --> 00:14:32,965
That contains a synthetic resin
For durability.
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00:14:32,965 --> 00:14:35,724
These atomizers
Lace the paint particles
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00:14:35,724 --> 00:14:37,827
With a negative electric charge.
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00:14:37,827 --> 00:14:41,862
This draws the particles to a
Positive charge on the cabinets,
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00:14:41,862 --> 00:14:46,034
Creating a thorough
And even coat.
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00:14:46,034 --> 00:14:49,068
After 20 minutes in an oven
To bake the paint,
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Assembly can begin.
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00:14:50,586 --> 00:14:54,310
Ball-bearing sliders
On which the drawers will sit,
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00:14:54,310 --> 00:14:57,758
Tracks for the fold-down doors,
And doorstops,
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00:14:57,758 --> 00:15:01,068
So the doors can't be
Pulled off their tracks.
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00:15:03,068 --> 00:15:04,896
There's also a locking system
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00:15:04,896 --> 00:15:08,034
That simultaneously bolts
Both sides of each door,
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00:15:08,034 --> 00:15:10,689
Making the files inside
Inaccessible.
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00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,103
The last step is to install
The doors and drawers
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00:15:19,103 --> 00:15:22,689
Using a rubber mallet,
So as not to damage the finish.
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00:15:22,689 --> 00:15:27,655
Each drawer can support
Up to 200 pounds of files.
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00:15:27,655 --> 00:15:31,655
An interlock system lets you
Open only one drawer at a time.
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00:15:31,655 --> 00:15:35,000
This prevents the cabinet
From toppling forward.
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00:15:45,137 --> 00:15:46,551
Narrator: a glassblower
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00:15:46,551 --> 00:15:49,241
Can transform a sizzling blob
Of molten glass
247
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Into sheer sculpture
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00:15:50,896 --> 00:15:54,827
Or objects that are
Both functional and decorative.
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00:15:54,827 --> 00:15:58,724
Blowing glass can be on the
Cutting edge of modern design,
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00:15:58,724 --> 00:16:02,724
Quite a feat for an art that's
More than 2,000 years old.
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00:16:09,724 --> 00:16:14,172
The first hollow glass objects
Date back to 1,500 b.C.
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The invention of the blowpipe
Around 30 b.C.
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Revolutionized the craft.
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Until then, objects were either
Carved from solid glass blocks
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Or molded from molten glass.
256
00:16:26,551 --> 00:16:30,793
The blowpipe enabled glassmakers
To expand and shape glass.
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00:16:30,793 --> 00:16:34,206
It made fast, inexpensive
Production possible.
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00:16:34,206 --> 00:16:37,413
This meant that everyday items,
Not just luxuries,
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Could now be made of glass,
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00:16:39,206 --> 00:16:44,172
Accessible not just to the rich
But to the ordinary people, too.
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00:16:53,551 --> 00:16:56,965
When you see these spectacular
Shapes and colors,
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00:16:56,965 --> 00:16:59,724
It's hard to believe
That blown glass
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00:16:59,724 --> 00:17:02,896
Comes from
This bland, clumpy stuff.
264
00:17:02,896 --> 00:17:06,724
This is silica, a natural
Material derived from sand,
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Mixed with thinners
And stabilizers,
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00:17:09,482 --> 00:17:12,517
Such as potassium
And limestone.
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00:17:12,517 --> 00:17:15,724
The glassblower recycles
Any leftover, colorless glass
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00:17:15,724 --> 00:17:19,000
Then loads the mix
Into the melting furnace.
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00:17:22,241 --> 00:17:25,000
After 12 hours
At fusion temperature,
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00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,827
2,200 degrees fahrenheit,
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00:17:27,827 --> 00:17:32,620
The raw material transforms
Into colorless liquid glass.
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00:17:32,620 --> 00:17:35,310
The glassblower uses a blowpipe,
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00:17:35,310 --> 00:17:38,206
A long steel tube
With a ring or pear-shaped end
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00:17:38,206 --> 00:17:40,517
To collect
What's called a gather,
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00:17:40,517 --> 00:17:45,068
A glob of this
Red-hot molten material.
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00:17:45,068 --> 00:17:46,551
To color the gather,
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00:17:46,551 --> 00:17:50,137
She quickly rolls it
In finely ground colored glass.
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00:17:50,137 --> 00:17:54,137
At this stage, the glass
Is honey-like in consistency,
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00:17:54,137 --> 00:17:57,793
Though it's cooling
And thickening by the second.
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00:17:57,793 --> 00:17:59,241
She fuses the color layer
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00:17:59,241 --> 00:18:01,689
By reheating the glass
For a few seconds
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00:18:01,689 --> 00:18:04,793
In a smaller furnace
Called a glory hole.
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00:18:06,965 --> 00:18:10,103
Next, she rolls the glass
Against a ladle-shaped block
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00:18:10,103 --> 00:18:13,034
To form a starting shape
For blowing.
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00:18:15,344 --> 00:18:19,965
A gentle blow or two
Bulges it into a hollow bubble.
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00:18:19,965 --> 00:18:21,689
By now, the cooling glass
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00:18:21,689 --> 00:18:24,068
Has thickened
To the consistency of caramel,
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00:18:24,068 --> 00:18:27,517
Making it more controllable
And shapable.
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00:18:27,517 --> 00:18:30,689
The glassblower stretches
And shapes the glass
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00:18:30,689 --> 00:18:33,689
With different blocks
And hand tools.
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00:18:33,689 --> 00:18:36,620
Now the glass
Is like hardened caramel,
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00:18:36,620 --> 00:18:39,103
And it will hold
Its final shape.
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00:18:39,103 --> 00:18:42,448
She scores the glass
Where it meets the blowpipe,
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00:18:42,448 --> 00:18:46,000
Then cools it down further
With compressed air.
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00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:49,448
On the opposite end of the
Glass, with a bit of hot glass,
296
00:18:49,448 --> 00:18:55,000
She attached a solid-metal
Maneuvering rod called a pontil.
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00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,896
Then she applies a single drop
Of cold water on the score line
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00:18:58,896 --> 00:19:02,655
To break the glass
Off the blowpipe.
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00:19:02,655 --> 00:19:04,344
Using another pontil,
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00:19:04,344 --> 00:19:07,758
She plugs the resulting hole
With hot glass.
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00:19:07,758 --> 00:19:11,103
Then, it's back to the melting
Furnace to attach a gather.
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00:19:11,103 --> 00:19:13,862
It's critical
To always rotate the glass
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00:19:13,862 --> 00:19:17,103
So that it doesn't droop
And become lopsided.
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00:19:17,103 --> 00:19:19,551
The glassblower
Shapes this gather,
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00:19:19,551 --> 00:19:21,586
Not with a block, but by hand.
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00:19:21,586 --> 00:19:24,620
She protects herself
From the intense heat
307
00:19:24,620 --> 00:19:27,172
By using a thick stack
Of soggy newspapers.
308
00:19:31,172 --> 00:19:36,827
Using an ordinary pair
Of scissors, she forms ridges.
309
00:19:44,275 --> 00:19:47,068
Then, she twists the ridges
To spiral them.
310
00:19:47,068 --> 00:19:49,689
She cools and hardens
The finished design
311
00:19:49,689 --> 00:19:51,724
Using compressed air.
312
00:19:51,724 --> 00:19:54,827
Then, it's a quick blast
Into the glory hole
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00:19:54,827 --> 00:19:58,206
To equalize the temperature
Throughout the piece.
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00:19:58,206 --> 00:20:00,482
This blown-glass lemon reamer
315
00:20:00,482 --> 00:20:03,689
Has taken
All of eight minutes to make.
316
00:20:03,689 --> 00:20:07,620
Now it goes into an electric
Kiln for a slow 12-hour cooldown
317
00:20:07,620 --> 00:20:11,137
To prevent cracking.
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00:20:11,137 --> 00:20:14,862
Meanwhile, the glassblower
Starts a new piece --
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00:20:14,862 --> 00:20:16,689
A large vase.
320
00:20:16,689 --> 00:20:18,413
More blowing, more shaping.
321
00:20:18,413 --> 00:20:20,793
Then, while her co-worker
Blows air
322
00:20:20,793 --> 00:20:23,655
To expand the glass
And thin it out,
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00:20:23,655 --> 00:20:28,275
She cools the vase's bottom
With wet newspapers.
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00:20:28,275 --> 00:20:29,896
This holds the shape
325
00:20:29,896 --> 00:20:33,344
While she scores
The cutoff point at the top.
326
00:20:33,344 --> 00:20:35,862
After reheating the glass
To resoften it,
327
00:20:35,862 --> 00:20:39,551
They stretch it,
Lengthening the vase.
328
00:20:39,551 --> 00:20:42,103
Once they finalize the shape,
329
00:20:42,103 --> 00:20:47,137
They use a wooden paddle
To flatten the base.
330
00:20:47,137 --> 00:20:50,310
Now for some
Eye-catching decoration --
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00:20:50,310 --> 00:20:54,724
Vivid colored glass coiled
Like taffy over the entire vase.
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00:20:56,241 --> 00:20:57,655
Certain designs require
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00:20:57,655 --> 00:21:00,310
Cutting off a portion
Of the finished piece.
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00:21:00,310 --> 00:21:02,551
That leaves a rough, opaque edge
335
00:21:02,551 --> 00:21:05,344
They must extensively grind
And polish.
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00:21:08,827 --> 00:21:13,931
A lemon reamer, a vase,
Even a mortar and pestle --
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00:21:13,931 --> 00:21:17,655
A glassblower's work
Is clearly remarkable.
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00:21:22,206 --> 00:21:24,517
If you have any comments
About the show,
339
00:21:24,517 --> 00:21:27,241
Or if you'd like to suggest
Topics for future shows,
340
00:21:27,241 --> 00:21:29,241
Drop us a line at...
27884
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