![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7517.jpg)
1500 ton press; not the biggest one they have but the easiest big one to photograph
![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7523.jpg)
Joel does his best imitation of Crazy in cleanroom garb. Lots of sterile-never-touched-by-human-hands-automation goodness happens in here.
![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7583.jpg)
Insert finished product here, collect check from customer
![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7585.jpg)
A big honkin' piece of solid steel mold (this one makes 8 headlight reflectors at a time)
I'm continually fascinated by the machines and the molds and the automation, no matter how many times and in how many settings I see them. Particularly the automation. I don't think the general public appreciates the complexity of the tooling and process control that goes into the goods they use every day!
![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7591.jpg)
It's all about the pellets
![](http://1l1t.com/photos/101029wi/_MG_7596.jpg)
A splash of culture in nearby Madison
The trip coincided neatly with the beginning of taper week, and I even managed a below-freezing pre-sunrise run through the countryside, running east while watching the broad horizon's palette evolve as daybreak approached.
Oh, did I say taper week? I'll be toeing the line at Silverman in four days...stoked and ready to rock. Watch this space.
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