Mechanical design blog

The DeLorean: A back to the drawing board car

New product development is a tricky process to navigate successfully. The truth of the matter is such that not always the inventor’s original idea and aim is what physically comes out the factory door.
This reasoning can be illustrated by taking the example of the DeLorean. The DeLorean was made famous by the film Back to the Future as a modified time machine. But in reality the original 1980s-manufactured vehicle.......... <continued>

Industry News

UK Manufacturing PMI: industry sinks to nine month low.
LinkedIn’s ID Confirmation Service Is Gaining Momentum.
Cambridge medtech firm Inotec raises $33m Series C. ..........<continued>

Sanstec celebrates 25 years in business: It’s all about you

As we creep considerably closer to the end of the year and take a breather to look back on the projects we have worked on, the focus begins to shift towards setting new aims for 2025.
For Sanstec Design, 2024 has actually been a very special year, as we have been operating as a limited company for twenty-five years. I can’t say we haven’t had our ups and downs, because believe me, we have, but despite the.......... <continued>

From Prototype to Production: On the Conveyor again…

In manufacturing, during the product development process, the design in particular can be key to a project’s success.
The product not only needs to be functional but generally must look good too. This is where the expertise of an experienced design engineer is relied upon to aid a product’s journey, which begins as a concept design, changes into a physical prototype, and makes its way onto the assembly line conveyor and eventually.......... <continued>

One STEP Beyond

In design and engineering we are always looking to do things better by seeking out creative breakthroughs or innovations to solve technical problems.

This deliberate move to take a giant leap into the unknown and push ourselves out of our comfort zone is, in a sense, looking to go one step beyond.

This incessant moving forward in engineering aids progress, whether it may be baby steps or otherwise. One of the recent improvements.......... <continued>

Getting Your Bearings

While working on a gearbox related issue on one of our project cars in the Sanstec workshop recently, it dawned on me how something so small as a bearing could be crucial to the overall smooth operation of the vehicle.

It is only when an engine stops working as it should and you take it to pieces do you discover the fault and question how on earth, a tiny bearing can have such an important job to do. A bearing is a machine element........... <continued>

Form, fit and function: Just a balancing game?

Bringing a new product to market can be likened to that of a simple balancing game. There is a fine margin between producing something that not only gives a buyer everything they want but also what a business can realistically and economically manufacture.

This compromise of creating a product for you and me, namely the customer, is not something that is undertaken by one person or an isolated team but by many knowledgeable stakeholders across the........... <continued>

Injection Moulding Tooling: The Importance of Getting it Right

The next time you brush your teeth in the morning, take a good look at the lid of the toothpaste tube. This component, like many others that we use and which surrounds us in our everyday lives, has been derived from a process called injection moulding.

It looks and sounds simple, doesn’t it, and in a way it is; however, there is a lot that can go wrong........... <continued>

Sanstec Design CAD Expertise Portfolio

Youtube video showing a snapshot of some of the CAD-based design and development projects we have worked on using Creo or Solidworks software.

 

 

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New Product Development: Every day is not plain sailing

I am sure many of you will appreciate that bringing a new product to the marketplace is quite a challenging process, with a number of obstacles to deal with along the way.

These unknown elements that hit during the new product development (NPD) process prevents a large proportion of products ever being manufactured.

Turning a vision into a reality sounds easy, doesn’t it? With a business case sewn up and your idea pitched to investors, then comes........... <continued>

Industry News

Marshall forges new relationship through first contract with U.S. Army.
YouTube Adds New Shorts Options, Landscape View for Studio Mobile.
Honeywell to develop low emission inhaler. ..........<continued>

Striving for Perfection: An Engineer’s Daily Goal

Perfection - we all aim for it. But do you have to strive for it every day of your life? It can be quite tiring being a mechanical design engineer, believe me.

Anyone who is an engineer, or who has to live with one, will understand it is not simply the case that you become an engineer; it is more like the career chooses you.

It is a way of life, and engineering embodies every aspect of your being and encompasses everything you do. For those of you who........... <continued>

CAD Drawings: The Blueprints of Design

CAD drawings form the core of a design engineer’s role. Items all around you, such as furniture, household appliances, your car, home, and even some jewellery, have all initially been laid out in CAD. These technical drawings provide a visualisation of the concept, a so-called blueprint of the design.

Computer-aided design (CAD) is a technical process by which an idea or invention is communicated and captured via computer........... <continued>

CAD to CAM: Simple as ABC?

CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) are fundamental to the wider development process when seeking to bring a product from its conception to the manufacturing stage.

The partnership between the two can be likened to that of Simon and Garfunkel or Cliff Richard and The Shadows. So, to put it simply, if you are looking to bring a highly engineered product into mass production, you couldn’t imagine one without the other........... <continued>

Push the Button

Upon hearing the popular Sugababes track “Push the Button” recently and not being able to get the tune out of my head for some considerable time afterwards, it made me think about buttons in general.

A button can be used to fasten clothing, start something, or used in language to describe how someone has evoked an emotion, usually irritation or anger. But that’s not all; in engineering, a push button has an important role to play........... <continued>

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