Author: European Springs Web Team

Last week, Chancellor George Osbourne delivered his budget for this year and made a number of references to the technology and engineering sectors. Planning for upcoming advances in technology and investing in British infrastructure were both featured a number of times.

So how does the Chancellor envision Britain in the coming years and what do engineers need to know about the proposed budget changes?

Budget 2016 Torn Paper Concept

The Introduction of 5G

The global roll-out of 5G is expected to begin in 2020, meaning that the UK will need the relevant infrastructure to be in place ready.

Osbourne made a promise that his infrastructure measures will prepare the country for the arrival of 5G technology. It involves relaxing the planning restrictions for mobile network masts, and simplifying the procedure for companies building taller masts for better broadband speed and coverage across the UK.

With the growth in 4G for mobile phone users, it seems only right that the infrastructure and technology advances to allow for this next progression. Although 3G and 4G are much faster than their predecessors, 5G promises speeds of up to 10GB/s and much faster response times.

Investment in Renewable Energy

Wind Turbine - iStock_000044762348_Medium

Finding environmentally-friendly alternatives for powering British homes is something that features quite regularly on the news agenda and has become a subconscious part of most individual’s day-to-day life.

George Osbourne sees the UK as a nation that will harness an extra 3.5 gigawatts of offshore wind power between 2021 and 2025 – that’s enough to power 3.5 million homes. He also estimates that investment in this sector will overtake the gas industry by 2025.

The efficiency of wind turbines has been called into question a number of times, but as the technology advances it’s likely that there will be an improvement in the amount of electricity wind turbines generate.

Transport Infrastructure

The controversial HS2 budget will enable the planned infrastructure of the high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds, as well as the Crossrail 2 for London.

Osbourne also plans to set aside £230m for road improvements in the North, including the delivery of a four-lane M62 and a new tunnel road between Manchester and Sheffield.

Northern England

Finally, the Chancellor said he will invest more money into schooling in the North of England. However, some companies don’t believe it is enough to encourage the next generation of engineers to study STEM subjects.

Tudor Aw, who heads the technology arm of the KPMG, told Engineering and Technology magazine that he thought the promises to the sectors weren’t enough. He said, “Without a comprehensive people and digital infrastructure strategy in place, we risk falling behind in hot areas, such as nanotechnology, Internet of Things and driverless cars.”

However you feel about the budget, if you think that 2016 is going to be the year where you get your next invention off the ground, speak to a member of our team about how we can help you to make it a reality. With an array of springs and wireforms to choose from and the capability to create bespoke solutions, we can help you. Speak to a member of our team by calling 028 9083 8605 for more information.

19 years ago, a story hit the front page that gave the science industry a huge shake-up. The announcement heralded the arrival of the first successfully cloned animal – Dolly the sheep. Despite being born 7 months earlier, her existence was kept under wraps until February 22nd 1997. Read on to find out more about Dolly and her impact on the world of science.

The Life of Dolly

 Dolly started life as every other living creature does – as an embryo. However, the embryo that was to become Dolly was created through a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer which involves inserting the nucleus of a somatic cell into an enucleated egg cell. With the help of an electric current, this cell became an embryo which was inserted into a surrogate and carried to full term.

Dolly was born on 5th July 1996, a healthy newborn lamb. She lived a relatively normal life, even mothering her own offspring before dying on 14th February 2003. There was much concern over the health of Dolly during her life, partly due to the discovery that she was suffering from arthritis – something that was feared to be down to her being a clone.

The Impact of Dolly

 Although there was much controversy around the birth and life of Dolly, this was a huge success for scientists across the world due to the implications of the successful cloning. So, what are the implications, and where could this technology take us in the future?

DNA

 Saving Species’

 According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 10,000 species’ or sub-species go extinct every year. With the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, we could be looking at the possibility of species’ being saved through this method as was done last year when scientists cloned the endangered mouflon.

Curing Disease

 Cloning presents a whole world of medical possibilities, from cloning organs for transplant patients to maybe even curing terminal illness. However, the medical possibilities have their own ethical implications and questions – something that has played a large part in slowing down progress.

Back From the Dead

The release of Jurassic Park sparked the imaginations of people all over the world; could we really bring back the dinosaurs? While the tyrannosaurus rex may be a bit of a stretch, scientists have been conducting research into bringing back species’ such as the woolly mammoth.

 Woolly Mammoth

 Cloning is an extremely complicated and controversial field. While there are clearly benefits of this advancement, the ethical implications cannot be ignored. The biggest issue seems to be in relation to the value of human life. Wherever you fall on the matter, it’s clear to see that cloning could change the way we live our lives, forever.

3-D printing has developed at an astounding rate in the last few years; the ability to 3-D print nearly everything brought solutions to problems in a variety of industries, like mechanical engineering and space exploration. And it seems like medicine is also greatly benefiting from this technology, mainly the field of tissue engineering.

Researchers can now print living tissue structures to replace injured or diseased tissue. Their custom-designed printer was able to create structures that were placed in animals, and they succeeded in maintaining those structures alive.

How is it Possible?

The technology, called Tissue and Organ Printing System (ITOP), creates a water-based gel that, once solidified, gains the consistency of living tissue. It also allows blood vessels to be accommodated in that tissue, so they can receive oxygen and nutrients; cells can then be added to the structure. The materials used are bio-degradable and don’t harm the cells.

There is one issue researchers need to overcome, however. Any tissue thicker than 0.2 millimetres doesn’t allow the cells to receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which leads to the necrosis of that tissue.

But, that said, the printed tissue already has a vast array of applications, since it can vary in terms of strength – for example, the gel can solidify into the consistency of muscles, cartilage and bones, and researchers hope that this will lead to the printing of other human tissues.

Why This Matters

The implications for the field of medicine are extremely important. Since living tissue structures can now be printed to replace injured or diseased tissue, ITOP has the potential to bioprint tissue and cartilage for people with missing body parts, meaning reconstructions with bioprinted organs could be widely available in the future.

And the shortage of donated organs could be solved by simply having them custom-made for each patient – or, at least, the waiting lists for organ transplant could be greatly reduced. To have a body part that perfectly fits, the scientists involved in the project need to use imaging techniques and allow for the transferring of that data to their software, which could then be printed to flawlessly match the patient.

 

Here at European Springs Ireland, we’re interested in the advancements made in the engineering industry every day, like in 3-D printing, and we pride ourselves of offering top quality products that help move it forward – this is why we’re compression spring manufacturers as well as providers of information on these recent developments.

If you want to know more about what we do, don’t hesitate to contact us or call us on 028 9083 8605. Alternatively, you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

As leading spring manufacturers, we’ve had many years of experience in the engineering industry and already know how many engineering processes are carried out.

However, for young engineers coming into the industry, it can be quite daunting and difficult to get to grips with such a busy sector. With so much going on and a variety of different processes to learn, it can be quite nerve-wracking for newcomers to experience.

Using our knowledge of the engineering industry, here are 3 essential pieces of advice for young engineers wanting to join this fast-paced sector!

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

All the processes involved in engineering must be completed with precision and the only way this can be achieved is through understanding how it works completely.

female engineer

If you are unsure at any point, make sure you ask an experienced member of staff to either explain or show you how to complete the task. The success of the engineering project you are working on will most likely be affected if you were to carry out a task incorrectly, so make sure that you know what to do and how to do it before embarking on attempting it.

Remember – there’s no such thing as a stupid question. It’s safer to ask than to assume!

Be Prepared to Work in a Group As Well as Alone

Many young people come into the engineering industry thinking that they can just get their head down and work on a project by themselves.

heating engineer repairman in boiler room

Even though this isn’t a rare occurrence, more often than not you will need to be able to communicate with and work alongside other people in order to complete your work. This will give you access to a wider set of skills than your own, giving you more scope to produce a higher quality product.

It’s also a great opportunity to find out more about other engineering and manufacturing roles, especially if you are dealing with different departments while working on your project.

Look Up to a Role Model

The majority of young engineers usually find a more experienced member of staff to look up to when they first start their career in engineering, and although you may feel like you are annoying them by asking for advice, more often than not they will willingly help you out without any prompt or nudge from the higher ups.

3 engineers working

These individuals will have already gone through the process of being a new engineer, and will definitely know what you are probably wondering about. Take advantage of their knowledge and listen to the advice that they give; learning never stops in the engineering industry and the more you listen, the more you will understand and learn.

The engineering industry is an incredible sector to work in, and we hope that the next generation of engineers are ready to take on the industry and help produce some of the most wonderful feats of engineering ever created!

No matter what the future holds for engineering, European Springs Ireland will be here to provide you with all the spring products that you need! For more information on how we could help your business with our springs,  please feel free to get in contact with us today on  028 9083 8605 or head over to our Facebook, Twitter or Google+ pages today!

Here at European Springs IE, we’re pretty seasoned in creating wireforms for you to then go on and create your own pieces of tech. However, we also like to see what the next generation of budding engineers are up to, and how they are being encouraged to join our ranks.

The most recent announcement about inspiring kids to take up STEM is from Minecraft, who said they are creating an educational edition of the game. So here’s how the Microsoft-owned computer programme are planning to encourage children into engineering, along with plans from other companies.

MinecraftEdu

More than 7,000 classrooms across the globe already use Minecraft in some shape or form to make learning more dynamic and fun for children. However, the gaming giant are also planning to roll out a more structured edition of the game that will aid lessons about English, Maths and Science.

Using a computer game as an aid to lessons will not just make lessons more fun, it will also encourage children to think in a more scientific way.

Computer Programming

Coding is now a part of the national curriculum because it is such a valuable skill to have. This obviously has positive implications, allowing children to enjoy and learn how to build virtual programmes that they may enjoy playing on at home.

In fact, there have been articles showing that kids enjoy computer programming outside of their school hours and have taken it up as a hobby with their friends. Across Scotland, for instance, there are Coderdojo clubs whereby those aged 12-17 can go along and code.

Computer Coding -iStock_000039293276_Small

Lego Challenges

Similar to the club-mentality that is found with the Coderdojos, kids are also able to create robots and compete in international championships known as the First Lego League. This year’s theme is ‘Trash Trek’, which will encourage more than 250,000 children between the ages of 9 to 16 to think like an engineer by solving the real-world problem of waste. Furthermore, they will also build, test and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of missions in the Robot Challenge.

If you’re interested in creating the next generation of technology but need springs or wireforms to bring it all together, we can help! As part of a company that was first established in 1948, we have a wealth of experience and expertise that we are just waiting to share with you and your project.

For more information about how our services can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 07889 171 165. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our latest news!

He may be well known for his politically incorrect gaffes, but Prince Philip has played some pretty important roles over the years, and we have to say, we’re quite flattered by his recent comments about engineers.

Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, the Duke of Edinburgh spoke about the importance of engineers, saying it’s hard to imagine life without them.

He speaks from a position of some authority – he’s actually been involved in engineering since he was a young cadet, carrying out basic engineering tasks as part of his duties, and is today a Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – an institution he helped to create.

In the Radio 4 interview with Lord Browne of Madingley – another Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – the Duke of Edinburgh spoke about the problems the UK faced following the Second World War. The conflict caused serious damage throughout the country, with the Blitz affecting cities from Portsmouth to Glasgow, with knock-on effects to the infrastructure of the country. Combined with the cost of the war itself, the country was, in the Duke’s words, “completely skint. It seemed to me that the only way we were going to recover was through engineering”.

Over the following years, he used his influence to catalyse the formation of an academy for engineers as a way of integrating different engineering disciplines, identifying excellence in engineering and promoting the industry. Prior to the Academy’s formation in 1976, the Royal Society – the UK’s academy of sciences – had included engineers within its purview, but it was increasingly recognised that they needed a separate institution and today the two academies work side by side.

One of the interesting points that Prince Philip raised was that, despite the patently obvious importance of engineering to modern life, there is still no Nobel prize for engineering – an oversight he noted as “curious”. However, in recent years steps have been made to address this lack, with the introduction of the bi-annually awarded Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, first awarded in 2013 to the five engineers who are credited with the creation of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

The work of the Royal Academy of Engineering, supporting engineers, helping to encourage interest in the subject and bring young people into the industry, is certainly invaluable. As tension spring manufacturers, we depend on a continued support for engineering and manufacturing, and in turn support other manufacturers with our components, and it’s nice to see royal recognition for our industry!

If you’d like more information on the work we do here, or if you’re in need of components for your latest engineering project, get in touch with us on 028 9083 8605. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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