01/07/1998 Working on the chain gang Lubrication is a necessity for chain systems - but what about sensitive applications, such as food production, where lubricant may be undesirable?
01/07/1998 Wheels within plastic wheels Two shot moulding has at last delivered the plastic puncture-proof tyre, at least for small vehicles.
01/07/1998 Rotary engines turn the corner Reciprocating engines could find themselves replaced by a rotary engine that overcomes the drawbacks inherent in previous designs
01/06/1998 Showing the hard face of light metals Aluminium and other light alloys can be coated with a hard facing that is tougher and more wear resistant than any steel.
01/06/1998 Prototyping shows its metal A process that could revolutionise the way in which metal parts are produced.
01/06/1998 Charged film feels the pinch An electromechanical film, which can measure the heartbeat of a person touching it, promises a wide application base.
01/06/1998 Slot shape improves coupling reliability A coupling that overcomes many of the shortfalls of previous designs.
01/06/1998 Putting gears onto a new planet Self-aligning bearings from SKF have helped Italian engineers to redesign a gearbox, making it cheaper and much less complex
01/06/1998 Gearboxes lift weight in water Power transmissions which work immersed in water help the disabled, provide toys for the rich, and offer new opportunities in marine and offshore engineering.
01/06/1998 Tiny valve balances size and power In the fluid power industry, along with fieldbus compatibility, there are two basic driving factors – size and power
01/06/1998 Quieter pump has the teeth to succeed A gear pump that will find application where noise levels are important.
01/06/1998 The process that came in from the cold Advances in cold forming allow high precision components to be made from stainless steel in one shot
01/06/1998 Aluminium alloys get it together Aluminium alloys and metal matrix composites can be joined without loss of shear strength.
01/06/1998 Lubrication scotches old engine problem How modern engineering has brought a promising engine concept to reality
01/05/1998 Tuning in to the sound of silence A pneumatic actuator could deliver fast and powerful pulses that drown out the the noise of jet engines.
01/04/1998 VR is having a ball A new approach to virtual reality promises to be the most realistic so far.
01/03/1998 Magnetic force creates a revolution Replacing steel balls or rollers with a controlled magnetic force offers a radical option to designers of bearing systems.
01/02/1998 Novel architecture pumps up the volume A totally new approach to the design of pumps claims much higher size to output performance than comparable models.
01/02/1998 Mini valve slides in to plug and play a tiny valve that takes modularity and ease of use to new levels
01/01/1998 Creating a sensor of achievement A novel way of sensing presence or absence of objects, an improvement over existing methods.
01/12/1997 Flowing fluid makes an impact on material world A low cost and non destructive way of absorbing impacts
01/11/1997 Shuttling magnet ensures efficient gas compression A low cost combined linear motor and gas compressor
01/10/1997 Laser sintering cuts mould production time A process that takes rapid prototyping to new levels and allows the fabrication of moulds that are impossible to create by other means.
10/11/1996 Circling kites gather more power Tom Shelley reports on a novel way of extracting energy from wind and water that saves cost by bending with the flow instead of trying to stand up to it
01/07/1998