Blog
Where have all the electrical design engineers gone?
Jon Hawkins, Technical Director, Newbury Innovation - the electronic design division of Newbury Electronics - believes that there is a serious dearth of suitably qualified electrical design engineers and he is struggling to find the right candidates to join his team and enable him to grow the business.
Distributed control systems vs programmable logic controllers
The difference between distributed control systems (DCSs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) can be boiled down to a simple football metaphor. Your DCS is your captain. The first name on the team sheet, your DCS is dependable, hardworking and controls the whole outfit. Your PLC is more like a utility player - he's nippy and doesn't mind where he plays, but don't expect him to be as reliable as your captain. Here, Mark Proctor, managing dir...
The bigger, the better?
In 2009, Northrop Grumman Corporation successfully load tested the most powerful electric motor ever used by the US Navy. The motor is also the world's first 36.5MW high temperature superconductor (HTS) ship propulsion motor, which is double the US Navy's power rating test record. What may surprise you is the motor is less than half the size of a conventional motor, thanks to the use of HTS wire coils that are able to carry 150 times the power of...
Getting a square peg into a round hole
Have you ever watched a child puzzle over how to get the square peg in their hand into that round hole? Being a battery OEM can often raise the same quandary. However, rather than simply hammering the square peg in as it is, OEM designers take the opportunity to get innovative. Here, Anthony Robinson, engineering manager at Accutronics, looks at how customer needs drive innovation in design.
The importance of tyre safety
In 2014, tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) became a legal requirement for all new passenger vehicles manufactured in Europe. Maintaining the correct tyre inflation is important for both fuel efficiency and tyre performance, but this legislation is yet to be extended to commercial vehicles, caravans and trailers. Here, Peter Tillotson, business development manager of TyrePal, discusses the lack of TPMS regulation for alternative vehicles and...
Decreasing workplace stress
Providing employees with a suitable work-life balance can be quite the challenge for employers. Incentives including office pets, flexible working hours, team building exercises or a steady routine can all have a positive impact. However, implementing this balance across a team of individuals with varying motivators, interests and backgrounds is no easy feat. On average British workers spend 43 hours a week sat at their desks and one in five admi...
Strong cables, language problems and that dreaded day
Steve Rogerson looks at some of the recent news that may have missed the front page. British start-up Echo has designed a cable for an iPhone that is stronger than the one Apple provides. In fact, so strong is it that it can tow a car, and they sent a video to prove it. My question is why anybody would want a mobile phone cable that strong. Then again, I suppose it might come in handy if you break down somewhere remote. The company is runnin...
The computers are 'watching' – data that can predict your future
This glimpse of the future was crafted by: Mark Stone. The field of prediction is about to take a giant leap forward. We all make predictions. When companies hire an employee, they predict that they will do a good job. When they launch a product, they predict that consumers will want it. Call it a hunch, or even experience – we all make judgement calls about the future. This is how things used to happen, but this is all about to change...
Unlocking the value of cross-facility data sets
According to an industry survey by IBM, two thirds of mid-sized companies have already implemented - or are currently considering - a cloud based storage model for their organisation. The analytic advantages of cloud computing in industry are no secret, in fact, 70% of these cloud-using respondents said they were actively pursuing cloud-based analytics to gleam greater insights and efficiency in order to achieve business goals. By Martyn Williams...
The risks of replacement
We’ve all been there, the vacuum has been rattling for months and you’ve gotten used to the slight aroma of charred carpet after every clean. But a final diminishing groan forces you to admit your trusty vacuum has had its day. Instead of trying to patch up old Henry, most of us would take his demise as the perfect excuse to splash out on that lightweight, wall mounted, cordless number we have seen on the telly. In industrial environm...