Machines That Make Machines That Make...

[cabinetman]

One of my favorite shows is "How's That Made". I'm amazed at times to see some of the machine processes that sort, flip, roll, stack, shake, count, separate, wrap, label, etc, etc.

I would like to see a segment on the idea or conception stage of a process, of the individual machines that are configured to do the steps necessary for manufacturing a production machine. I would guess that a great majority of those product machines are proprietary, and made for a specific company for a specific process.

It would be interesting to see the trial and error, and bloopers, and maybe a hint of the cost.
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[herb fellows]

Many moons ago, I used to work for a guy who had the first company to dispense lottery tickets from machines.
He had made the machine from scratch, and you'd be surprised how difficult it is to make something that would do something so simple as to spit out a piece of cardboard.
As I got to know him better, I found out that he owned dozens of patents for everything from medical devices to his ticket dispensing machines. He was one of the most fascinating guys to talk to, I could listen to him for hours on end without being bored.
The mind of a true inventor is really a wondrous thing!

[gerti]

My brother spent many years designing and perfecting machine components that tie a knot in the thread connecting a tea bag to the cardboard label, in an effort to avoid the metal staple. Kind of fascinating to see it in action.

[Alex Franke]

I would like to see a segment on the idea or conception stage of a process, of the individual machines that are configured to do the steps necessary for manufacturing a production machine.

Indeed that would be a very cool show! I've always loved those shows -- especially some of those slow-mo shots.

Not to stear this thread, but for a twist on "machines that make machines that make...", how about "machines that make themselves?" Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project -- I think fabbers (as they are called) will be more and more common in the future. Imagine needing a knob or some other part. Find the part file online, tweak it to meet your specific needs, and then print it out. Cool.

[cgallery]

About 30 years ago there was a show on PBS once where they followed a group as the conceived of and brought a new snack food to market.

It involved designing the food, and the machines that make it. The machines gave them fits.

In cooking the outside of the snack food, the inside (filling) would be ruined.

What was the snack?

We now know them as Combos.

[Shep]

I worked for Pillsbury when I was in college. They had a ton of automated packaging machines. I remember once they installed a new packaging line that packaged 50 lb bags of bulk mix. Normally this was a two person operation. One person would clamp an empty bag onto a auger head and fill the bag in about a second. A second person would gather up the open end and sandwich the front and back of the bag together. This would allow the same person to feed the bag into a sealer that would heat up a glue strip and fold over the open end to complete the seal.

With the addition of the new automation the 1st person was not required. There was an elaborate system of suction cups and mechanical arms to replicate the process. The arms would grab onto the paperbags, pull them apart with air pressure, attach it to the packaging head, then lower the filled bag on the conveyer.

What surprised me was how it was more trial and error than science. I helped to dial in the parameters to get the machine to work. To much or too little of any one step would throw off the whole machine, causing spills, ripped bags, and many frustrated employees. In the end it worked great, but it took a few months to get it working cosistantly.

[Woodshark]

I'm right there with you. I love that show. Truly fascinating. Every time I watch it, I'm wondering who designed and built THAT machine and how in the world did they think it up.

It would make a great show for the Discovery network. Take a system process needed and watching how a specialty piece of machinery was designed and built.

[chopnhack]

+++ on that show... anyone else ever notice that it seems all the manufacturing jobs shown are in Canada?

[jackellis]

Each morning we eat yogurt sold in small plastic containers and sealed with metal foil. It's amazing how on some packages, the glue pulls loose as you'd expect and on others, the foil tears in an inconvenient place. Same thing with boxes that are designed to be reclosed. If the glue is not just right, the box tears when you open it.

The engineer in me thinks about this kind of stuff all the time. Right now Modern Marvels is on the tube talking about snack food technology. Some of the automated processes are fascinating.

[woodturner]

About 30 years ago there was a show on PBS once where they followed a group as the conceived of and brought a new snack food to market.

I remember that show - titled something like "origin of a junk food".

Started out with an idea for a healthy, tastey snack, ended up with a junk food, once the manufacturing constraints were imposed.

[L. D. Jeffries]

+1 on the machinery they show operating. How in h++l does anyone figure out the steps necessary and then make machinery to do it. Like LOML's knitting machines, she's been in business for over 15 years and I still cannot figure out how the bloody things work