Assembly Line

Drying and curing

Water or solvent leaves slowly, or a chemical hardening runs its course. Rushing this step usually causes cracks and warps.

147 lines that use it

3D printer filament 6 stations · 13 raw sources ABS plastic 6 stations · 9 raw sources Acoustic guitar 8 stations · 16 raw sources Acrylic 5 stations · 5 raw sources Asphalt 5 stations · 2 raw sources Asphalt road 6 stations · 2 raw sources Baby formula 6 stations · 22 raw sources Baker's yeast 6 stations · 3 raw sources Baking soda 6 stations · 9 raw sources Beef jerky 6 stations · 8 raw sources Beer 8 stations · 22 raw sources Black tea 7 stations · 1 raw source Blackboard chalk 6 stations · 9 raw sources Borax 5 stations Bourbon 6 stations · 19 raw sources Bowling ball 8 stations · 23 raw sources Brake pad 7 stations · 23 raw sources Brick 7 stations · 2 raw sources Candy-coated chocolate 10 stations · 20 raw sources Car battery 6 stations · 8 raw sources Cardboard 6 stations · 9 raw sources Cattle hide 5 stations Cellulose acetate 6 stations · 8 raw sources Ceramic 6 stations · 4 raw sources Ceramic floor tile 6 stations · 19 raw sources Cheese 7 stations · 3 raw sources Chili pepper 5 stations Clay 3 stations Cocoa beans 4 stations Cocoa butter 6 stations · 1 raw source Coconut oil 6 stations · 1 raw source Coconuts 4 stations Cognac 6 stations · 19 raw sources Concrete 6 stations · 18 raw sources Copra 5 stations · 1 raw source Cork oak bark 3 stations Corn flakes 8 stations · 19 raw sources Corn starch 6 stations · 2 raw sources Cricket bat 7 stations · 9 raw sources Dartboard 7 stations · 22 raw sources Decaf coffee 7 stations · 7 raw sources Denim 6 stations · 3 raw sources Dinner plate 8 stations · 2 raw sources Down 5 stations Drumstick 8 stations · 8 raw sources Drywall 7 stations · 8 raw sources Egg carton 6 stations · 7 raw sources Electrical transformer 6 stations · 14 raw sources Epoxy 6 stations · 7 raw sources Facial tissue 6 stations · 17 raw sources Fiberglass 6 stations · 10 raw sources Fiberglass insulation 6 stations · 8 raw sources Fireworks 6 stations · 18 raw sources Fishing rod 8 stations · 24 raw sources Flax 3 stations Foam cup 5 stations · 4 raw sources Frozen french fries 7 stations · 7 raw sources Garden hose 6 stations · 18 raw sources Gelatin 7 stations · 4 raw sources Gelatin capsule 5 stations · 11 raw sources Green tea 7 stations · 1 raw source Gummy bears 6 stations · 7 raw sources Ham 6 stations · 7 raw sources Hard cider 7 stations · 20 raw sources Hardwood flooring 6 stations · 7 raw sources Hockey puck 8 stations · 5 raw sources Honey 7 stations · 1 raw source Hops 3 stations Incense 5 stations · 3 raw sources Instant coffee 7 stations · 2 raw sources Instant noodles 7 stations · 13 raw sources Jelly beans 6 stations · 7 raw sources Juniper berries 3 stations Kaolin 3 stations Lacquer 8 stations · 8 raw sources Laundry detergent 7 stations · 18 raw sources Lead ore 4 stations Leather 6 stations · 14 raw sources Licorice 6 stations · 10 raw sources Lithium brine 3 stations Lithium carbonate 8 stations · 12 raw sources Lithium-ion cell 10 stations · 23 raw sources Lumber 6 stations · 1 raw source Malted barley 5 stations · 2 raw sources Matcha 5 stations · 1 raw source Mead 5 stations · 12 raw sources Microwave popcorn 8 stations · 20 raw sources Non-alcoholic beer 6 stations · 21 raw sources Nori 6 stations · 1 raw source Oak wine barrel 7 stations · 12 raw sources Onions 5 stations Oranges 3 stations Paper 7 stations · 7 raw sources Paper straw 6 stations · 10 raw sources Parmesan 8 stations · 3 raw sources Pasta 7 stations · 2 raw sources PET plastic 6 stations · 8 raw sources Plastic bottle 5 stations · 8 raw sources Platinum ore 4 stations Plywood 6 stations · 8 raw sources Polyester 6 stations · 8 raw sources Polyurethane 6 stations · 6 raw sources Polyvinyl alcohol 5 stations · 5 raw sources Polyvinyl butyral 6 stations · 5 raw sources Polyvinylpyrrolidone 8 stations · 3 raw sources Port wine 6 stations · 19 raw sources Potato chips 7 stations · 10 raw sources Potatoes 4 stations Powdered milk 6 stations · 1 raw source PTFE 5 stations · 6 raw sources PVC 6 stations · 9 raw sources Raw cotton 3 stations Roasted coffee 8 stations · 2 raw sources Roof tile 6 stations · 2 raw sources Rum 6 stations · 13 raw sources Rye 5 stations Sake 8 stations · 14 raw sources Salami 6 stations · 8 raw sources Sausage casing 8 stations · 4 raw sources Scotch whisky 7 stations · 19 raw sources Seawater 3 stations Silica sand 5 stations Silk 6 stations · 4 raw sources Soap 8 stations · 19 raw sources Stoneware pottery 7 stations · 4 raw sources Sugar 8 stations · 4 raw sources Superabsorbent polymer 6 stations · 5 raw sources Surfboard 8 stations · 14 raw sources Tequila 7 stations · 13 raw sources Toilet 7 stations · 5 raw sources Toilet paper 6 stations · 9 raw sources Toothpick 6 stations · 1 raw source Tungsten 6 stations · 3 raw sources Ukulele 9 stations · 11 raw sources Utility pole 5 stations · 1 raw source Vanilla extract 7 stations · 7 raw sources Vulcanized rubber 6 stations · 7 raw sources Wallpaper 7 stations · 22 raw sources Whiskey 7 stations · 13 raw sources White rice 6 stations · 1 raw source Wine 8 stations · 21 raw sources Wine cork 8 stations · 11 raw sources Wood pellets 5 stations · 1 raw source Wood pulp 6 stations · 6 raw sources Wooden chair 6 stations · 21 raw sources Wooden spoon 5 stations · 7 raw sources Wool sweater 6 stations · 9 raw sources

What it looks like on the line

  • WhiskeySprout and dry the grain. For malt whisky, barley is soaked, allowed to sprout and then dried with hot air to halt germination. Sprouting makes the enzymes that will convert starch into sugar.
  • HamOr dry-cure the premium leg. The slow alternative covers the leg in salt, presses out fluid and hangs it in a dark, temperature-regulated room. Enzymes break muscle into peptides and amino acids, which build flavor. Nitrites are added with the salt in most modern dry cures.
  • LeatherSalt the hides. Fresh hides are cured with salt as soon as possible. Salt draws out water by osmosis and stops bacteria from eating the collagen before the hides reach the tannery.
  • Wool sweaterPress to size. The sweater is dried and pressed or steamed flat to the size on the label.
  • Frozen french friesDry with warm air. Blanched strips travel through a dryer to take surface water away. Drier strips fry crisper and take up less oil.
  • Candy-coated chocolateBlow each coat dry. Conditioned air flows through the drum and carries off the water, leaving a skin of tiny crystals. Every coat must dry fully before the next, since rushing makes the shell fail, so the work runs slowly.
  • Laundry detergentSpray into the tower. A pump forces the slurry through nozzles at the top of a tall tower. Hot air rises through the falling spray and dries each droplet into a hollow bead.
  • DartboardDry and brush the fiber. The stripped fibers are dried and brushed straight. A good board needs fibers that are uniform and stiff, which is why sisal beat horse hair in practice.
  • LicoriceDry the pieces. The poured candy dries in its molds until it can be handled. The pieces are then lifted out of the powder.
  • PolyesterDry the PET chips. Chips of PET are dried in a hot airstream, because even a trace of water would break the chains when the plastic melts. Dry chips are fed straight to the spinning machine.
  • UkuleleAge the koa. At Kamaka in Honolulu, koa lumber is stored for about four years before it becomes ukuleles. Koa is a native Hawaiian wood similar to mahogany.
  • Stoneware potteryDry and fettle. Plates ride a controlled dryer for 6 to 12 hours. Seam lines from the mold are then sanded or sponged away by hand or small rotating tool.