Mechanized Factory

    In the last update, my image was missing some details. In this update, I have added some new graphs to describe the entire process.

    I visited a factory that produces lighter shells. The raw materials for the lighter shell produced in this factory include plastic, resin, and metal. "I interviewed the workers in the factory, and they didn't know where the raw materials were coming from. They just received orders and started production.".

    Most of the work in the factory is done by machine assembly lines. A small amount of work involves manual participation. The entire factory not only produces plastic lighters but also processes metal lighter shells. The only step in the processing of metal shells is to drill holes. They manually operate a drilling machine to drill holes in the already-shaped metal shell. It is worth noting that during drilling, workers spray water on the drill bit of the machine to cool down and wash away debris.

    However, this factory mainly accepts orders for the production of plastic lighter shells. There are ten injection molding machines in the factory. As raw materials, there are different components of plastic particles and toner in the factory.

    During manufacturing, the toner and plastic particles are first placed into the funnel of the injection molding machine, then heated in a heating tube and injected into the mold. When plastic rapidly cools, it emits a large amount of steam.

    Next, a robotic arm will pick up the cooled plastic shell and throw it into a fixed position. Workers typically collect it with a sack.

    Then place it in front of the table for manual trimming. During manual pruning, employees will inspect the finished products for defects. If there are defects, they will be cut up and put back into the injection molding machine, and if there are no defects, they will become qualified products awaiting acceptance.