All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S21E12.Power.Tools.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

[power tool whirring]

- [Adam] Power tools put the
power to change the world

right in your hand.

[saw whirring]

And they've allowed human
beings to accomplish

some pretty
extraordinary things.

I'm talking about drills,
drivers, grinders, nail guns,

sanders, circular saws,
band saws, and jigsaws.

Power tool innovators are
working extremely hard

to make sure that you can
do more and build more,

more efficiently and
quickly than ever before.

This passion for power tools
has created a marketplace

that was valued globally
at about $30 billion.

That's enough to buy
the New York Yankees

more than five times over.

In fact, last year,

DIY sales reportedly
hit an all-time high

of $450 billion

in the U.S. alone.

That's twice the size of
major league baseball,

the NBA and NFL combined.

I want to know how
they're able to pack

so much powerful
potential into a device

that you can hold in your hand.

What are the next innovations?

And how do they keep
pushing the limits

of what one person can do
with one very good tool?

We'll explore the world
famous DeWalt Factory

and see how they make some
of the best power tools

on the planet.

We're going to see power tools
in action on a race track.

We'll see 150 year old
tools still in use today.

And we'll see how power
tools are used everywhere

from burning buildings,

to the operating room
and even outer space.

So strap on your tool belts,

this is Modern
Marvels: Power Tools.

[adventurous music]

[power tools whirring]

- [Adam] Today I'm in Fort
Mill, South Carolina

at the factory for power
tool juggernaut DeWalt.

Just like the company,
this DeWalt factory

is huge at 350,000 square feet.

It is three times the size

of the playing field
at Fenway Park.

And together with
their sister brands,

Stanley, Black &
Decker and Craftsman,

they are one of the top grossing

power and hand tool companies
in the entire world.

In 1922, Raymond DeWalt invented

the radial arm woodworking saw.

DeWalt was the first
to attach a motor arbor

directly to the saw blade.

Not only could the saw
slide back and forth,

but it could be configured
nine different ways.

Because it was so
fast and so precise,

it was actually dubbed
the "Wonder Worker"

and did nothing less

than revolutionize the
entire lumber industry.

Perfect timing because the U.S.

was about to go into a
massive construction boom.

It wasn't until 1992,

that DeWalt launched its first
line of handheld power tools.

And by the turn of
the 21st century,

they had 200 of the most
powerful electric tools

on the planet and
800 accessories.

Plus they even sponsored
their own NASCAR team.

And while DeWalt ships
to several nations

around the globe,

it's a company that
was born in the USA

and remains there still

with seven major factories
across the nation,

making 90 million
products a year.

And many of those
powerful inventions

are made right here in this
state of the art facility.

[exciting music]

Wow.

Holy moly.

Look at this place.

The 650 workers here
produce and ship

about 5 million tools a year.

I'm starting at what they
call the command center,

where the plant manager
is going to show me

how they are able to do it.

Brendan.

- Hey Adam, how are you?

I'm sorry to interrupt

your storming of the Death Star

or whatever we
have planning here.

- We can monitor
everything that's going on

throughout the entire facility
right from this point.

- All from here?

- Absolutely.

- These five screens, are
they tracking machines

or global output?

- Up here you can see
all of our various lines

and how they're performing.

and it's monitored by the
same three components.

Are we running? Are
we running at rate?

And are we making good
products when we're running?

- This is incredible.

Now you can find out
who the line leader was.

- You can.

- Psyched.

Lily's crushing it! [applauding]

You thought this was just a
boys club? No, no, no, no, no.

Incorrect. Bravo.

So that means her lines have
been the most efficient?

- That's correct.

[power tools whirring]

- [Adam] The technology
of modern power tools

is astounding and it's
improving every day.

But how did they get to
where they are today?

In 1300 BC,

the Egyptians developed bow
powered lathes and drills

then came the hand-powered
hand brace and hand drill

which took a lot of manpower

[drill scraping wood]

and could take hours to
drill even the smallest hole

in things like metal or stone.

- Tools have been powered
by some kind of power,

wind, water, et
cetera for millennia,

but it wasn't until the
invention of Edison's light bulb

that we really started
to think about how

to create electrically
powered power tools.

In 1895, the first
portable electric drill

was invented by
a German company.

And this drill weighed
over 16 pounds.

It had to be operated
by two people.

In the 1910s Black
& Decker was formed

and they were inspired
by the Colt pistol.

This is where the
modern drill came from.

The pistol grip and
the trigger switch

came from Black & Decker's
innovation in the early 1900s.

- [Adam] Soon afterward,

and Craftsman, started
putting the power of tools

into America's hands,

Power tool designs were
updated throughout the decades.

In 1961, Black & Decker designed
the first cordless tools.

Today power tools are used
in almost all temperatures

and in every environment.

What started as a partially
electric power drill

has turned into a gigantic
power tool industry.

[upbeat music]
[truck beeps]

- This facility
has 35 dock doors

for a variety of uses,

but this is where we
receive our raw materials.

We've got over a dozen trucks
arriving every single day.

- [Adam] At this DeWalt factory,

they make 32 different products,

including reciprocating
saws, impact drivers,

staplers, drills, and
even some flashlights.

Each one of the
millions of tools

that this factory
makes every year

consists of many components,

like circuit boards and
copper wire for the motors,

just to name a few.

How many different components

are coming through
the door every day?

- We're getting over
a half a million

every single day
through these doors.

- [Adam] And that's just for

the 32 different
individual items made here?

- [Brendan] That's correct.

- You have a half million
coming in every day.

How on earth do
you find anything?

- Think of it like a
mini postal system.

Everything comes in and
gets a customized label

that tells us what it is

and tells the driver
that's putting it away

where it goes and
ultimately where it's used

out in the factory

so that when someone
comes to get it,

they can figure that out.

And it's almost like
delivering a package.

- You can't overlook

what an impressive feat
of engineering that is.

This particular facility
isn't just about assembly.

There's also part manufacturing
going on here, correct?

- That's correct.

We make the motors that
power a variety of our tools.

- Can I see some of
the parts being made?

- Absolutely.

- Awesome.

So every single thing that
comes out of this plant,

an automated power
tool from DeWalt

gets its motor from right here.

- We make the majority of the
motors here in this facility.

- [Adam] The assembling process

begins with building the motor.

They take the rotor,

which rotates around
a copper wound stator,

which makes the armature spin.

They also include a PCA on the
back to control the torque.

So how long would it take
to make one of these?

- The motors fall off the
line every 20 seconds.

[curious music]

- Wait, wait. This,
every 20 seconds?

- Yes, sir.

- No way.
- Mm hmm.

- 20 seconds to
make a whole motor

that has one, two,
three, four, five, six,

about seven or eight
separate components

that they themselves have
their own components.

So for example,

and you can see that it's
wound pretty tightly,

how much copper wire goes
into each individual one?

- Last year, we used
enough copper wire

wound in these motors

to go around the
entire world one time.

- Just on these machines?

- Yes, sir.

- [Adam] Almost 25,000
miles worth of copper wiring

get wound into these
motors every single year.

I don't think many people
realize how much technology

goes into the
actual tool itself.

- Yep.

- These things are so complex

and so technologically advanced

the notion of it being
a matter of seconds

to create one blows my mind.
- Yeah.

Where does the process begin?

- It's going to start
with the assembly.

- Okay.

- It's right over here.

- [Adam] We're here
at the DeWalt factory

in Fort Mill, South Carolina,

where they produce about
5 million tools a year.

I'm getting a firsthand look

at how they make the motors
for their power tools.

This is where those
motors are made,

in this beautiful
little horseshoe.

When the stators are finished,

you'll see them get placed
onto this conveyor belt.

That's one of the fastest
things I have ever, ever seen.

Here you go, watch.

That thing right there,

it's moving at 30 feet per
second, talk about efficiency.

And then you can
see the actual rotor

being snapped on over here.

And then right there, that's
the giant screwdriver.

So once the rotor is
on and the PCA's on,

it's going to set it down
and then the finished motors

are actually going
to go to the end.

Every 20 seconds another
motor is coming out

and being hand
inspected by one person

who's clipping the excess wires.

Now bear in mind that all
of this goes to a motor

and a motor is but one component

in some of the most
high tech, unbelievable,

cutting-edge power tools
in the modern marketplace.

And what's even more incredible

looking at the power tools
that build the power tools.

It's like a fine
tuned, efficient ballet.

[energetic music]

A motor coming off the line

every 20 seconds
is extremely fast,

but the speed of
the assembly line

isn't the only place power
tools have to be fast.

[race car engines rev]

[upbeat music]

- I'm Cole Custer.

I'm a NASCAR driver at
Stewart-Haas Racing,

and I drive the number 41 car.

- [Adam] At Stewart-Haas Racing

in Kannapolis, North
Carolina, speed is everything.

- On pit road, if
you can have that

half second faster pit
stop and gain that spot,

I mean, that's the
easiest way to pass.

- [Adam] A professional
car on the NASCAR circuit

travels up to 200
miles per hour,

but equally important
is the speed

of the pit crew.

The average motorist on the road

can change a tire
in about 20 minutes,

but NASCAR pit crews can change
four tires in 12 seconds.

That means each
of the 20 lug nuts

gets about a quarter of a second

to come off or come back on.

That requires a special
air powered impact wrench

they call "thunder guns."

The official name
for these tools

is the Paoli
Hurricane Wheel Gun.

This impact wrench is
powered by nitrogen gas

and puts out more than
3,100 pounds of torque.

These guns undergo such
intense use and abuse

that they're built with
titanium components inside.

These special tools cost $4,500

and the sockets they use
can cost $1,500 each.

- [Cole] They're
doing 12 second stops,

changing four tires
and running all around.

And if you're not, you're
getting left behind.

[race car engine revs]

[upbeat music]

- [Adam] Motors of
these power tools

run on electricity that travels

through that universal
pistol trigger switch.

The next step in the assembly
is the intricate process

of soldering the
switch to the motor.

- We're going to
get you connected.

If any of the static from
your shirt or your jacket

discharges into the
electrical components.

it actually could damage
the life of the tool.

So we ground you
with these straps.

So you're going to grab a motor
that we just made earlier,

and now you're going to grab
a switch, switch module.

- [Adam] Okay. Oh, there's the
trigger right there.

- [Brendan] So now we're
going to actually

put these three wires inside
the tangs on the motor

that we saw get fused earlier.

- So I take these out.

- Yep. Go ahead
and fan those out.

- [Adam] I'm prepping
these three wires

so the robot can solder
this switch to the motor.

That way, once the
trigger's pulled,

the motor will spin.

- [Brendan] Seat the
motor in just like that.

- Is that all right?

- [Brendan] Yep.
Everything's in there.

You should be able to let go.

Now you're going
to get some solder.

There you go.

- [Adam] Oh! It's like
being on the bomb squad.

[Brendan laughs]

Very impressive.

But just for DeWalt's
overall sales

and the happiness
of their workforce,

may I de-ground myself?

- [Brendan] You may.

- My mom always said I
wasn't grounded, all right?

In order to remain
a front runner

in the power tool industry,

DeWalt employs a collaboration

between highly skilled workers

and their electronic
counterparts,

collaborative
robots or "cobots."

Brendan is going to
show me how these cobots

fit into the assembly process.

- After all the
mechanical components

that you helped to solder
get put into the tool,

it's going to get some
screws driven into it

to keep it all closed together.

- [Adam] Okay.

- And then this
collaborative robot

is going to take it
out of screwdriving

and begin our end of
line test procedure.

- That is crazy. So
it's testing right now?

- It is.

- [Adam] That is
just too awesome.

This cobot is
testing to make sure

that the electrical
components of the tool

were installed properly.

- That rotary table
will index 90 degrees

revealing the next tool
for this robot to grab

and move on to the next step.

- [Adam] So now
where does it go?

- It's taking it out
of the test station

and it's setting it on the table

for our team to
put labels on it.

She's putting on the
labels for DeWalt.

- [Adam] Brushless Motor

- And most importantly,
that "made in the USA."

- [Adam] Next to her.
Is he cleaning them?

- [Brendan] We're
cleaning them off

to make sure they're sparkling
shiny for our customers.

- [Adam] Every DeWalt
tool is hand cleaned

before it goes to the consumer.

- Yep.

- It's amazing that
I'm talking to you

in a DeWalt plant 99 years

after Raymond DeWalt created
his first iconic saw.

Yet with all of the
technological advancements,

the human element
is still never lost.

And to know that
there's a person,

a single individual that's
responsible for that,

for countless DeWalt tools.

I'm never going to take
anything for granted

in my tool chest again.

I mean that. I have
a brand new respect.

I'm blown away by
the whole process.

Your average weekend
warrior might consider

some of the tools on
their work bench critical,

but there are few places where
power tools are more critical

than in the hands of
our first responders.

No matter if it's pulling
victims out of cars

or cutting through
buildings to fight fires,

power tools help rescue
workers save lives.

- I've been on the New
York City Fire Department

for 16 years now.

In my career, I've seen power
tools save numerous lives.

Power tools make
our job a lot easier

and are critical to our success.

Our three extrication tools
are putting a lot of force

in small areas.

For the spreaders,

we have two mechanical
arms driven by hydraulics.

Gets 150,000 pounds of
force on the two arms

that force them apart.

And we can drive
apart hard metals.

Power tools are used
in auto accidents,

cutting people out.

or get trains off of people.

Power tools can be used
at fires to open roofs up

and ventilate smoke.

You have to be ready to
perform at each accident

because someone's life
could depend on it.

- [Adam] And when
every second counts,

first responders use
reciprocating saws

equipped with specialty blades

to cut through
everything in their path.

[blades whirring]

These special blades
that rescue workers use

are designed to shred
virtually anything.

Thanks to their curved
shape and titanium coating,

they can cut through
an entire car

in just over a minute.

Here at the DeWalt factory
in Fort Mill, South Carolina,

we're getting an inside look

at how modern day
tools are made.

Thank you, sir.

- [Brendan] You're welcome.

- Oh, where have we landed now?

- We're in our test lab.

We're going to
have a little fun.

We've got some tool
demonstrations set up for you.

And Lee here is going
to take you through it.

- Yes!

This is what you
were waiting for.

- Well I'll leave
you guys to it.

- All right brother.

A percentage of each product

DeWalt makes here
at the facility

gets tested with all the
rigors of the real world.

Before it hits store shelves,

they need to verify
that every product

does what it's supposed to do.

I don't know where to
start, but I know I want to.

- Absolutely. Let's
go test some tools.

- Oh man. Is it weird to be
star struck by a power tool?

The 996 could like pierce
the heart of darkness,

like it could drive a dry
wall screw into the night.

I haven't seen it with the
full on G.I. Joe grip before,

but there is something so
beyond satisfying of holding it.

- Let's suit up.

I'm going to give
you a pair of gloves.

- Okay.

[dramatic music]

- All right. So let's
get a bit loaded up.

We're going to put the bit

directly on the
work surface here.

- Yes sir.

- And let's go ahead
and pull the trigger.

- Okay.

[drill whirs]

Oh yeah.

[rock music]
[drill whirs]

Holy moly.

Between the smell of the
wood and that feeling

when it finally goes through,

it's like hitting
that perfect baseball

or hitting that perfect shot.

There's nothing quite like it.

It's awesome.

- Let's drill another one.

- All right. Let's do it.

- You'd see a bit like this

commonly used to
drill some holes

and joists to run plumbing.

- Oh my God.

- Slow, steady.

Make sure you've got a
firm grip on the tool.

- All right.

- Let's go.

[drill whirs]

[dramatic music]

- Whoa. Love it.

The amount of torque
surprises you,

the power's unrelenting.

If you trust your grip,

the drill does the rest.

- [Lee] This is called
a reciprocating saw.

We're going to cut through
a couple of two bys.

- I'm noticing that
there's metal in here.

Am I trying to cut in between
that metal or on the metal?

- These nails are at 45 degrees.

So no matter where
you cut on this board,

you're going to cut
through some metal.

[dramatic music]

- And we're doing that why?

- When we test these products,

we want the resistance
from the metal.

It's going to throw a little
bit more load on the tool.

- This one scares me. I'm
not going to lie to you.

There's like one horror movie
where they're using a drill.

There's like 100 horror movies
where they're using these.

- Let's go ahead
and put the shoe

right against the work surface.

- Right here?

- Before we pull the trigger.

Yep.
- Okay.

- We're going to pull
that blade off the wood

just a little bit. Yep.

And then you're going
to pull the trigger

and let the blade
come to full speed.

And then you can plunge
down into the wood.

[dramatic music]

- So shoe against the wood,

three, two...

[saw whirs]

Oh my God.

[power tools whir]

- [Adam] Power tools
have truly changed

the way we live our lives.

There is even a
class of power tools

that has improved
our life expectancy

and saved the lives
of millions of people.

It's the impressive
array of power tools

that doctors use in
medicine every day.

We've come a long way
from the rudimentary tools

that doctors had
to use in the past.

- Before power tools, surgical
tools were pretty rough.

They would literally use
a hand saw to amputate.

And also back in those days,
there was no anesthesia.

So it was usually the
speed of a surgeon

that was prized over skill.

- [Adam] Orthopedic surgeons
are a lot like carpenters,

except instead of fixing
the frame of a house,

they're repairing the
frame of the human body,

hips, ankles,
knees, you name it.

And without the
use of power tools,

their job would be
even more difficult.

They use these tools to
insert screws, bolts,

and even staples to
repair broken bodies

and help people heal.

Some surgical drills
spin 35 times faster

than the average DIY drill

and can bore holes only
a millimeter in diameter

to attach titanium
plates to bone.

In the right hands, power
tools can help to save lives.

Here in the DeWalt test lab,

we still have more power
tools to play with.

- These nails are at 45 degrees.

So no matter where
you cut on this board,

you're going to cut
through some metal.

Plunge down into the wood.

- Three, two...

[saw whirs]

Oh my God, I wasn't
ready for that.

I really was not ready

for like the full
Rambo machine gun vibe.

That rattled my pancreas.

[Lee laughs]

[saw whirs]

[rock music]
[saw whirs]

Oh yeah, I killed it.

Look at that.

Mentally. I was prepared
for the saw blade

to hit the nails and
buck a little bit,

but this thing cut through them

like a hot knife through butter.

We all know chainsaws are used
by lumberjacks to fell trees,

firefighters to cut fire lines

and even sculptors to carve ice.

But what about work that
has to be done underwater?

A lot of work happens
below the surface

where they use special
versions of power tools

like this chainsaw

that is much lighter than
the above land variety,

because it doesn't have
a typical motor or fuel.

Instead it's powered by water

or air that travels through
hoses to spin the chain.

A normal chainsaw blade rotates
in a clockwise direction.

But an underwater
chainsaw rotates

in a counterclockwise direction.

So sediment and particles
drift away from the saw

instead of back into it.

- Just about everybody can
operate power tools on land,

but take those power
tools under water

and you've got a
totally different thing.

It takes somebody years of
practice and certification

before they can do something
like weld underwater.

And in fact, underwater welding

is one of the most
dangerous jobs in the world.

- [Adam] Underwater jack hammers

are used for things
like demolition.

Some tools like this impact
hammer with a special battery

are used for ship repair
or construction jobs.

There are saws, grinders,
buffers and drills

that are used to salvage
airplanes and ships.

No matter where power
tools are needed,

there is always one
to get the job done.

What do we have here?

- This is our largest
brushless impactor.

This actually generates
about 1,200 foot pounds

of breakaway torque.

If you're going to remove bolts.

- 1,200 pounds of torque

in something that you could fit

in the palm of your hand,

and they could actually
snap bolts out.

- That's right.
This tool actually

has the internal
nickname of "Bruiser."

- [Adam] 1,200 pounds of torque,

all with the pull of a trigger.

- You can do automotive
applications.

You can do electrical
applications.

You can take tires
off of NASCAR's

or any other big heavy bolt

that you'd have to get
off of a piece of steel.

We're going to use a socket.
These are special sockets.

These are impact
rated sockets, right?

They can stand up to the
abuse of all the torque

that we're going to
put on these bolts.

- What is it that sets
an impact driver apart

from a typical lug wrench
or something like that?

- There's a mechanism
inside. There's a spring

and there's a big impact wheel

that basically as
the motor turns,

you know, wind this whole
thing up, you generate inertia.

As soon as it sees a resistance

that mechanisms going
to pull itself back,

rewind, and then
hit the anvil again

when it sees itself stuck.

- [Adam] Instead of
constantly pushing

like a drill does,

an impact hammer, revs back
and hits an internal anvil.

And if it meets resistance,

it revs and hits again
to create the force.

Let's bruise some stuff.

- Let's do it.

[dramatic music]

[motor whirs]

- Holy smokes.

It's unnerving how
fast it does that.

[motor whirs]

The amount of power and how
effective these are is bananas.

[dramatic music]
[motor whirs]

[Adam laughs]
It's insane.

- [Lee] It's pretty satisfying.

- [Adam] It really is.

- Go ahead and
throw it in reverse.

- Okay, reverse, backing on up.

[motor whirs]

Holy [beep].
Sorry.

All I'm doing is squeezing the
trigger by bending my finger.

And this tool translates that

into 1,200 pounds
of breakaway torque.

It's so easy to take
that for granted,

but you can feel the
power in your hand

when you use this tool.

Listen to the gauge
of these things

and it treated it
like a Velcro hook.

It was just the most
remarkable thing.

Electric power tools
have come a long way

in the past century.

Lumber mills today use
very high powered saws

that run on electricity

to produce millions of board
feet of wood each year.

But some pretty ingenious power
tools predate electricity.

Before plugging the saw

into an electrical
outlet was an option,

lumber mills here in the
U.S. were run by water power.

We're going to Garland Mill
in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

A water powered mill that's
been in operation since 1856.

When it was built,

this was one of 600 water
mills in New Hampshire.

But this one is not only
one of the last mills

remaining in the area,

it's also one of the last ones

that's still in
operation anywhere.

- The Garland Mill
was built five years

before Abraham Lincoln
became president.

- [Adam] Mills like this

not only use water
as a source of power,

but also as a way of
transporting heavy logs.

Using a tool called a pike pole,

a single man can
easily move a log

weighing more than a ton.

165 years after it opened,

the mechanisms
that cut logs today

are still the analog
technology from a century ago.

- [Dana] The majority
of the timbers

that are sawed here in the mill,

we use for houses.

We also build barns,
cabins, saunas,

covered bridges, pretty much
anything that uses timber.

- [Adam] In order to get
the machinery started

they divert water from the river

into the top of this
barrel shaped turbine.

- Like pulling on this

water will start flowing
into the turbine.

- [Adam] This old
school technology works

by water entering a turbine

and dropping about 10 feet

to turn a series of metal fins

generating about 30 horsepower.

This motion turns a shaft

connected to a series
of pulleys and belts

that powers the mill.

- It's a natural
resource of power.

Come up to speed as
I let more water in,

You need to be able to
get power from a turbine

through a series of
belts, wheels, cogs,

two at the board saw,

at a consistent and regular RPM

in order to properly cut wood.

- [Adam] The saw spins a blade

that is 50 inches in diameter

and can cut timber
that's twice as long

as a modern day saw mill.

And even though the motor
has a small fraction

of the horsepower
of modern day saws,

thanks to its high torque,

this 19th century
relic has no problem

tearing through a
3,000 pound log.

These belts and
pulleys also power

an edger and cleaning
machine as well.

- Being able to utilize
almost all of the water

that comes down the stream
is a very, very nice feeling.

On most days I can't eat
my breakfast fast enough

to be able to get to work.

I adore what I do.

The advantages outweigh
the disadvantages.

- [Adam] Because power
tools make our jobs

hundreds or even
thousands of times easier,

just about anywhere
you find humans

you'll find power tools.

In the deepest caves
or the highest peaks.

The highest altitude at which
power tools have been used

might surprise you.

On Mount Everest they're
used to drill bolts

for climbers at 29,000 feet.

Astronauts work with them at
the International Space Station

220 miles above earth.

At 238,900 miles away,

astronauts have drilled
samples of moon rock.

And the Mars rovers
use power tools

136 million miles
away from earth.

Black & Decker was
asked to design a drill

that massively reduced
reactive torque.

- [Astronaut] Still
checking the bypass duct.

- [Adam] In a
weightless environment

using the standard drill

would leave the
drill bit motionless

and send the astronauts spinning

as soon as they
pulled the trigger.

The specially designed
version of the tool

operated more like
an impact hammer

that would wind a
spring and impact wheel

that creates inertia and
releases an internal hammer

against an anvil to create
the force to spin the bit.

Wherever humans go, power
tools will go with us.

Here at DeWalt, we're
getting an inside look

at how a pile of composite
pellets transforms

into these iconic
DeWalt tool cases.

Can you show me
how these are made?

- This is the raw
material where it starts.

- [Adam] So these pellets

that's the composite of plastic?

- [Wayne] Yes sir.

- [Adam] This vacuum
hose sucks these pellets

into a loader system that
feeds them into a barrel

and heats them to 450 degrees.

That allows them to melt

so they can be injected
into these molds.

- From the barrel is
called a nozzle seat.

It's injected,
they're valve gates.

You can hear them snapping.

The gate will open with
air and let the plastic in.

- [Adam] Is that what those
little pneumatic sounds are?

- [Wayne] Yes.

- [Adam] That's
the gate opening?

- [Wayne] Yes.

- [Adam] No way.

That right there was liquid
plastic 60 seconds ago, right?

- [Wayne] Yes.

- [Adam] 450 degrees
molten plastic

is now these hard cases

that are traveling
right above me.

They're going to come right
down on this line right here.

Look, I just want to touch one.

I mean, it's just incredible.

These black rigid cases

are the iconic image
of the DeWalt brand.

Now that they're molded,
Wayne's going to show me

how these cases are assembled.

They are literally
hot off the press.

- [Wayne] We'll actually
slide the pin in.

- [Adam] Okay.

[curious music]

I'm getting a very
"I Love Lucy" feeling

how fast these things
are coming down.

- [Wayne] Yes.

- [Adam] I'm going to
need my Vitameatavegamin

in a little bit. All right.

- Just set it in, in the roof.

[curious music]

- [Wayne] Then we'll come here.

- [Adam] Yes sir.

- Handle up.

- [Adam] Okay.

- Label.

And we'll just transfer it here.

Inside.

[upbeat music]

- [Adam] The skilled
workers here at DeWalt

are not just skilled at
the machines at DeWalt.

They're always learning, hard
American workers like Wayne.

That's what I love
about this job.

I got a case to
build. One minute.

Humans are able to go
to incredible places.

And thanks to power tools,

we're able to do some
pretty incredible things

once we get there.

Thanks to power tools,

we're able to repair
towers that stand

hundreds of feet off the ground.

And how would you
like to be strapped in

50 feet off the ground with
a chainsaw in your hands?

Luckily, there are
trained professionals

who do that every day.

- Cordless power
tools have enabled us

to do projects that in the past

we have thought unattainable.

For example, the Whistler
Pedestrian Bridge,

which is built

in one of the tallest
North American mountains.

- [Adam] Whistler Bridge
is 7,200 feet high.

Workers had to
suspend themselves

over the gaping canyon below

with cordless drills,
saws and impact wrenches

to construct the bridge.

And when Lady Liberty

was nearing her
Centennial celebration,

President Ronald Reagan

commissioned a team
of professionals

to help restore her
to her former glory.

And of course it was all
made possible by power tools

that were not available when
the statue was first built.

So whether you're a repairman
hanging from a cell tower

or hanging a picture
in your living room,

power tools will be there
every step of the way.

[exciting music]

Just like the
amazing craftsmanship

that went into making
tools here at DeWalt,

they take just as much
care packaging them

for their customers.

Here in the packaging area,
highly skilled humans,

work hand in hook with cobots
named Yoshi and Super Mario

to make sure everything
leaves the factory

just as it should.

- I'm going to have Nicole...

- [Adam] Hey Nicole.

- who leads our
assembly operations...

- How do you do?

take you through the process.

- We start out by
taking our kit box.

- [Adam] Okay.
You'll have your QR code there.

- Okay.

And this is essentially like
the birthday for these tools.

- Yes
- All right.

So I'm going to scan it.

- There you go.

- Okay. And then I
place it right here.

- Yes.

- Okay.

Next?

Each of these
classic DeWalt cases

gets loaded by a human hand.

Every tool and every
battery are first scanned

before being placed just so

inside that signature
black plastic case

before sliding into the
person at the next station.

- We're going to go in here.

- Okay.

- Open the box back up.

- All right.

- Grab a manual and a sheet
out of that bottom bin.

It's called a charger sheet.

- Okay, the manual,
charger sheet.

- When you close this box,

we're going to lock it up

and that's going to be the
last person that has it open

before the customer gets it.

- Can I send him a
little note, a nice note.

- Sure.

- Okay.

- This is awesome.

I can't believe someone
to actually get this note.

I feel like it's almost like
the power tool equivalent

to putting a
message in a bottle.

I love it.

- I know it's pretty awesome.

It'll be exciting
to see who gets it.

- Alrighty.

Shameless plug.

- I like it.

Alright, so now we're
going to close it up.

- All right.

- You're going to lock it.

And we're going to put
the "Made in USA" label

in that top right corner.

- Here?
- Yes.

Then you come over here,
put the box on the scale,

it tells you whether or
not it's the right weight.

It's an acceptable weight.
You get the green light.

- Okay.

Why would it be off?

- Anything that's missing,
it'll register.

- Got it.

With a scale registering
everything is in the case

that should be in there.

We zip tied the box closed

and then wrap it in
a cardboard sleeve.

It gets taped closed

and we add yet more stickers

including an all
important QR code.

- Tells us it's no
longer in production.

It's going on a pallet
to go out to a customer.

- So that moment is literally
the end of production.

- Yes.

- It's like if impact
drivers had a bar mitzvah,

when you scan it, it
becomes a man, mazel tov!

[Nicole laughs]
- [Adam] You know?

- We're going to take it.

We're going to put it on our
conveyor here,

just like that.
- [Adam] Okay.

And Yoshi will go ahead and
put it on the pallet for us.

- Come on Yoshi get to it.

[Nicole laughs]

- It's a suction cup that
adheres to the cardboard

and picks it up to
put on the pallet.

- Another robot!

- So this is our mirror
robot. It's really cool.

As we finish a pallet,

it will pick it up and
it'll take it away.

- Oh my lord, you have
robot Uber? [laughs]

Even if you don't
consider yourself

a particularly handy person,

you can still appreciate
the unbelievably hard work

and high level of skill

that goes into making
the power tools

that allow us to build,

create and maintain this
beautiful world around us.

Using fingertip sized microchips

and designing systems
that literally

turn the air around
us into energy,

they have managed
to distill centuries

of engineering and innovation

down to the point where they fit

into the palm of your hand.

So turn those screws,

tackle your to do's

because with power
tools by your side,

you can tackle any job
with pride

and a whole lot of power.

See you next time.