ASME TechCast

Women in mechanical engineering are poorly represented. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only eight percent of working mechanical engineers are women. Low retention numbers are caused by multiple factors, including a lack of support among institutions and a lack of role models. Sonya Smith is a professor at Howard University and president of the Women in Engineering ProActive Network....

As the pace of development in engineering and technology take place, so too do questions about ethics in the workplace. Michael Loui, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois has concentrated on ethics throughout his career. In this episode, he talks about ethics in the workplace.

The so-called Nuclear Renaissance of the 2000s may have fizzled, but the small modular reactor concept is still going strong. Jose Reyes, co-founder and chief technology officer at NuScale Power, has been working on SMRs for almost 20 years, and his company is making progress toward building the first commercial SMR before the end of the decade. In this episode, he describes the evolution of the s...

Industry 4.0 has been on a continuous evolution over the last century. Design and manufacturing companies leverage connected networks, additive manufacturing, and digital engineering to become faster, more efficient, and flexible. These advances are helping companies overcome supply chain disruptions and labor shortages that have plagued the industry over the last few years. Dean Bartles, presiden...

Teaching future engineers to think about the possible ramifications of their work comes through a series of classes in ethics that universities require of their students. Andrew Katz is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. In this podcast, he talks about the importance of ethics in education and the profession, and how students react to ethical proble...

The advancements of robots as everyday tools are driving them out of the factory floor and into public spaces. Delivery bots, social bot companions, and automated household assistants are just some examples of how robots interact with people daily. In this episode of ASME TechCast, we speak with Tom Ryden, executive director of Mass Robotics, a nonprofit organization, to support research and devel...

Picking up where we left off the last episode, the editors of ASME.org and Mechanical Engineering magazine dive back in and discuss some of the top engineering stories from the past year. Listen to editor in chief Jeffrey Winters, senior editor John Kosowatz, and special projects manager Carlos González as they continue their talk about the latest digital twins, additive manufacturing, the supply...

The editors of ASME.org and Mechanical Engineering magazine discuss some of the top engineering stories from the past year. Listen to editor-in-chief Jeffrey Winters, senior editor John Kosowatz, and special projects manager Carlos González as they talk about biotechnology, electric vehicles, engineering education, and more.

Medical experts estimate there are 160 million people around the world with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm. When it breaks, more than half of those people die. The situation is frustrating for surgeons because the location of those blister-like lesions are in arteries too thin and too difficult to reach. That may change with the development of a steerable, hydraulically actuated catheter that...

Engineers focus more on their technical abilities than soft skills. Like in any other job, soft skills are essential for engineers to succeed in their careers. But soft skills might not come naturally to everyone and have to be developed and improved. In this episode, Nader Mowlaee, the founder of Engineer Your Mission and the creator of The Job Search Acceleration System, talks about how does one...

Hydrogen is the simplest atom there is – just a proton and an electron – and when you burn it, not only do you release a lot of power per pound of fuel, but the byproduct is simply water vapor. Jeffrey Goldmeer, Emergent Technology Director for Decarbonization at GE Gas Power and one of their resident experts on hydrogen talks with Jeffrey Winters, editor in chief of Mechanical Engineering magazin...

Generative computer-aided design is typically compared to how nature creates. When a tree grows, it will naturally find the strongest footing and the best path toward sunlight. The tree doesn’t grow unnecessary limbs; it is efficient in the way it expands outward. Generative design operates in the same way. Engineers designate their material and the constraint design points, and the generative CAD...

Dr. Lonnie Love is a corporate fellow and section head over precision manufacturing and machining at the U.S. Dept of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He leads many of the large-scale additive as well as advanced manufacturing for defense programs at the lab. His team has demonstrated advanced manufacturing technologies on several high-profile projects, including the first 3D-printed car. H...

The electric vehicle is positioned to become the vehicle of tomorrow. Major manufacturers such as Ford and GM are now joining the ranks of Tesla, debuting new fleets of electric cars. According to BloombergNEF, by 2030, the electric vehicle fleet will reach 116 million across the globe, up from an estimated 8.5 million units in 2020. BloombergNEF’s Nick Albanese, head of intelligent mobility, and...

In any industry, understanding how to apply computer modeling toward practical installation solutions is a challenge. To help engineers, simulation software can help anticipate the design requirements for proper installation. Concluding our three-part series, Doug Fast, technical leader for industrial mineral wool, and Alec Cusick, a technical services engineer from Owens Corning, discuss how engi...

As NASA plans to returning astronauts to the Moon and future long-duration exploration missions, additive manufacturing will continue to play a greater role in the future of space. One of additive’s most exciting areas is bioprinting of living cells. Indiana-based aerospace company TechShot’s Chief Scientist Eugene Boland, who is currently leading the team that manages the 3D Biofabrication facili...

With a lack of clear understanding of the industry standards and the difficulties in laboratory testing, engineers have had many challenges when designing acoustic insulation for piping systems. The engineers at Owens Corning look to solve the problem by introducing a new method of modeling and simulation that can accurately predict a piping system’s acoustic insulation need. Doug Fast, technical...

The challenges surrounding the piping industry are multi-faceted. One of the significant issues is proper guidance on sound insulation. While there are test methods and houses that can help engineers predict the required acoustic insulation, understanding the exact requirements for proper insulation can be challenging—one many engineers make retroactively on-site. Owens Corning is introducing new...

As the manufacturing supply chain starts to shift into the digital space, firms large and small will explore new opportunities in on-demand manufacturing as a service. Xometry, a leading AI-enabled digital marketplace where buyers can source on-demand manufactured parts and assemblies, has helped companies of all sizes explore digital manufacturing possibilities. Greg Paulsen, director of applicat...

The supply chain experienced significant disruption last year as the pandemic wreaked havoc across several industries. Digital manufacturing as a service has aided companies in transitioning traditional manufacturing processes to an online platform. Companies now have access to a multitude of vendors and suppliers at their disposal, creating new opportunities for faster production times and new ma...

The COVID-19 pandemic changed how many viewed engineering education. The push towards online education highlighted new possibilities and vulnerabilities within the education sector. As schools being to reopen and students return to school, engineering colleges and universities must reevaluate their educational direction and build upon the new models established during the pandemic. Mike Grandinett...

The U.S. offshore wind power industry is in its early stages but is poised to move quickly. The Biden administration is throwing its weight behind the buildout. There are 18.6 GW of procurements forecasts through 2030 and a whopping $68.2 billion in work and contracts for suppliers. However, to be successful, there must be a solid supply chain, unlike a mature network of suppliers in Europe. Brand...

The manufacturing industry is always in a state of flux. As new technologies are introduced, the methods of production need to update to stay current. Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the need for digital transformation and on-demand manufacturing solutions robust enough to survive supply chain disruptions. Jean Olivieri, chief operating officer at Fictiv, an on-demand manufa...

The industrial centers of the United States were once called the Arsenal of Democracy, but manufacturing and national defense are still tightly linked. Jeffrey Winters, the editor in chief of Mechanical Engineering magazine, talks with manufacturing experts Steven Schmid and Shreyes Melkote about the importance of maintaining—and expanding—America’s manufacturing edge.

As the Internet of Things has developed throughout the years, different industries are exposed to its advancements at different times. The oil and gas industry is currently experiencing the “big data” revolution like the manufacturing sector had undergone years prior. Robello Samuel, Ph. D., is a chief technical advisor and technology fellow at Halliburton since 1998. He will be speaking on “Hu: T...