How It's Made: Season 23

Sound-absorbing materials are formed into roadside panels designed to reduce traffic noise. Drums, motors, pumps and electronic controls are installed in front-loading washing machines; fermented grain mash is distilled and aged in charred barrels to produce bourbon; and conductive pathways are formed on thin flexible substrates to make circuit boards.

Heavy timbers are cut, drilled and treated for use as railway ties on bridges. Selective membranes are formed and installed in filtration units; hydraulic mechanisms are assembled into machines that drive posts into the ground; and wooden or metal airframes, wings, control surfaces and engines are brought together to build biplanes.

Hospital linens are sorted, disinfected, washed, dried and folded on a large industrial scale. Damaged brass instruments are dismantled, repaired and refinished; moulded forms are carefully painted and detailed to create lifelike horse replicas; and thick steel plates are cut, curved and welded into excavation buckets.

Heat-resistant ceramic sections are moulded, fired and assembled into fireplaces. Polymer materials are formed into synthetic bottle corks designed to provide a consistent seal, while reinforced concrete is poured into large moulds, cured and finished to produce prefabricated floor slabs for parking garages.

Precision diaphragms and electronic components are assembled and calibrated to measure engine-oil pressure. Digital images are prepared and reproduced on oversized printing equipment; realistic controls, displays and motion systems are integrated into heavy-equipment simulators; and strong, lightweight materials are formed and tested as racing head-and-neck restraints.

Folding structural sections, hydraulic systems and performance equipment are incorporated into trailers that unfold into mobile concert stages. Pigments, waxes and other ingredients are blended and packaged as mascara; cutting heads, conveyors and tracked chassis are assembled into continuous mining machines; and selected wood is cut, joined and finished into decorative gift boxes.

Sheet metal is shaped and fitted over reinforced racing chassis to create NASCAR car bodies. Ash wood is selected, shaped and finished into traditional hurley sticks; vacuum tubes, transformers and electronic components are wired into power amplifiers; and double-walled vessels are sealed and insulated to make thermal coffee pots.

Power electronics, cables, connectors and control systems are enclosed in weather-resistant electric-vehicle charging stations. Fermented grape residue is distilled to produce grappa, while frames, wheels, suspension components and detailed equipment are fabricated and assembled into replicas of lunar rovers.

Natural slate is split into thin layers, cut to size and finished as durable roofing or flooring tiles. Stainless-steel bodies, cooking equipment and storage compartments are assembled into hot dog carts; motors, tracks and remote-control electronics become garage-door openers; and moulded bases, padding and covers are combined to produce bicycle seats.

Leather panels are cut, reinforced and sewn into protective racing suits. Fans, water-distribution systems and heat-transfer materials are assembled into evaporative cooling towers; shaped wooden components are joined and finished as rocking chairs; and spokes are individually fitted, tensioned and aligned to create wire wheels.

Lightweight frames are fitted with suspension, drivetrains, brakes and wheels to produce mountain bikes. Harvested rice is dried, cleaned, husked and milled for consumption, while machined metal components are fitted to wooden stocks and assembled into lever-action rifles.