Mechanical engineering has always had a strong hold among all engineering disciplines over many decades, even in the face of vastly changing technological scenarios. To safeguard its pristine position, mechanical engineers must look beyond and make a landscape for sustaining their future technological careers for the coming decades. This article looks at the development of new courses that aim to cultivate desirable skill sets for mechanical engineers of the future. Specialised courses ...

The global market for pellets is thriving, thanks to a growing demand for pellets used as biofuel for heating in residential use and furnaces and boilers in industrial applications. However, equipment and 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. Global wood pellet production was estimated to be 28 million tonnes in 2015, the majority of which was split between heating and ...

Engineering researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a revolutionary process for 3D printing stretchable electronic sensory devices that could give robots the ability to feel their environment. The discovery is also a major step forward in printing electronics on real human skin. The research will be published in the next issue of Advanced Materials and is currently online. "This stretchable electronic fabric we developed has many practical uses," said Michael ...

One of the first attempts at humanoid robot design took place in 1495, when Leonardo Da Vinci developed the mechanical knight. The robot was designed to make several human-like motions, but it was not until the 1990s, when the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) invented Kismet, the world’s first sociable robot. Over the years, the manufacturing industry has looked towards these humanoid robots in optimising productivity in the sector, leading to the creation of soft robots. But ...

Haulbowline Island, located in the centre of the second-largest natural harbour in the world, where the River Lee flows down to meet the sea, is a place of rich history. Tucked away in an unassuming corner of a disused building, a historical gem had being waiting rediscovery. In 2012, while passing the Seamanship Bay in the island’s Naval Base, Petty Officer/Engine Room Articifer (PO/ERA) Alan Duggan chanced upon an old collection of engineering parts and machinery during some renovation ...

Benjamin Franklin once said, “It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.” This rings true for the industrial sector, where it is easier to form a habit of good predictive maintenance than to recover from machinery breakage or downtime. However, this is easier said than done. Predictive maintenance requires constant vigilance in order to be effective, ensuring that maintenance engineers know when it is the right time to lubricate bearings, apply a rust-preventative coating or ...