♪♪
Narrator:
TABLE TENNIS IS MORE COMMONLY
KNOWN AS PING-PONG.
FOLDING TABLE-TENNIS TABLES
ARE POPULAR IN HOMES
AND KEPT OUTDOORS
BECAUSE THEY CAN BE CLOSED UP
AND ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY.
THESE TABLES CAN ALSO FOLD
DOWN ON JUST ONE SIDE,
ALLOWING FOR SOLO PLAY.
[ UPBEAT TUNE PLAYS ]
THIS HIGH-END OUTDOOR
TABLE-TENNIS TABLE
HAS AN ALUMINUM BOTTOM
THAT PREVENTS THE TABLETOP,
CALLED THE PLATE,
FROM WARPING OR SPLITTING DUE
TO EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION.
A PRESS STAMPS CUPS
INTO A SHEET OF ALUMINUM.
THIS PATTERN CREATES
NEARLY EQUAL AREAS
BOTH IN CONTACT
AND OUT OF CONTACT
WITH THE REST
OF THE PLATE LAYERS,
PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY
TO WITHSTAND
TEMPERATURE-RELATED MOVEMENT.
EACH TABLE NEEDS TWO EMBOSSED
ALUMINUM SHEETS,
ONE FOR EACH HALF OF THE PLATE.
♪♪
A TECHNICIAN ASSEMBLES FRAMES
FOR THE PLATE HALVES
OUT OF SQUARE EXTRUDED
ALUMINUM TUBES,
CUT TO THE LENGTHS AND WIDTHS
OF THE PLATE HALF PERIMETER.
AN AUTOMATED MILLING MACHINE
MAKES MITER CUTS,
WHICH ALLOW THE TUBES
TO BE MADE INTO RECTANGLES.
♪♪
THEN, THE TECHNICIAN
MOVES THE FRAMES
ONTO A ROTATING FIXTURE...
♪♪
...AND WELDS
THE CORNERS TOGETHER.
♪♪
THE FRAMES ARE INSERTED
INTO A BRUSHING MACHINE.
INSIDE, WIRE BRUSH ROLLERS
ALLOW THE ALUMINUM SURFACE
TO BECOME ROUGH.
THIS HELPS THE COMPONENTS
TO ADHERE TO ONE ANOTHER.
♪♪
ANOTHER TECHNICIAN PLACES
THE EMBOSSED ALUMINUM SHEET
INTO A RECTANGULAR
ASSEMBLY JIG...
♪♪
...AND ADDS THE BRUSHED
ALUMINUM FRAME.
♪♪
A CONVEYOR TRANSFERS THE JIG
TO THE NEXT STATION.
THEN, THE JIG CONNECTS
WITH AN 8-MILLIMETER-THICK
SHEET OF PARTICLEBOARD,
MADE OF WOOD CHIPS AND GLUE.
THE BOARD IS COATED
WITH A HEAT-ACTIVATED
ADHESIVE FILM ON BOTH SIDES.
♪♪
AT THE NEXT STATION,
AN ALUMINUM SHEET IS PLACED
ON TOP OF THE PARTICLEBOARD.
THIS STEP COMPLETES
THE PLATE COMPONENT ASSEMBLY.
♪♪
NEXT, THE CONVEYOR LOADS
THE JIG INTO A PRESS.
♪♪
ONCE 12 JIGS HAVE BEEN
LOADED ONTO THE PRESS,
IT HEATS TO 239° FAHRENHEIT
AND COMPRESSES THEM
FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
THIS PROCESS ACTIVATES
THE ADHESIVE
AND BONDS THE COMPONENTS
OF EACH PLATE
INTO A SINGLE UNIT,
ONE FRAMED PLATE HALF.
♪♪
EACH PLATE HALF GOES THROUGH
AN AUTOMATED MILLING MACHINE.
♪♪
THE MACHINE TRIMS ANY EXCESS
MATERIAL FROM ALL FOUR SIDES,
TO ENSURE THE TABLE
WON'T HAVE ANY SHARP EDGES.
♪♪
♪♪
THE PLATE HALF GOES
THROUGH A PAINT MACHINE,
THEN INTO AN OVEN.
THE PROCESS REPEATS,
APPLYING A SECOND COAT OF PAINT
AND A UV-RESISTANT CLEARCOAT.
♪♪
A MACHINE APPLIES PAINT
THROUGH A SCREEN STENCIL,
PRINTING THE LINES
THAT MARK THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE PLAYING SURFACE.
♪♪
AFTER THE PAINT IS DRIED
IN AN OVEN,
A TEAM PLACES THE FINISHED
PLATE HALF IN A CARDBOARD BOX
AND ATTACHES FOLDING LEGS
TO THE BASE.
THE FACTORY
MILLS THE LEGS IN-HOUSE
OUT OF HIGH-TENSILE STEEL,
THEN FINISHES THEM
IN BAKED-ON PAINT.
♪♪
THE NET, ALONG WITH
SEVERAL COMPONENTS,
ARE PACKED AND MADE IN-HOUSE,
WHICH THE CONSUMER LATER
ASSEMBLES TO THE TABLE.
COMPONENTS INCLUDE
THE NET POSTS, SIDE PANELS,
WHEELS, WHEEL BRAKES,
AND THE BALL-RETURN BOX.
FINALLY, THE PLATE HALF
IS TRANSFERRED
TO AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM,
WHICH COMPLETES THE PACKAGING.
MANY PING-PONG TABLES
ON THE MARKET
REQUIRE THE NET TO BE REMOVED
EVERY TIME YOU FOLD THE TABLE.
THE DESIGN OF THIS TABLE ENABLES
THE NET TO REMAIN IN PLACE
WHETHER THE TABLE
IS FOLDED FOR STORAGE
OR HAS ONE OR BOTH SIDES
OPEN FOR PLAYING.
LESS SETUP TIME
MEANS MORE TIME TO PLAY.
♪♪
