Design guide for CNC Milling
CNC milling is the most common fabrication method for professional prototyping, scaling well into the low- to mid-volume levels and sometimes higher. As with any
Category: Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Disasters: Banqiao Dam Failure
In response to severe flooding and to ensure electrical power generation in 1949 and 1950, China built the Banqiao Dam in the Huai river basin
Auto Tuning Part 1: Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics
As an automotive engineer, I can’t help feeling frustrated when I see a poorly tuned car. Every auto manufacturer has its own vehicle dynamics department
British mechanical engineering in the ’50s and ’60s – a unique perspective
The “Chief Clicker” has invited me to contribute recollections of my mechanical engineering experiences during the 1950’s & 60’s. Being his father, I suppose I
Lock Design Masterclass – Part 2
The first part of this lock design masterclass covered the basic principles of pin cylinder lock operation and how some forcible attacks can be mitigated. In part two
Hydraulic System Components: Part 2
As discussed in the previous article, the hydraulic power pack is the heart of a complete hydraulic system. It stores and supplies fluid from the reservoir,
Hydraulic Systems Components: Part 1
Hydraulic systems are everywhere in mechanical systems and made of a variety of standard components. With properly located and perfectly designed components, the hydraulic system
Crash Engineering – Safety Design
When buying a new car, most people think about design, performance, practicality and economy. Safety is rarely the first priority; with all the style and
Managing Automation Intelligence
As automation continues to enter into manufacturing plants, on both the operation and machining sides, it is important to understand how education will impact the
Stadium Roof Collapse Failure Analysis
In this article we will analyze and explain the collapse of part of a football stadium – the Twente football club stadium. This occurred in
Boeing 747 Landing Gear Design
When it comes to aircraft, hydraulic systems are often the preferable choice when compared to electrical and mechanical systems. This is certainly the case with the Boeing 747
Additive or Subtractive Manufacturing?
Before prototyping or manufacturing a product, it is important to consider all the different manufacturing processes which are available, as well as the strengths and
What Is Mechanical Engineering?
Mechanical engineering is a discipline that applies the principles of engineering, physics, and materials science to the design, analysis, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It
Lock Design Masterclass – Part 1
As a field of mechanical engineering, lock design has its own unique challenges, including the fact that you are designing something in the full expectation that
Smart Inspection Systems
In designing and manufacturing, the ability to measure your results is very important. Quick, accurate, and repeatable measurement is the goal of every quality system.
Engineering Disasters: Concorde Crash
On the morning of July 25th, 2000, there was an Air France Concorde crash moments after takeoff from near Paris based International Airport, Charles de Gaulle,
Anne Frank Tree – Poor Design Leads to Collapse
In 2009 a project was initiated to make a support structure for the Anne Frank tree, a historical chestnut tree treated as a landmark from
Invisibility Cloaks in the Real World
Invisibility cloaks are no longer found only in the imaginary worlds of James Bond and Harry Potter. In fact, various forms of invisibility cloaks have
What Makes an Aircraft Fly?
Have you ever wondered how an enormous machine can effortlessly travel through the air? How does an aircraft fly? Despite appearances, they are not magical
Aerodynamics Basics – Know the fundamentals
Have you ever wondered why cars have spoilers or why your hand ‘floats’ when you hang it out the window of a moving car? These
The Dyson Supersonic …bladelessly blowing you away
How do you create a new design to revolutionize and change the technology around an every-day device? A technology that hasn’t had fundamental changes in
Profile: Tim Looney, CEO of Northeast Biomedical
TYNGSBORO, Mass: The time and effort required to get a new medical device through the FDA’s application process has driven many companies out of the
Exosuit Development for the Battlefield
The exosuit or “Exoskeleton suit” is no longer just found in the realm of science fiction and the big screen, but is getting closer to becoming
Design it! The nuts and bolts of getting started…
This article has been written with the novice or beginner designer/inventor in mind. The intent of this article is to hopefully guide you through some
20 Great Reasons to Become a Mechanical Design Engineer
1. The pay is great. According to payscale.com, 7 of the top 10 starting salaries in the US are in engineering (with mechanical engineering coming
5 Skills Every Mechanical Design Engineer Should Have
Designing in the mechanical engineering field has gone through many phases. In the ‘80s, a designer was different from an engineer, who was different from
10 tips for writing a Functional Specification
In the mechanical engineering and design world, many things seem trickier to begin with than they actually are. Writing a formal specification is one of
The importance of PLM for Design Data Management
Managing and maintaining technical files is a common problem within the engineering discipline. When it comes to design data, a huge and diverse body of
Design of Flat Strip Springs
Flat strip parts can be very complicated in their form. Inside many products such as mobile phones, computers and medical equipment there are a wide
What are the Benefits of Nested Springs?
Nesting springs means to have one or more springs fitted inside a larger spring. Nested springs enable the spring designer to get more loadbearing material
8 things you need to know about PoC (Proof of Concept)
In mechanical engineering, PoC (“Proof of Concept”) is a critical part of the design process. The premise is extremely simple: a part or assembly must
Solving the unsolvable: Alex Jones, product design consultant
Welcome to the first in a new series of articles, where we get inside the heads of successful and highly talented mechanical engineers and industrial
Corrosion Protection of Springs
Where a spring operates in a corrosive environment some form of surface protection is required. Depending on the application, this can take a number of
Materials for Flat Strip Springs
As with wire, there is a wide range of strip materials available to the spring manufacturer. As many parts produced in strip are not primarily
Spring Wire Materials
Spring materials are chosen for their strength and are amongst the strongest materials used in industry. Springs are designed to work to far greater working
Factors affecting the Fatigue Performance of Helically Wound Springs
Reliability is of great importance to many spring users. Without the spring many applications will either cease to work or work less efficiently. Therefore much
Requirements, Requirements, Requirements!
In my 25 plus year career of performing mechanical design engineering and being a consultant, it has been my experience that the death and success
Mechanical Design – How to make projects happen faster
This article is a brief guide to improving the turnaround of both the mechanical design and sourcing of prototypes parts during the early stage of
Pro/Engineer: Inheritance feature tutorial
Generally, when we use a cast component in an assembly, we are using the machined version of the component. Though the design of a machined
The advantages of using GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing) in your drawings – My Story
Here’s the job I was working on a long time ago – a massive granite beam held in place with M20 tie-rods in an anchor
