Latest Mechanical Stories
Takt in manufacturing – production that doesn’t miss a beatSeptember 20, 2017
Andy Owen outlines how engineering companies can maximise the use of ‘takt time’ – a way of measuring the rate of production in line with customer demand and one of lean management’s most misunderstood concepts
University of Limerick engineers are at the heart of a shipbuilding revolutionSeptember 19, 2017
The Irish Composites Centre in UL is part of the FIBRESHIP EU initiative to manufacture the ships of the future, working to overcome the technical challenges of constructing the entire hull of large-
Engineering in the Air CorpsSeptember 12, 2017
Engineers play a crucial role in the Air Corps and the other branches of the Defence Forces – the Army and the Navy. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Moran explains the role of engineers in the Air Corps and the opportunities ahead
3D printing – sweeping the toy industry off the shelves?September 12, 2017
People who scoff that 3D printers are simply toys themselves probably do not realise how much money is made from playthings – and DIY manufacturing is having a multi-million-euro impact on the toy industry, writes Allison Mills
Industry 4.0: A world of new business models and marketsAugust 29, 2017
Festo’s Eberhard Klotz offers an insight into the factory of the future and explains how this industrial revolution offers business opportunities in the areas of production, engineering processes, energy management, logistical processes and predictive maintenance
What is the role of the maintenance engineer in the factory of the future?August 29, 2017
In automated manufacturing facilities of the future, machine-to-machine communication, sensor developments, big data and analytics will change the relationship between the factory and the maintenance engineer, writes Jonathan Wilkins
DIT Honours Degree at 100 miles per hourAugust 29, 2017
A group of DIT engineering students designed and built a single seat racing car and competed in the iMechE Formula Student competition in Silverstone
How superbuildings are advancing the facilities management workplaceAugust 1, 2017
Pat Gaughan looks at three ‘superbuildings’ – California's Apple Park, Perth's Woodside HQ and Amsterdam's Edge – to examine how facilities management is changing the workplace and how it shapes people and organisations
Bearing the harsh environment – lubrication selection for low-temperature operationsAugust 1, 2017
When a bearing is required to operate under demanding conditions, the selection of lubricant becomes even more important. Chris Johnson explains the lubrication requirements for bearings operating in low temperatures
The five biggest engineering innovations of 2017…so farJuly 18, 2017
We have crossed the halfway point of 2017 and engineers have been hard at work innovating the technologies of tomorrow. Here are the biggest engineering innovations of 2017 so far…do you agree?
Crumlin’s hybrid cardiac cath lab – essential health infrastructure for IrelandJuly 18, 2017
Andrew Mulhall outlines the mechanical and electrical innovations behind the new Hybrid Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, a design build project delivered through Building Information Modelling
TCD engineer takes Zero-G ‘vomit comet’ to study steam-powered spacecraftJuly 18, 2017
Dr Tony Robinson, Trinity College lecturer in mechanical engineering, experienced zero gravity in a bid to research the power of steam in space for the European Space Agency. Kathleen McNamee reports
Could dragons on Westeros fly? Aeronautical engineering and maths say they couldJuly 4, 2017
With the seventh season of Game of Thrones hitting our screens this month, aeronautical engineer Guy Gratton surmises that in order for Dany's dragons to fly, Westeros must ‘work differently’ to Earth
Minimising fluid friction makes ships more fuel-efficient and reduces emissionsJuly 3, 2017
Even tiny trace amounts of surfactants can severely limit the drag reduction of superhydrophobic surfaces, causing an imbalance in the flow of water along the interface with ships’ surfaces
Vehicle restraint systems and their function: restraining and containing trafficJune 20, 2017
Herbert Nyamakope writes that VRS design focuses on making the crash barrier fail in a particular way rather than in preventing crashes, as it is the failure mechanism of the barrier that provides protection to drivers
Old flywheel technology could create new savings for light-rail transitJune 20, 2017
Engineers are using flywheel technology to store mechanical energy generated when trains decelerate and stop. ‘Dynamic braking’ means that it is then converted to electrical energy when the train is ready to leave the station
Mechanical engineering must futureproof to maximise tomorrow’s technologyJune 6, 2017
Mechanical engineering has always held strong among all engineering disciplines, even in the face of changing technology. Auro Ashish Saha outlines the skills needed by tomorrow’s mechanical engineers, to develop their careers
Tactile feedback adds ‘muscle sense’ to prosthetic handJune 5, 2017
Tactile feedback on the skin allowed blindfolded test subjects to more than double their ability to discern the size of objects grasped with a prosthetic hand, report engineers in a new paper
Producing pellets – how the growing demand is causing strain on equipmentMay 23, 2017
The global market for pellets is thriving, but machinery used for the high load and high-pressure production of pellets faces a reduced lifespan due to the inadequacy of existing industrial grease products, writes Mark Burnett
Mechanical engineers develop 3D-printed ‘bionic skin’ to give robots the sense of touchMay 23, 2017
A new process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices could give robots the ability to feel their environment. The discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin