End of the Line

3D printing, or additive manufacturing as it’s known in the industry, have revolutionized warfare, as seen in the current Ukraine Russia conflict. The ability to mass-produce first-person view drones in the thousands has created a new battlefield, where traditional doctrines about armor and logistics have been changed forever. Not only do the drones make attacking armies more vulnerable, additive...

Northrup Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites have created a small single-pilot fighter jet, the Vanguard. It could be the 21st century version of the the 1960's F-5 Freedom Fighter:  low cost, but high-performance. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing...

The market for orbital launch services is considerable, but limited. Is the room for all the players? * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

As software controlling everything from video games to jet airliners has become too complex to make completely error proof, the move to increasing flight automation continues to carry risk. No one knows this more than Boeing, but the fundamental problem of systems that are too complex for humans to check means that safety may ultimately be handed over to artificial intelligence. First, for checkin...

There is plenty of talk in the mainstream media about the technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, but the real engineering issue is not rooted in pressure vessels, valves or lines. It’s management. Starliner has launched previously to the international Space Station uncrewed, so the capability for fully autonomous flight exists at Boeing. The current flight was configured for human...

Barnaby Wainfan designed a radically different lifting body light aircraft over 30 years ago, that exhibited superior performance in almost every metric: speed, lifting capacity, interior volume, stall performance and centre of gravity tolerance. It’s also cheap and easy to build. His designs are much talked about at the annual Oshkosh fly in for aviation enthusiasts, yet major aircraft manufactur...

Very few technologies in manufacturing have ever offered as much as 3D printing. Additive manufacturing is revolutionary in the way that computer numerical controlled machining was 50 years ago, and for some high-value industries, it’s a standard production tool. But it’s been around for over 25 years in usable forms, and in the high-volume mass production consumer goods that we all use, additive...

Before there were SUVs, there were station wagons, and millions of families loved the fake wood panelling, roof rack, but importantly, a comfortable ride with plenty of hauling capacity. In the age before the SUV, this was a hotly contested market for the Detroit Three. Ford claimed to own this segment, and a major selling feature was their innovative two-way tailgate, which flipped down like a pi...

The dream of every space enthusiast everywhere has been that spaceships would be, Starliners - craft that you could climb into, buckle up, and fly into orbit, a little like the way we use jets and airports. Fuel the vehicle, light the engines and go. This may happen someday, but not anytime soon. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV...

The invention of gigantic diecasting machines has made it possible for Tesla to cast front and rear subframe assemblies as a single unit. But the predicted move to a single large diecast chassis for the upcoming small vehicle project appears to have been abandoned, according to a recent Reuters report. While technically possible, there are serious engineering questions about the practicality of a...

Technical innovation in NASCAR has been a feature of the sport since its inception in 1949. Finding a competitive edge meant pushing rules to their limits and beyond, making mechanics as much the stars of the sport is drivers.  Today’s next-generation NASCAR cup series cars however, are factory built, largely interchangeable and are no longer fabricated by race teams themselves. Similar cars...

If you follow the electric vehicle market anywhere in the world today, it’s pretty much bad news these days. That’s especially true in America, where slowing production and layoffs at Tesla, Ford and GM are the inevitable result of dramatically softening sales. The demand for lower-priced vehicles is high, but with current technology, so is the EV MSRP. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video?...

Everyone wants the universal household robot. According to Jim Anderton, for widespread adoption, they are going to have to have a price point that allows monthly financing or lease payments that are roughly similar to a car, suggesting that manufacturers will need to retail units in the neighbourhood of $ 40,000 to get widescale uptake.  If designed properly, the machines could be durable en...

The 20th century was defined by engineering. Mass production of consumer goods, atomic energy, and the development of computer data processing built the world we know today. In the 21st century, three technologies will define the future: controlled nuclear fusion, artificial intelligence, and a specific class of robot: humanoid, general purpose, electrically actuated robots that operate without co...

Iran launched a mass drone attack on Israel, with some of the slowest flying offensive aerial vehicles deployed since the Zeppelin raids of World War I. The result was the loss of the majority of the drones, with very little damage inflicted on targets. But the attack served a useful political purpose for Tehran, and it suggests that massed attacks of low cost drones against sophisticated defence...

A Ukrainian made reduction light sport aircraft, the Aeroprakt A-22, appears to have been the platform for a drone attack on a Russian factory in Tataristan, only 800 miles behind the lines and deep inside Russia. While hardly a high-performance platform for drone conversion, these are light sport aircraft has several advantages. The aircraft is cheap and simple, and uses mechanical flight control...

The third test flight of the SpaceX Starship system ended in in the loss of the vehicle as both booster and the orbital vehicle failed. But both booster and space vehicle were far closer to mission success than either of the first two test flights, and changes are underway for flight four. According to Jim Anderton, the reaction of the engineering team at SpaceX mission control was rather strange....

In complex systems, especially in aviation, it’s rarely possible to single out an individual or corporate unit for failures like those seen on Boeing aircraft recently. Several media outlets have been talking about a “bad week for Boeing” with Boeing aircraft losing wheels, experiencing engine fires and dropping vertically while in cruising flight, causing passenger injuries. On the heels of the A...

A recent CNN story about a former Boeing employee who refuses to fly on the Boeing 737 Max went viral, throwing fuel on the fire over quality issues at the company. For manufacturing professionals, missing bolts — although serious — are not especially surprising. It’s not widely understood, but it is true that even 100% human visual inspection of a specification or attribute will not even come clo...

Kei cars are cute, fun, affordable and not available in America.  * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

Things are becoming obsolete, faster. Why?  * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

It isn’t culture, profitability or accounting. It’s the nature of the business.  * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

Hypersonic commercial space planes are just within reach using current technology, with a leading propulsion contender being Reaction Engines’ SABRE combined cycle power plant. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

The Betavolt radioisotope-powered battery doesn't have great power output — but it is continuous, suggesting that this technology would be a complement to lithium-ion batteries in many applications such as industrial self-powered sensors. * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line  is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engi...

With Ford’s recent production cut for the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup, many industry analysts are expressing doubt about the continued growth of demand for EVs in America. With pickup trucks representing the highest volume and highest profit margin segment in the U.S. auto industry, why is demand for an electric version slowing? * * * Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line...