Professional Engineering

Engineering offers many ways to make the world a better place. But to truly meet society’s needs, industry must reflect it – and with persistent low levels of female engineers and low representation of minority groups, many hurdles still remain in the UK sector. Last week, an IMechE event set out to identify and tackle those barriers, exploring steps that organisations should take to ensure all engineering spaces “are welcoming to all those with a contribution to make”. #inclusion #engineering #industry #workforce Jeffrey Greenidge Professor Helen James OBE EurIng CEng FIMechE BSc (Hons) MA DBA Professor Anne Nortcliffe FInstMC FIET FWES CEng SFHEA Abbey Addison BEng CEng Charlotte Briers Dr. Shini Somara // CEng FIMechE EngD HonFIED Steven Murray

Successful engineering projects rely on efficient and effective communication of ideas, and technical reports have a key role to play. An upcoming IMechE training course, next running in Manchester on 7 April, will give you the tools you need for the task. Here are five expert tips from Jean Billingsley, one of the course leaders, to help you write successful reports. #engineering #reports #technical #tips

In application areas as diverse as industrial, mobile, marine, machine tools, agricultural equipment and offshore installations, machinery that needs to generate high forces in a compact package will typically rely on hydraulic drive systems. At the heart of that power transmission system is the hydraulic pump, in turn driven by a prime mover, which might be a motor, electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or an ICE. Here, jbj Techniques Limited explores coupling of hydraulic pumps to prime movers. #sponsoredcontent

The unique perspective provided by a bird’s eye view can often reveal issues that go unnoticed on the ground, giving engineers an opportunity to spot potential failures before they happen. #railway #safety

SpaceX has repeatedly demonstrated the return and reuse of first stage rockets – so why not second stages too? A new project from the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre at NMIS explores that possibility. "SpaceX are very successful in recovering the first stage, but we thought ‘Hey, once we've got an asset in space, it's a valuable asset – let's try and do something useful with it while it's there,’" said Iain Bomphray. #space #engineering #SpaceX #rockets #manufacturing

The AI roll-out is underway, offering engineers a multitude of ways to optimise processes, boost productivity and lower costs. But in such a fast-moving and complex field, it can be hard to know where to start. An upcoming IMechE course, next running in London from 14-15 April, will tackle that challenge. Here, course leader Ali Parandeh, CEng gives five key tips to help you start using it effectively. #AI #artificialintelligence #engineering #skills #training

There is a “massive gap” that needs to be bridged between physical operations and data before industrial and energy companies can successfully deploy AI systems, an industrial technology firm has warned. New AI technologies offer ways for companies to automate and optimise many processes, French multinational Schneider Electric told a media briefing. The tools can support and sometimes even replace human judgements in industrial operations, said digital transformation lead François Disch – but major “hygiene” efforts are needed before that can happen. #data #AI #industry #energy #transformation

A revolutionary new technology is just around the corner – and could transform engineering as we know it. Matt Himsworth Chris Ballance Cristian Bonato #quantum #quantumcomputing #quantummechanics #engineering

The High Speed Rail Group has urged the government to recommit to extending HS2 to Crewe, claiming it would act as a “key driver” of growth. #HS2 #rail #railways

While most humanoid robots are designed for general-purpose tasks, their deployment in specialised professional fields has so far been limited. Lithuanian firm Exergio, which specialises in #AI-driven energy management tools for commercial buildings, aims to change that by bringing humanoid robots to the field. #robots #robotics #energy #buildings