The Zippo lighter consists of two separately manufactured components: the outer casing (brass) and the internal assembly (steel) which houses the lighter's mechanics. A specialized industry would make the brass and steel sheets of the appropriate thickness and cut them to the required width. Brass is used because it has excellent corrosion resistance, is easily workable, and provides a high-class appearance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Steel is used for the inner case due to its high strength and ductility. Originally, the outer case was also made of steel due to wartime brass shortages (brass is necessary for military machinery) and painted black to prevent corrosion. An alternative material for the brass outer case would be bronze. Bronze also has high resistance to corrosion, particularly seawater corrosion. Bronze has a reddish-brown color, and therefore would give the zippo a very different appearance. The raw brass and steel coils used for the inner and outer case respectively are rolled through presses in a process called "deep drawing". A punch pushes the sheet metal into the mold cavity, resulting in a shaped part. For the outer case, the presses punch the edges of each lighter and add some key details (manufacturer name and date codes) to the bottom. Even the holes in the lighter chimney are drilled completely into the steel of the inner casing. An alternative process that could be used is rubber pad forming. This is a metalworking process in which sheet metal is pressed between a mold and a rubber block. This has greater operational flexibility and lower tooling cost than deep drawing. After the pieces are designed, they are cut and moved to the fabrication area where machines bend and bend them into their box shapes. They are then spot welded together with high precision welders. A precision machine fabricates and welds the hinge onto both sides of the outer case using a powerful welding process called "resistance welding". Welding is done by conducting a strong current through the combination of metals to heat and ultimately melt the metals at localized points. Different fabrication machines build the flint tube components. Often the exteriors are finished with other metals such as chrome or nickel. This is done in a process called electroplating. A small electric charge is applied to cases suspended on movable hooks that pass through a liquid bath. This bath contains a non-metallic conductive solution with a piece of galvanic metal inside. The opposite charge is applied to the bath and the atoms of the plated metal are dragged from the piece of metal to the charged lighters. In this coating process, a thin layer of atoms is electrically bonded to all surfaces of the case. The machined parts (such as cam, flint, flint wheel) are then attached to the top of the inner case assembly with rivets. This is an automated process. Holes for these rivets would have been drilled into the case when it was first drawn. The elements of the internal case assembly are inserted into the welded body. Several balls of cotton-type material are placed inside the fuel chamber which will contain the lighter fluid. A length of breathable material is inserted which will then be pulled through the chimney. On the bottom.