Boeing and DARPA join forces on space plane program.
US defence research agency DARPA are collaborating with Boeing on the production of an experimental space plane designed to enable on demand affordable access to space.
Dubbed Phantom Express, the hypersonic aircraft is being developed under DARPA’s Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program. According to the agency, it could radically reduce the cost of putting a satellite in orbit and bolster the ability to recover from the unexpected loss of critical military and commercial satellites. Read More……
GT motorsport star highlights ‘Need for STEAM’
One of the leading stars of GT Motorsport, Christian Engelhart drove into Coventry recently with a clear message to get more young people involved in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM). The factory driver for GT Motorsport team Lamborghini, marked his ongoing sponsorship deal with automotive supplier Brose by meeting hundreds of people at a special motorsport event held outside Coventry Transport Museum. Read more…….
Robotics expert takes the stage at The Engineer Conference
Technology-shy businesses areHadall, who is chief technologist for robotics and automation at The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, says: “Britain still lags behind its major economic rivals in the uptake of robots. Statistics from the International Federation of Robotics on robot densities reveal the UK has only 33 robots per 10,000 employees compared to Japan (213), Germany (170) and Sweden (154). missing out on the benefits of robots says leading expert Jeremy Hadall, one of the speakers at The Engineer Conference. Read more……
Tipping point for additive manufacturing
Additive manufacturing is on the verge of breaking through as a mainstream production process, according to a new survey by Subcon 2017. Nearly a quarter of the respondents said that they use additive manufacturing or 3D printing for production components and 85% said they expected to do so in the next five years. A year ago, only 21% said they would use additive manufacturing for production components in the next five years and 35% said they might. Read more…
Business leaders want ‘transparent’ alternative to energy price caps
The next government should force energy suppliers to create a new transparent default tariff that shows customers exactly how much of their money goes on wholesale energy, transmission and other fixed costs, and how much goes on the company’s unregulated profit margin, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has declared. In the latest in a series of reports which the business group is publishing in the lead-up to the UK general election, the IoD also called on Whitehall to convene a competition between local authorities “that possess the appropriate geology” to host a new underground geological disposal facility for Britain’s nuclear waste. Read more...
Oil and gas faces recruitment challenge among millennials
The oil and gas industry is “at the threshold” of a global battle for new recruits which could see it lose out to rival sectors, warns a leading commentator. Ryan Jenkins, who has advised leading corporations including Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo and equipment manufacturer John Deere on employee engagement, said a new approach was needed to retain the millennial generation. Read more…