Sears Electric Blanket Story
Sears Electric Blanket Story
ON PREVIEW CASSETTE #991179 For Sears per Northern Electric Co. Manufacture of electric blankets. (The print quality of this film varies wildly; it was Frink's last attempt to use a New York film lab to make their prints; "I found working with NY by phone was not satisfactory and after that I worked with Chicago labs where, when problems arose, I could easily and quickly go for discussions". Some of the large areas of manufacture were impossible to light properly, difficult to shoot, and the lab was of no help. However, some of the manufacture scenes are good, interesting and unique). Fade in on NECO Sears logo and main titles. FO and FI on pan shot of electric blanket manufacturing, with large light tables being covered by blankets. Pan to wire cables and then ECU cables being spun from copper spools. Pan LS of wire machines. CU of wires entering extruder head and control panels and finally the extruded wire coil before testing. Wires checked and tested. Counter shows length of wire. Quality control as wires are stretched and then given a microscopic examination. Break test checks strength of wire; the wire breaks at 29 pounds, 9 lbs better than required. Flex test of wires, LS pan of wire manufacturing machine line. Women loading wires for terminals. Strain relief machine. CU of hands as wire assemblies are taken from the back. Girl completes cordsets. CU wires into oven. Battery of automatic Stokes presses forms control cases in variety of shapes. Women inspect the wires and put a knob on the control panel. Final inspection in a temperature control room. Pan long assembly lines. CU of eyelets and terminal pins to thermostat. Automatic thermostat calibrating machine. Conveyor belt filled with thermostats. CU as the units come down the conveyor. Machine rejects those units out of tolerance. Woman seals the thermostat in water tight package. Woman inspector looks at the complete harness. Blanket shell from the mill as a woman prepares it for assembly. Buttonhole is sewed into the blanket and the Sears label applied. LS of the blanket shuttling operation as a harness is threaded through the blanket (there's two women to a blanket), shuttling the wires through. Adjusting operation, on lighted table, with pattern of thermostat locations. LS pan of binding operation and ECU sewing the blankets. Blanket on light box again. Line of women folding the blankets and packing them in boxes. Man packs shipping cartons with balnket units. Boxes come down the conveyor. Lift truck operator moves stack of boxes out door and up to an awaiting truck. Truck doors are locked, truck is high-balled away. FI and FO on the blankets ready for sale, display of various blankets with sales data given. Different lines, from simple to elaborate. CU of blanket control at head of bed; ECU of same at the head and on the side rail. Woman shows the blanket on a double bed; she tucks the corners. CU of the rayon tape being frayed for testing; the nylon Sears ribbon resists abrasion. Line of all three blanket sets. Summary montage, making the bed, putting pillows in place. The end. FO/FI on new opening titles and a blanket is brought into the laboratory for test. Random tests are given. Voltmeter setup for circuit testing. Woman gives it an element resistance test and heat check to see ability to withstand bunching. Harness is removed and placed in dielectric test bath to check on insulation. 5,000 volt test, immersed in water. harness removed from sater bath and given pull test for strength with a lab instrument. With scissors, she test seals. Crimp test checks connections of parts. Thermostat oil bath calibration test. Oscilloscope. Temperature control tests, tilt down. Temperature recorder CU. Checking on test table of experimental new unit. Lab sample tests calibration limits on many units. Woman opens the door to the control characteristic instrument. Control test life switch as lights flash. Thermostat load test. Draftsmen design new products.