5 Reasons Why There Aren’t Many Female Mechanical Designers
If you asked 10 different people what a career in mechanical engineering entailed you would likely get an array of different answers. This is the
Category: General articles
John Wilkes: Master Safe Cracker & mechanical engineer!
EngineeringClicks speaks to lock and safe expert, and mechanical engineering guru, John Wilkes. John trained in England as a safe cracker (a safe and bank
Lathe Machine Parts – A Quick Guide
In this article we will give an overview of the components of a lathe; the lathe machine parts and their primary functions. Lathes refer to
Engineering Disasters: Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion (1944)
The Cleveland East Ohio tragedy occurred on Friday, October 20, 1944. At 2:30 p.m., laboratory workers at the East Ohio Gas Company spotted white vapour
What is more important to a designer, creativity or experience?
Creativity is not easy to define. In its broadest sense it is the ability to create something new that didn’t exist before. Assembling a piece
Bendable Smartphone and Smartwatch – Advancing Innovation
Bendable Smartphone Moxi Group, a small startup based in Chongqing, China is hoping to upset current smartphone technologies with their release of the first bendable
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EngineeringClicks is one of the top mechanical engineering websites, and is home to one of the top 5 engineering forums. Please help more people find
The Lancashire Boiler – Victorian Ingenuity
It is universally recognised that William Fairbairn created the Lancashire Boiler back in 1844 although some believe he created the idea of a twin fire tube boiler
Will Robotics Outclass Humans?
As the field of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to accelerate, the concept of intelligent robotics is far closer than ever before. As our computing power
Karl Benz and the world’s first car patent
Karl Benz has a name synonymous with cars not to mention a career which literally changed transport around the world. Born in Germany on 25
Electric Aircraft: the Sun-Flyer
Electric Aircraft gives Flight This innovation may have a huge effect on the world of aviation, by massively reducing the cost of flight time and
Design is art!
Before we begin to consider whether design is art let us look at the various definitions of art from the dictionary: Art is: Human effort
Is design a form of science?
Is it really such an important question? It is important because it affects the way we define ourselves, the way we perform and criticise our
The rise and fall of the Twin Towers
The date September 11, 2001 will be forever etched in the minds of millions of people around the world. This was the day that the
Lessons we can learn from the sinking of the Titanic
I was watching a TV program about new data and photos from the Titanic when suddenly my wife remarked: “You engineers must be learning a
ASME – Everything you need to know
ASME is vital to the world of engineering but if we were to take a straw poll on the streets today asking the general public how
Engineering Disasters: Space Shuttle Columbia (2003)
This short article covers the circumstances surrounding the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 and the steps taken to correct the root cause of
Design: Science or Art?
Let me start with an intriguing question: Is design a science or an art? When I first heard this question it bothered me a lot. I
British military engineering at its best: The Bouncing Bomb
During World War II the Allies were struggling to penetrate the heartland of industrial Germany where weapons were being manufactured. It is well documented that
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On Engineering Calculations…
The difference between school and “real life” problem solving When we pass from high school to university we bring with us the idea that answers
Engineering Disasters: Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse (1940)
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940 and collapsed into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. At
The Toaster
I wasn’t planning to write this article now, but a response to my earlier article “Can Design Be Taught at University” made me realise that
It’s Tough Being The New Graduate In An Office of Seniors
Amongst discussions the freshly hired have amongst pals and close friends, there is the so infamous but quite taboo “being a new graduate in an office
Engineering Disasters: Hindenburg (1937)
What really happened to the Hindenburg? A German passenger airship called The LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and crashed during its attempt to dock in
3 Silly Mechanical Design Mistakes To Avoid
One of the silliest mechanical design mistakes I made was to mis-position a PCB supporting feature on an injection moulding by around 3mm. Despite this
Company Spotlight : SpaceX
In the last few decades we have learned a great deal about space and vastly improved our exploration tools and skills thanks to NASA’s published efforts. But,
Is There Decent Money In Mechanical Design Engineering?
Is there decent money in mechanical design engineering? The shortest answer possible is: there is as long as you don’t hang out a lot, don’t
How Accurate Is Symmetry?
In previous articles, we spoke about the undeniable use and help the notion of symmetry brings to a mechanical design. It is a powerful tool,
Engineering Disasters: RMS Titanic (1912)
RMS Titanic was the biggest, most luxurious and the most expensive ship on the waters back in 1912. This is a ship which was widely
Manufacturing Process Selection for Your Product
For some mechanical design engineers, manufacturing process selection is the last thing they think about during the design process. This is a very bad way to
SpotMini From Boston Dynamics
Boston Dynamics recently broke the mould with its ATLAS robot but the company has just released a new funky, flexible and extremely well advanced model
Flirtey announces first FAA approved delivery drone
If you think the idea of delivering goods using the latest drone technology is still some way off commercial reality then you need to think
Engineering software for Apple platforms
First, I’ll admit Mac users have engineering software such as Matlab, Labview and AutoCAD. For 3D design and analysis in OSX there are few software
What do calculations actually mean?
Engineers are supposed to do calculations. That’s what we do. We calculate everything from strength and mass flow, temperature rise and heat transfer, fuel consumption and
Additive manufacturing, the FDA and a regulatory minefield
Even though additive manufacturing has opened the door to multiple business opportunities in recent times it has been like the Wild West for the last
Engineering Disasters: Space Shuttle Challenger (1986)
The launch of the shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986 was a huge television event, largely because one of the astronauts was New Hampshire’s Christa McAuliffe, a
IGES vs STEP – The Definitive Guide
For most design engineers, the following scenario should look familiar: Bob, the lead designer for company X, needs to send a CAD model to Susan,
Is it possible to ban 3D printed guns?
Legislation that would ban 3D printed guns was originally proposed by New York Congressman Steve Israel but was not passed into law. According to Israel’s
Tesla Autopilot, dangerous or a life saver?
Tesla Autopilot has been making the headlines for some time, and even recalls are on the table as a potential outcome. According to the media, autopilot
