Blog

14 Sep 2018

The future of aviation may be closer than we think thanks to an electric aircraft start-up company, Impossible Aerospace. One of their newly-designed electric drones is capable of flying non-stop for two hours. With $9.4 million in funding from Airbus and two Silicon Valley venture capital firms, electric drones are just the beginning.

Spencer Gore, CEO and founder of Impossible Aerospace, is a former Tesla battery engineer with invaluable industry experience. His vision is to transform aviation using electric drones as proof of concept. The plan is to make longer-range electric passenger aircraft with today’s low energy-density batteries. If all goes according to plan, the future looks bright for zero-emission passenger aircraft. We take a closer look at the technology and the young mastermind behind it all.

7 Sep 2018

Flying cars are once again a hot topic of discussion but this time it involves Metro Skyways, a subsidiary of Israel’s Urban Aeronautics (UA). The company has announced that they are going into the full-scale development of the CityHawk VTOL flying car. The first manned flights of this hybrid-powered six-seater will take place in 2021 followed by full FAA certification. They plan to convert the CityHawk to run on hydrogen fuel cells after the launch.

Urban Aeronautics Ltd has developed advanced aerodynamic technologies that form the basis of a new internal rotor (ducted fan) aircraft known as Fancraft™. They capitalise on their extensive portfolio through two subsidiary companies, Tactical Robotics Ltd and Metro Skyways Ltd. Both companies are developing unique Fancraft™ for specific markets. The CityHawk, wingless flying car with “land anywhere” technology is their latest project and looks impressive, to say the least.

31 Aug 2018

The word “fabrication” means to make something from raw material. Steel fabrication is no different and plays an extremely important role in the world’s infrastructure and economy. Practically every aspect of our civilization benefits from some form of fabricated metal. From household appliances to vehicles and parts, our lives would be unrecognisable without carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium.

Although the construction of steel buildings dates back to the 20th century, they became more popular during World War II. Thereafter, steel buildings expanded significantly once steel became more readily available. Modern technology, machinery and computer aided design software have pushed steel fabrication to the next level as we see it today. Steel fabrication now involves the implementation of various manufacturing processes including bending, cutting, grinding, brazing and welding.

24 Aug 2018

Several industries currently benefit from aluminium fabrication, which relates to the construction of metal structures by means of cutting, bending and joining. Most extrusions go through some form of further processes such as fabrication, machining and surface treatment. The properties of aluminium make extrusions highly suitable for almost any type of fabrication.

Although fabrication can be applied to any metal, aluminium is considered one of the most common. As a result, there is a big demand for aluminium fabrication services all over the world. If you look at your home or office building, aluminium is all around us. Some of the most common features are aluminium gates and aluminium frameworks used for doors, windows and showers.

17 Aug 2018

Much has been said about the promising future of UK manufacturing and engineering but what does the future hold? Everyone knows that Britain is the birthplace of the industrial revolution and remains a global leader in manufacturing. This applies especially to the aerospace sector as it’s the largest in Europe and only second to the US. In 2016, there were more than 2.6 million people directly employed in manufacturing in the UK alone.

The south-west of England is the largest aerospace region in Europe and home to 15 large aerospace companies. In addition, the cluster also consists of a large network of world-class supply chain companies.

Manufacturers have started to make the transition to new processes striving for greater productivity and functionality. Technological advancements in the last few years mean

10 Aug 2018

Plating services are important in any industry but particularly for the application in military vehicles.  The brave men and women in our armed forces are often required to place themselves in dangerous situations. For that reason, the quality of equipment and machinery they use could literally mean the difference between life and death. To protect our military personnel, the defence industry always ensures that they have the best products at their disposal.

3 Aug 2018

We see the benefits of 3D printing all the time from manufacturing, medical, the fashion industry to prototyping and production. With construction in mind and large-scale 3d printers, it is now possible to think about bigger projects. There’s no doubt that that additive manufacturing is an ideal building solution for creating models in architecture.

With that in mind, 3D printing has made headlines once again. This time though, it’s not a 3D printed house in your neighbourhood unless you live on Mars. We take a closer look at how the 3D printed habitat challenge from NASA and their partners have developed. If you are remotely interested in aerospace design, engineering and space exploration, you should really watch these videos.

24 Jul 2018

We can all agree that there aren’t many products we use in everyday life that does not involve CNC machining. From cars, planes, household machines and appliances to medical parts and toys, all go through a CNC machine at some point during production.

Computer Numerically Controlled or CNC machining has become more versatile then ever. The number of axis has increased and the types of machines now available mean that increasingly smaller and more intricate parts are manufactured using a CNC machine. The development of CNC Machining has truly revolutionised the manufacturing industry.

It’s not just CNC machines making waves, further advances like

20 Jul 2018

UK spaceflight is about to take the next step in aerospace dominance. The UK Space Agency, with support from Lockheed Martin, will develop Europe’s first spaceport on A’Mhoine Peninsula in Sutherland, Scotland. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) will develop the launch site in Sutherland with initial funding of £2.5 million. The plan is to use proven and new innovative rocket technologies to lay the foundation for UK spaceflight to become world-leaders.

In addition, a further £2.5 million will go to the development of horizontal launch sites in Cornwall, Argyll and Wales. These sites could boost UK spaceflight and the economy even further presenting significant opportunities for companies all over the globe to invest in Britain.

13 Jul 2018

While the implications of robotic military vehicles on human society are yet to be fully realised, the technology is here and probably have been for longer than we think. Most recently an Estonian defence firm, Milrem, launched the world’s first modular unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) doubling as a tank-destroyer. The modular, multi-purposed vehicle intends to provide support for dismounted troops in the shape of a transport platform, remote weapon station, IED detection and a UAV carrier among others.

The race to build the perfect military vehicle is an ongoing slog-fest and defence contractors around the globe have their hands full. More specifically, tank designers and anti-tank weapon designers are constantly pushing the envelope for better technology.

Events

November 2024
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930