Awesome Factories

How It’s Made takes us inside the Merkur blade factory for a look at the equipment and materials that go into producing razor bladed. They start as a flexible strip of steel that is perforated, hardened with a heat-treating process, and run through a grinder to sharpen their edges before they’re separated and coated.

It doesn’t seem like balloons would be particularly complicated to make, but How It’s Made shows us how creating party balloons requires lots of industrial equipment, including electrically-charged vats of liquid latex, balloon-shaped molds, and spinning brushes to create the openings we blow into.

Mayonnaise is one of those condiments that you either love or hate. This look inside the Duke’s mayonnaise factory from How It’s Made probably won’t convert any mayo haters, but it does offer a fascinating glimpse into the process of making mass quantities of the savory dressing. How about that truck filled with liquid eggs?

This industrial robot from Eatch can cook up to 5,000 meals per day, with each meal prepared in its own small pot instead of one giant one. The system automatically dispenses cooking oil, fresh ingredients, and seasonings into the pots, then spins them at an angle over a flame. It even washes the pots after it’s done.

We always enjoy watching factory videos showing how everyday items are manufactured. This video from Process X doesn’t disappoint, offering a look inside Japan’s IPS Pliers Co. The factory mass-produces pliers by heating, stamping, and punching steel rods, plating them, bolting together their parts, and then dipping their handles in a PVC coating.

This fascinating factory machine sits along a conveyor belt as it waits for individual items to arrive on the scene. It then lowers a series of suction-powered grippers to grab each one, and then shuffles them along to the next stage in the packing process. It uses VMECA’s Magic Gripper technology to work its magic.

Wheeling Heritage Media takes us inside The Ziegenfelder Company for a look at their TwinPop popsicle factory. You’ll see a ballet of machines moving colorful liquids through tubes and into molds which slowly freeze their contents before popsicle sticks are placed at just the right time to form the perfect frozen treat.

Small vehicles, known as tuk-tuks, are popular in many places around the world. Atom Things takes us on a tour of Tez Raftar, a factory that builds these auto rickshaws. The production process includes welding together a steel frame, fitting and painting body panels, and installing a drivetrain, electrical system, windshield, cargo bed, and seats.

A dual-layer glass drinking vessel helps insulate its contents thanks to the air gap between its layers. But how do glass manufacturers sandwich those layers together so precisely? This fascinating factory video from Process of Everything shows how skilled workers cut, heat, and connect glass tubes to create these insulated drinking bottles.

We’ve seen footage from a factory that uses automation to make rebar, but this facility in Pakistan takes a more hands-on approach. Hydraulic Hands posted this video showing how workers break apart large steel bars, heat them in a furnace, and gradually extrude the fiery hot ropes into long sections of rebar, which wriggle across the floor like orange snakes.

For dental health, it’s important to brush your teeth a couple of times each day. If you’ve ever been curious how the toothbrush you use came to be, check out this video. Process X takes us inside the Lapis factory in Japan to see how they injection mold plastic pellets into toothbrush handles, then attach and prepare nylon bristles in the most satisfying way.

We’ve seen how Crayola mass-produces crayons. The Nippon Rikagaku Kogyo factory in Japan has a more hands-on process and uses different materials, including rice wax and rice oil, to make its Kitpas bath crayons. Process X shows us how ingredients are combined into a thick paste, rolled smooth, then poured into forms before applying labels by hand.

Screws are one of those everyday objects we take for granted but are critical to holding together everything from our kitchen appliances to our vehicles. Process X takes us inside Japan’s Okitsurasen factory to see how they turn coils of steel wire into millions of precision screws, washers, and other hardware.

Blow molding is an industrial process for making hollow plastic items like toy boats, water bottles, and storage tanks. This video from Yankang Plastic Machinery shows how a tube of warm plastic pours from a chute and is blown into two molds to form a massive 10000-liter water tank. We love how they just let it fall on the ground when it’s done.

Disposable plastic cups aren’t exactly the best thing for the environment. Still, it’s interesting to see how they’re made. This factory machine takes rolls of plastic and uses a vacuum and heat to thermoform thousands of cups an hour. After it spits out cups, spinning brushes sort them into rows for stacking and packaging.

Rubber bands are one of those ubiquitous things that we don’t really give a second thought to. But behind every rubber band is a factory and a team of skilled workers. Process X takes us inside Kyowa’s manufacturing facility to see how they transform blocks of natural rubber into millions of these useful office supplies every week.

All Process of the World takes us inside a Kumho tire factory in Vietnam that cranks out thousands of tires each day. They start with large quantities of rubber and other materials and extrude those into long, flat strips. Then machines cut and mold them around a circular form, apply layers, attach an inflatable structure, then heat-emboss tread patterns.

Only in Japan host John Daub takes us inside the Komatsu Fireworks Company for a look at how they handmake their shells. Some fireworks can take months to create, each starting with a tiny ceramic ball at its center, built up in layers to produce effects. Their largest shell can produce an explosion nearly 1/2 a mile across.

Spiral staircases offer a stylish way to add access to another level without taking up too much space, though they’re made in a very different way than traditional stairs. How It’s Made shows us the modern way of making these staircases using metal platforms and wood decks. The railings look like the trickiest part.

How It’s Made presents a brief look at the process of making safety matches. The chemical process isn’t all that interesting, but the machine that magically grabs and stands up over 2 million loose matchsticks per hour is truly amazing.

Process X visited Marusho Co., a Japanese factory that makes metal toys. During this production run, you’ll see how they create tiny airplanes by cutting sheet metal into strips, stamping their fuselages, and assembling the parts. It’s amazing to see how much handwork goes into creating each toy.

Factory videos aren’t always the most soothing things to watch, especially those with lots of loud machinery. However, this footage from Japan’s Plachina Fountain Pen Company is about as calming as they come. Along the way, you’ll see how strips of metal are stamped and shaped to form pen nibs, then delicately placed into the body of each pen by hand.

While we prefer fresh-made pizza, a frozen pizza can satisfy hunger in a pinch. Wondastic Tech takes us inside a factory that mass-produces frozen pizzas. First, huge quantities of dough are flattened and cut. One machine squirts out tomato sauce, while others shred mozzarella and drop on toppings. Stick around for a look at a factory that makes honey candies.