Much attention has been paid to 3D Printing lately, with new companies developing cheaper and more efficient consumer models that have wowed the tech community. They herald 3D Printing as a revolutionary and disruptive technology, but how will these printers truly affect our society? Beyond an initial novelty, 3D Printing could have a game-changing impact [...]
Fokker and Renault on the future of lightweight composites
In the automotive sector, steel is still the dominant construction material. The range of materials applied in future cars will, however, be broader than we see in current ones. The sector of non-ferrous applications is expected to grow, as well as the use of polymers and composites. But these changes do not happen overnight, they [...]
Siemens Installs Six Megawatt Offshore Wind Turbines
Ever bigger rotors, ever more powerful wind turbines, ever farther off the coast. The reason: Costs of wind energy need to be reduced. In order to achieve this, production, installation and operation are designed as efficient as possible. The installation ship “Sea Installer” helps with this. For the very first time, this custom-made superlative installed [...]
Rhythm of The Factory
With another season of F1 just around that tight hairpin, Red Bull Racing release the launch video for their new 2013 car, the RB9.
Wardjet Showcases Waterjet Capabilities
At this weekends open house at the AMRC in Sheffield, Wardjet showcased their five-axis waterjet head to cut logos into a 1.5m carbon fibre composite cylinder. The AMRC with Boeing are currently engaged in several international collaborative projects, funded under the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programe (FP7), to extend the capabilities of waterjet machining. The [...]
Burt Rutan: Innovation and the Race for Space
Aerospace entrepreneur, Virgin Galactic spacecraft designer, and founder of aerospace research firm Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan is a bold visionary with a passion for the advancement of technology. Named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Inc. magazine and one of “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” by TIME, Rutan designed the legendary Voyager aircraft — the [...]
Building the Bloodhound
Laura Trant from the BBC recently went along to URT Group in Bognor Regis to meet some of the team behind its creation.
Toyota Showcases Carbon Fibre Roof Concept
Toyota have lifted the kimono on its new carbon fibre roof concept at this years Tokyo Auto Salon.
Airbus Wing Factory in North Wales
FT manufacturing editor Peter Marsh visits the wing factory of Airbus/EADS at Broughton in north Wales. There he learns how the factory works on a process of continuous innovation in technology, and he assesses the impact on skills and jobs across the UK
Inside Koenigsegg
Inside Koenigsegg provides for the first time, a look behind the scenes at Koenigsegg and examine how innovation within the highest echelon of sports car manufacturers will affect the broader automotive world. In the first episode, Christian Von Koenigsegg reveals the secrets behind building automotive components from carbon fibre, the strong, lightweight material that’s crucial [...]
Lexus LFA Carbon Fibre Technology to be used to Create Other Models
In December the last Lexus LFA super car rolled off the production line, however the cars death will have not been in vain as engineers start to look for new ways to utilise the carbon fibre technology they created specifically for the car.