Ep 18. Car Windows, Lipstick, Sheep Shears

In season 8 episode 18 of How Do They Do It?, viewers are taken on a journey to see how car windows are manufactured, how lipstick is made in a factory and how sheep shears are created. The episode seeks to answer the question of how these everyday items are produced, from start to finish.

The episode begins with a look at car windows. Explaining the process of how a sheet of glass is transformed into a curved car window, the show takes viewers to one of the largest automotive glass factories in the world. Here, we see how glass is heated to a temperature of almost 600 degrees Celsius and then shaped into a mold before being rapidly cooled. This process makes the glass both stronger and more resistant to shattering. The glass is then cut, laminated, and shaped to fit each car model's specifications, providing a perfect fit. The episode also explores the testing of the glass, including heat resistance and shock performance to ensure the safety of consumers. In all, it is a fascinating insight into how car windows are produced from raw materials into the finished product.

Next up is an exploration of the making of lipstick. The show takes viewers to a lipstick factory, where we see the transformation from raw materials to a final product. We are taken through the process step-by-step, from the blending of raw materials to color matching and packaging. The factory is shown to have an incredible degree of attention to detail with the production of lipstick, as this makeup item typically has a very short shelf life. We see the machines at work filling the lipstick tubes with precision, and how they are packed to ensure they arrive at the store shelf in perfect condition. The episode also highlights the need to balance quality with cost and how the producer must understand the market needs and consumer preferences. The show provides a fascinating overview of the process of creating lipstick for mass production, and viewers are sure to come away with a newfound appreciation for the product.

Finally, viewers are treated to a trip to a factory that produces sheep shears. The episode reveals the crucial role that well-designed and precise shears play in maintaining the health of sheep. We see the process of creating the shears, starting from the raw material - steel. The steel is heated to extreme temperatures, hammered into shape and then quenched to harden it ready for shaping. The machines that cut and sharpen the blades of the shears are shown to be incredibly precise, completing the process in milliseconds to ensure the highest quality. We also learn about the importance of the balance and ergonomics of the shears, as they are being used by farmers and sheep shearers regularly. The episode highlights the perfect harmony of efficiency and performance in the production of sheep shears.

Overall, season 8 episode 18 of How Do They Do It? presents viewers with a fascinating insight into the production of everyday items. By showing the process from start to finish, viewers gain a new appreciation for the level of detail and care involved in the manufacturing process. The show's team takes viewers behind the scenes of factories that we might not normally see, from the largest automotive glass factories in the world to lipstick factories, and sheep shear manufacturers. Throughout the episode, viewers are left impressed and informed by the scale, attention to detail and ingenuity applied in each of these processes.