Engineering Designer

10 22

Design of the Year

The journal of the Institution of Engineering Designers

July/August 2012

What lies beneathUnderstanding the structure of solid objects

Designs of the Year 2012Overall winner – Barber Osgerby’s Olympic Torch

Made in BrunelA showcase of the projects at Brunel’s graduate event

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We will keep you up-to-date with the latest news from the industry, including training courses, job and professional opportunities and awards.

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ContentsRegularsLetter from the Chairman 4

Institution news 5

Book review 14

Membership information 20

What’s happening 30

What’s new 34

FeaturesWhat lies beneath 10-13Colin Ledsome CEng FIED advocates a better

understanding of underlying structure

The art of communication 17-18By Blair Hutton, the IED’s design ambassador

Service improvement 20-21The results of the IED’s recent survey and

a guide to membership benefits

Made in Brunel 22-25A showcase of projects at the most exciting graduate event of the summer

The heart of the matter 26-29How the Design Museum is working to place

design at the centre of contemporary culture

Contents

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Volume 38 Number 4

Made in Brunel

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Institution news

At the IED our primary aim is to support and inspire you, the members, to achieve your goals at all stages of your careers. With this in mind, we recently undertook a membership survey to understand your views of the IED, the challenges you face, and how we might improve the IED’s service and benefits. The response to the survey was excellent and there is an article on what you have told us in this journal. I’d like to share my own thoughts.

A key conclusion is that there is a need to improve our communication with members. You also indicated how we could improve our membership benefits and services. There are, without doubt, areas we can improve but it is an interesting fact that the IED already provides many of the services and benefits that you highlighted. Therefore, it is

very clear to me that we can communicate more effectively about the existing services and benefits. You also indicated the communication processes and tools could be improved: website, e-news, journal, etc. I completed the survey myself and made many of the same points, and will be challenging the IED staff and editorial team to address the points raised.

The other major finding is that many members would like more support in their career planning and development. Broadly this is about providing or highlighting events for professional networking and training; actively encouraging and supporting members to progress their professional development (eg, IEng, CEng); improved CPD scheme; professional career development and personal development services (eg, mentoring, support for those seeking employment or looking to become self employed, support to students and graduates, etc).

The survey has provided excellent food for thought and there are blind spots that can be readily addressed. The survey tells me that the general strategy and plans we are pursuing to improve the services and benefits to members, increase the profile and influence of the institution, and promote engineering design, are the right ones.

The House the 50s BuiltI have just watched the first of a series of programmes being broadcast on Channel 4: The House the 50s Built. It is presented by Professor Brendan Walker, who describes himself as an experimental engineer, and is a celebration of the domestic inventions of 1950s Britain.

The first episode looked at the kitchen and how the mangle and larder made way for the twin tub and refrigerator. Powered by a rise in consumer spending power, these and other products such as the Kenwood Chef, toaster and kettle, along with Formica based products, changed the face of the kitchen.

What strikes me is how these products addressed very clear cut and easily understood needs; namely to make arduous

domestic chores easier and quicker to do. Also, I’m struck by how products can create social change. The refrigerator (allied to developments in freezing technology), for example, did away with the daily quest for perishable food, allowed food to be stored longer, and changed the types of food typically provided by shops and consumed in the home.

Today, the innovation process is rarely so simple in terms of need and solution. The considerations and consequences of design solutions can be complex. Needs are frequently not articulated or obvious, and may arise or develop as innovation progresses and products are used. Development and collaboration tools allow increasingly sophisticated product development processes and the social and behavioural changes can be profound. These facets we can see readily with today’s consumer products. For example, smart phones and social media tools have dramatically changed the way many of us interact and communicate. Similarly, 3D manufacturing presents tremendous possibilities and opportunities for engineering designers and product design engineers.

So it seems the complexities and considerations designers have to work with grow. www.ted.com recently presented a talk entitled What Your Designs Say About You? It focused on the moral questions that designers need to ask themselves. One example given was of a tool to help people improve their driving efficiency and the unintended consequence of someone driving through a red traffic light to maintain fuel efficiency!

If you have any thoughts on the survey of members or the changing nature of engineering design and product design engineering, please contact me at david@ied.org.uk

David MaffinDr David Maffin PhD, BEng, CEng, MRINA, MIED, Chairman

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Food for thought

Get InvolvedIf you would like to contribute to any discussions write to David Maffin, Chairman, at The Institution of Engineering Designers, Courtleigh, Westbury Leigh, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 3TA or email: david@ied.org.uk

Institution news

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A Royal invitation IED representatives attended a Buckingham Palace garden party in May. Pictured from left are Tony Keegan, immediate Past Chairman, and his wife Lynne, with Jackie and David Maffin, current Chairman.

Members of the membership committee attended IED headquarters in Courtleigh in March to review all the paperwork and procedures for the application process. It was a very successful day. .

Pictured from left: Tania Humphries-Smith, Simon Vaitkevicius, Peter Zimmerman, Simon Benfield, Stuart McGuigan, Graham Jeffery, Henry

Collier, Jim Waterfall and (centre) Susan Sloan

group to develop exceptional levels of real-world learning opportunities.

Part of Simon’s wide remit will be to broker relationships between BU and new industrial enterprises for the purpose of providing ‘live’ undergraduate projects, potential masters level ‘live’ research projects and for developing proposals for match funded PhD projects.

He will also deliver lectures and presentations on current industrial practice, particularly with respect to the innovation process and developing a better understanding of innovation and the process of taking a product to market.

Simon commented: “I am very happy to be joining Bournemouth University as a Visiting Professor of Innovation and am looking forward to working with staff, students and local employers in this role.”

IED Vice Chairman appointed visiting professor at Bournemouth University

Simon with council member Tania Humphries, at the Bournemouth Design Show.

Bournemouth University (BU) has announced the appointment of IED Vice Chairman, Simon Vaitkevicius, as an industry visiting professor from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Simon, an engineer with more than 15 years of experience working globally for Nokia, will take up a four year post.

As a visiting professor in employer engagement, he will be an important element in enabling the Design and Engineering

The next IED’s Professional Review Assessors training day will be on Friday 12 October. It will be held in Bateman’s Brewery at Wainfleet, Lincolnshire and will include a tour of the brewery. This training day is free and open to those who are already involved as assessors, as well as those who would like to become an assessor. Please contact Sue at sue@ied.org.uk if you are interested.

Institution news

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Registrations and ElectionsTransfer to MemberJoseph COOPER BristolNicholas John ROWAN Loughborough

Election to MemberKemal DERVISH Espoo, Finland John HUNTER AberdeenWayne STEVENSON HalifaxMichael WINTER Cambridge

Election to AssociatePeter Philip YATES Hedgerley

Election to GraduateDamian BALDACCHINO Gudja, Malta (Prize Winner)Luke CHITTENDEN BournemouthRoss James HENDERSON BuckinghamJohn KEARNS UphollandDonald ROBSON Bath

Election to StudentJonathan BATTRICK-NEWALL SheringhamStuart David BROWN Sturminster NewtonOliver BURGESS BerkhamstedJohn Peter COONEY DudleyNatalie Louise CUTTEN AldershotOsaseri Oghogho GUOBADIA LondonAustin HANSLIP BrightonBrion LAU LondonSinead LYNCH LondonWilliam Francis NOON GlasgowLauren PAGE Uxbridge

Election to Student from Bournemouth UniversityHarry ALSOP StoneleighSam ANDERSON WokinghamChristopher ARMSTRONG FerndownRifat BARI LondonMatthew BARNEY WallingtonBrahmrysti Adriel BASKORO IndonesiaZoe Frances BATT ChinnorAaron BHATT EpsomMichael Peter BLACKBURN Jonathan Michael BLACK Rugby TelfordSimon BONNAUD SheernessRobert James BROWN GuisboroughGustavo BURZA BournemouthWilliam Thomas BUXTON HitchinChristopher CAREY RingwoodEmma CASBOLT LondonKaty CAVE Hemel HempsteadLuke CHANNING CamberleyMitchell CHILDS LangportAdam Alexander CLARKE Towcester

Mikhail CLARKE LondonMatthew Paul CLATWORTHY SloughMatthew CLEARY PutleyDavid COGGIN IlfracombeJonathan James Everitt CROWTHER ScarboroughAnthony CULSHAW CanterburyAlice DAVIES SuttonThomas Christopher DAVIES GillinghamBradley DAVIS LongfieldJoshua David DAVISON SwindonLiam DENHAM Abbots LangleyDaniel Gerry DOBBINS MelkshamJim DOW CrowthorneJoshua William EDWARDES LancingLaurence EDWARDS MaidstoneThomas EDWARDS MaidstoneDaniel FARMER Bognor RegisThomas Richard FENTORN West ByfleetGeorge FIELD BillingshurstThomas Patrick FLEGG ClatfordGemma FORTIER SurbitonDaniel FRANCE ReadingHarry GERRARD CranbrookJodie GIBSON CardiffMargaret GLASSPOOL CardiffMichael GOLIGHTLY Milton KeynesByron James GOODSIR FromeScott GORDON SherborneStephen GRACE ModdenSteffan Emrys GRIFFITHS-THORNING

CardiffMatthew GROVER SouthamptonJack Richard GUNNS BournemouthChristopher John HARRIS WimborneFrancesca HARVEY FarnboroughMichael HARWOOD WorcesterJoshua Peter Adey HECTOR BournemouthJoe HEPWORTH BristolJoshua HIPPOLYTE NortholtNiall Richard HOODLESS WintonTariq HUSSAIN OxfordKaty HY NewtonabbeyDavid HYDE LeatherheadKieran JACKSON LyntonJonathan JAUNEAU SuttonEdward JEFFREYS MelkshamOliver JENNER ThatchamSamantha JOHNSON KentThomas JOHNSON KentLee JONES DunstableRobert JONES Telford

Daniel Richard James KIDDLE MaidenheadRobert Peter Daniel KIMBER MereDean KIRLEW WeymouthKornelia Natalia KRUK Bournemouth

Rait KUULE TallinnToby Mark LAKE CheltenhamJamie LANG AshteadSamuel LATHAM RedhillKevin LAWLEY Builth WellsJessica LEE WarwickRoss Dominic LESTER SheffordOskar LHARNESON NottinghamDeclan MARTIN EastleighLuke MCKENZIE-HOWARD MarlowMolly Egan METZLER Henley-On-ThamesHossein MOAREFVAND BournemouthSamuel Thomas MOSELEY HalesowenAndrew MULLAN IsleworthTapiwa MURAPE BelvedereAiden John MURPHY CalneAndrew John NICHOLSON SouthamptonChristine Dybdal NIELSEN BournemouthSophia NOTGHI ChristchurchMatthew NUGENT BenfleetChristopher Raymond O’BRIENn FlitwickJordan OGDEN EastleighThomas OLDAKER BathAndrew OSBORNE ReadingJoshua PARKER Waltam St LawrenceChristopher PEARCE BillingshurstJacob PEARCE CardiffStephen PEARCE Tunbridge WellsAndreas PETANE LondonRoss PIKE LymingtonKimberley RAWSON MaldonMhairi REYNOLDS WarehamMatthew John RICHARDSON MaidenheadJulian ROCK FranceAlana Chloe Valentina ROWLANDSON

TeddingtonAlex SALE KingswoodIan Dwight SANSOM BristolRichard Charles SANSUM GloucesterKate SARGENT LiskeardReece SAUNDERS HuntingdonMartyn SCOATES BromleyRobert SEAGER GuildfordGemma SEAGROVE SloughMark SHADDICK BristolChristopher SIMPSON Bognor RegisPaul Michael SIMPSON BoscombeLuke SPILLETT BillericayHarry STANIFORTH CowdenJames STEPHENS TruroRobert John STERRETT ExeterGeorge Jon STOKES HornchurchRobert STOREY BarkingGeorgina Lucy Jane SYMS RudgwickLok Hung TANG Welwyn Garden CityJonathan TAYLOR Southampton

Institution news

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Raul Xian Loun TAHM Hong KongJames Oliver THOMAS Brighton BelleOliver Hugh Thomas TREACY AscotBriony Lydia TRIM WintonLauren TRIM ChingfordJack TURNBULL Farnham CommonThomas VINALL PortsmouthMatthew WALSH BristolSimon WALSH BournemouthJoseph Thomas Leslie WATSON CranbrookHarrison WEBB BadmintonRobert WEIGHILL East GrinsteadRachel Julie WELLS SittingbourneZane WELMAN Hemel HempsteadAdam WHITELOCK CrawleySam WHITFIELD KingstonRachel WILKINSON Whitley BayBenjamin George WILLIAMS ThetfordShane WILLIAMS East GrinsteadSteven WILLINGTON RomseyLuke WILLOUGHBY-FOSTER TauntonScott Andrew WILSON ChichesterMax WOOD CroydonDaniel YOUNG SouthamptonTomas ZALATORIS Lithunia

Election to Student from Loughborough UniversityScott Matthew ALLEN BourneLucy Claire BAMBER KenleyThomas BANHAM AttleboroughFiona Jane BARKER HaynesEdward BARRETT WallingfordAmelia Naomi BAXTER BleasbyNeil BENNETT SandwaySam William BENNETT BristolJustin BRAMWELL CheltenhamCaroline BRIERLEY NottinghamLucy BROMWICH AylesfordWilliam BROWN WrexhamAntony BUONAIUTO WokingNadeem CHOUDHURY LoughboroughMary CHRISTIE CambridgeLucy Elizabeth COOK PetersfieldJamie DAVE BromleyOliver LINCOLN-DAVIS BromleySteve Philip De BOOS BromelySarah Anne DICKENS BristolThomas DUVALL Seer GreenJoseph ELLIOTT WellsDaniel James FIDDIS AlcesterLucy Elizabeth FRINTON WatfordAdam David George FROST WeybridgeLok Sze FUNGAnneke GLASIUS Ashby-de-le-ZouchSophia Faye GODFREY Little StaughtonThomas GOOD PeterboroughVictoria Frances GOODRIDGE MaidstoneMatthew Joseph GRAY YorkJames Hedley HANCOCK Uttoxeter

Nabil Issam HARB UAESimon HEAPY WokingThomas Richard JARVIS SwadlincoteRobert Victor JEEVES StockportJames JOHNSTON West WickhamNicholas JOLIFFE AndoverNicholas Markham JOLIFFE WeymouthJason Godfrey JONES LyddChristopher Stephen JOY YateleyJoe KNIGHTING NewhavenNerica Janet KUGURU LoughboroughJames Alexander LAURIE WolverhamptonJason Kar Ming LEE WallsendYih Ting Elaine LOW Hong KongSamuel Douglas LOWERY CarnforthNicolas Isabel MARTI WirralJack Christopher McCULLOCK CanterburyNicholas MILNE RochdaleDaniel MILNER PeterboroughKyung Yoon MIN BristolJayan MISTRY LeicesterThomas Oliver MOORE IpswichSarah Louise NEW DorchesterWing Lam Sarah NG TaiwanVictoria Ruth PEILL LancasterRebecca PENFOLD WoolastonTom PUCHALLA EnfieldJonathan Daniel PYBUS RomseyMichael Laurence RAPICAN SevenoaksNatalie Louise RAVEN GloucesterEdward Hughes RESZKA Leamington SpaGregory David RICHARDSON LondonAlexander James ROPER Milton MalsorDaniel Paul SALISUBURY Burton-on-TrentJonathan James SALMON WirralJames Kenneth SARGEANT SittingbourneNicholas Michael SCHNEIDER AberfeldyEmily Kate SEAGROVE SunderlandAndrew SHIELS ChelmsfordJames SNOOK CilcainMatthew James STANDING LeedsLaura Charlotte STARR NorthwoodPhilip STONE Burton-on-TrentCraig THURSTON Brigg

Thomas TURNER LutonFilippa VAJDA Market HarboroughDavid Andrew VILLAGE YorkVikram VISHWANATH SingaporeMark WAFFORNE NottinghamWilliam Ernest WARR SwerfordChristopher Paul WEIR WallaseyRowan Stephen WILLIAMS CanterburyJake WISE WallaseyPaweena WONGMAHACHAROEN ThailandEleanor WOOLF LondonThomas Oliver ZIERER St Peter Port

Election to Student from the Approved Nuvia Apprentice SchemeNatalie BAINES LeighAndrew CARTWRIGHT WarringtonBen GAFNER Culcheth

ENGINEERING COUNCIL REGISTRATIONS

CHARTERED ENGINEERRoss BARDON LutonFathima Zeena FAROOK LondonGeraint PARRY-OWEN Basingstoke

INCORPORATED ENGINEERStephen Alexander FARAGHER NorwichTim MACEY MarlowMabor SCOTT-EMUAKPOR AberdeenSimon RAFFERTY HorshamLaurie ROWE Bridgend

ENGINEERING TECHNICIANDavid BOOTH HolywellNicholas RAINES BournemouthJustin SMITH League City, Texas

CHARTERED ENVIRONMENTALISTSebastian HOWELL-SMITH AndoverKeith WINNING High WycombeZaher YOUNIS BarnsleyPeter ZIMMERMAN Sherbourne

BRUNEL UNIVERSITYNEW ACCREDITATIONBSc (Hons) Product Design Engineering with Professional PracticeBA (Hons) Industrial Design and Technology with Professional Practice

RE-ACCREDITATIONBSc(Hons) Product Design EngineeringBA(Hons) Industrial Design and TechnologyBSc(Hons) Product DesignBSc(Hons) Product Design with Professional PracticeMSc Integrated Product DesignFor membership of the IED for five years

from intake year 2012.

MA Design and Branding StrategyMA Design Strategy and InnovationFor membership of the IED for the intake year 2012.

LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITYRE-ACCREDITATIONBSc(Hons) Engineering Product DesignBSc(Hons) Product DesignFor membership of the IED for three years from intake year 2011.

Simon Benfied CEnv CEng FIED, Vice Chairman of the IED’s membership committee, is pictured presenting Nick Raines with his membership certificate. Nick works for Ramboll UK in Southampton and has recently become an Associate and Engineering Technician.

Wright Hassall LLP is offering exclusive rates to IED members for legal services, including:• An initial IP consultation free of charge;• Wright Idea IP audits at £450 + VAT, including a summary report and a credit of £450 + VAT for any new instruction within the following six months;•10% discount on legal services; and• Access to recommended patent and trade mark attorneys where required.

“With significant experience of advising businesses – both small and large – the team understands intellectual property and how to protect its value in a commercial and pragmatic way,” said Rhys Jarman, a partner in the firm. “Like our clients, we need to be responsive and straightforward, easy to work with and competitively priced.”

www.wrighthassall.co.uk

Expert IP legal services at exclusive rates for

IED members

Institution news

8

Designed for design engineers

10-11 October sees the launch of the Engineering Design Show, the only UK exhibition specifically for engineering designers. The UK currently employs 106,722 design

engineers at 12,981 sites in the mechanical, electromechanical and electronics disciplines across the full range of industry sectors. And yet, until now, there has been no stand alone exhibition or industry event specifically designed to meet their needs for information, advice and – above all – innovation.

This longstanding gap in the market is about to be filled by the Engineering Design Show, which will take place from 10-11 October at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

The show will provide visitors with access to a wide range of leading suppliers, offering solutions for design engineering needs across all sectors. With a high level conference, free practical workshops and an exhibition demonstrating and promoting cutting edge technology, the event specifically caters for the needs of UK design engineers.

Over the two days, the conference will focus on the requirements and realities of design engineering within the UK. With subjects ranging from IP through to electronics in F1, it will bring together high profile speakers from across industry and academia, including James Baker, managing director of

BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, and Sir George Cox, President of the IED.

In addition, there will be a full workshop programme offering visitors practical and hands-on content in the form of case study presentations by leading technology experts. Free for visitors to attend, the workshop sessions will be promoted individually with a full synopsis of the content and what visitors can expect to learn. The conference theatre will carry a small delegate fee and tickets will need to be purchased in advance.

Launched by Findlay Media, the exhibition is sponsored by Schaeffler, Heidenhain, Altium and premier EDA Solutions, and boasts the IED as an industry partner.

Registration is now open. Registering not only ensures free entry to the show, it allows visitors to select the workshop and conference sessions they would like to attend. Attendance at each session is limited and demand is expected to be high so don’t delay, register your place today!

More information, including how to register, can be found at www.engineeringdesignshow.co.uk.

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Conference

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Structural design

What lies beneathColin Ledsome CEng FIED explains how a better understanding of the structure underlying all solid objects can help across the whole spectrum of design.

All the different types of designers of physical products have their own reasons for defining the products they design. A chemical engineer defines pipework and pressure vessels, selects pumps and valves, analyses chemical reactions and energy use, and designs the structures to contain and support them. They all consist of solid objects with different shapes and properties.

A dress designer considers the ways materials will drape and move and how they can be cut and sewn to produce a desirable result for the wearer; but they are defining shapes of flexible materials and the relationships between them. All designers of products, for whatever underlying reasons, spend their time defining solid objects in some way. The skill of design is, at heart, based on an understanding of the way solid materials behave and an ability to use that understanding to produce a desirable result. What makes a solid into a solid is its ability to resist attempts to deform it, ie, its structure. Thus all product and engineering designers are, in effect, designers of structure.

This may seem trivial, but the point here is to suggest that if any designer of physical objects has a better understanding of structural behaviour they will produce better designs, whatever the main reasons

for their work. As we grow up, we gain an innate feel for the strength and stiffness of everyday objects when we bump into them, climb on them, or see them supporting a heavy weight. We find from experience how hard or soft, how sturdy or fragile, how robust or breakable things are. We learn how different materials react to the way we treat them, how warm or cold, rough or smooth they feel. We know more about structure than most of us realise. We use that knowledge in all our interactions with the objects around us.

StiffnessThe first thing to realise, to better understand structural behaviour, is that any form of loading leads to deformation. A solid material resists deformation by generating internal forces to counter it. The more it deforms, the more it resists, until a balance is reached. Nothing is rigid; there are just different degrees of stiffness. The internal forces are in proportion to the amount of deformation. For most structural materials this relationship is described as ‘linearly elastic’, which means that if the load increases by a small amount, the deformation increases by the same proportion, and when the load is reduced again, the object returns to its original shape. Not all materials have a linear behaviour, but

at modest loadings will still behave elastically, returning to their original shape.

This load and deflection interaction is what we call stiffness. Chunkier structures are stiffer than slimmer structures of the same shape and material. Each material type has a different inherent stiffness measured linearly by the Modulus of Elasticity, also known as Young’s Modulus. Some, like wood or fibreglass, have different stiffnesses in different directions. Where there are several routes for a load to pass through a structure, it will divide in proportion to the stiffnesses of the paths available. This is a useful model to help design structure. It can also help to diagnose problems. Let’s consider a few real cases.

Velcro is a very useful way of connecting things. It consists of two tapes, one covered in tiny hooks and the other tiny loops. These are fastened to the surfaces to be connected and simply pressed together. Although small pieces can be pulled apart, larger parts need to be peeled, which means that at least one of the parts must be flexible. Velcro is used extensively in clothing, often with elasticated materials, which is where a problem arises because of the difference in stiffness between the elastic material and the stiffer Velcro tape.

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Figure 1: Velcro strap connection.

The skill of design is, at heart, based on an understanding of the way solid materials behave

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Structural design

What lies beneath

The reaction to the tension in that waistband is a pressure distributed round your waist; although which is load and which reaction depends on whether you are fastening your belt or having a heavy lunch. A familiarity with structural behaviour can reveal occasions where the designer can take advantage of differences in stiffness.

An engineer friend of mine wanted to replace a light garden gate with a heavier one. The strap hinges were firmly cemented into the gatepost, so he decided to use them again, but was a bit worried that they might not take the extra weight.

With this type of hinge arrangement all the weight is carried on one hinge. Although there are two potential load paths, any slight difference in the distance between the hinges on the gate and gatepost transfers the load to only one. As Figure 2 shows, if the straps are further apart than the supports, all the load is carried by the bottom hinge, and if closer, then on the top one. (Both hinges carry horizontal loads to resist the offset load of the gate.)

The problem is that whichever hinge is carrying the weight, its deflection is unlikely to close the gap in the other hinge. Even if the distances were exactly the same when fitted, a slight change in temperature or humidity (with a wooden gate) would unevenly expand or contract the spacing. My friend weighed the new gate. He selected a spring which would compress to a convenient height under a load equal to half the weight. He then positioned the straps on the gate closer together by the height of the compressed spring.

Figure 2: Gate hinges.

This arrangement meant that the weight was shared about equally between the hinges. Any slight change in spacing would only change the load distribution by a few per cent. Reducing the stiffness of one of the load paths allowed a more favourable distribution of the load.

Changing directionFew structures provide a simple straight load path between where the load is applied and where it is reacted. Whenever a load changes direction, some compensating pattern of force is inevitably introduced. The simplest expression of this happens in a truss structure. This consists of a network of individual members, which each carry only axial loads, connected by pins or similar joints, which cannot carry bending loads. These can be two or three dimensional structures.

At each joint, a load in one member has to change direction and divide into components to be routed along the other members. These new loadings can only balance each other, if they completely compensate for the direction changes. A simple bridge truss can illustrate this. The load on the bridge has been concentrated at the lower pins by the local roadway structure and flows along the

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Figure 4: Hinges and spring.

Few structures provide a simple straight load path between where the load is applied and where it is reacted

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Structural design

various members to be reacted at the end support points.

Note that this results in major loads in the horizontal top and bottom members, even though the loading and reactions are vertical.

In three dimensions, the ultimate truss structure is the geodetic truss (as seen in the new King’s Cross Station roof). RJ Mitchell introduced these structures on the legendary Spitfire and they were developed further by Barnes Wallis on bombers such as the Wellington. They had the great advantage of being damage tolerant in that, even with large holes in the structure from anti-aircraft fire, the truss could re-route loading around the damage and stay in one piece.

For structures with the capacity to resist bending, a more continuous change of load flow operates. Consider a simple bridge beam carrying the same loading as the truss in Figure 5.

Here the load is spread along the top of the beam itself. Load flows down into the web of the beam and is transferred sideways as ‘shear’ until it reaches the supports at the ends. The distortion induced by this sideways flow is resisted by a build up of tension and compression loads in the flanges, in a similar way to the loads in the top and bottom members of the truss bridge above. In practice, additional stiffeners would be needed in the web to spread loading down into the web.

Structural modelsLoads come in many forms, from a ‘body’ force such as the weight of an object, where the load is spread over the whole object, to the pressure of a load distributed over a surface, to the force applied by a spring or the pressure of a finger on an area small enough to be considered as a point. Loads are not all forces. Some are the rotational loads usually referred to as torques or moments. These loads result in either a balancing pattern of reactions at the supports for a static case, or an acceleration in proportion to any unsupported forces or torques. This is described by Newton’s third law of motion,

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Figure 5: Simple bridge truss.

Figure 6: Wellington bomber.

Figure 7: Spanning beam.

In three dimensions, the ultimate truss structure is the geodetic truss

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Structural design

‘action and reaction are equal and opposite’, which applies for all directions and rotations.

Creating a sensible mind model of the flow of forces between the load application and the reaction of the supports, or resulting accelerations, is the basis for designing the structure of an object. This may not be totally intuitive. It’s easy for a designer to generate a problem simply by having an over-simplified structural model in their head. Consider the following familiar object, a rotary clothes airer (see above).

The original design work is not available, but we can draw some conclusions from looking at the structure of one of the support frames supporting the weight of the clothing.

It is easy to imagine the original designer having something like this picture in mind, when considering the design details. In particular, you can see that the member A-B is in tension no matter how much washing

is on the lines. Thus the main member C-D is designed with a larger section to resist bending, and A-B is a simple tension rod, as can be seen in Figure 8. However, if you examine any broken airers, in most of them A-B is buckled. It has failed in compression not tension. To see why, we must take a larger view of the whole structure. Consider just one of the clothes lines:

Here we can see that the loadings applied to the support frames are nearer horizontal than vertical. What does this do to the force diagram from Figure 9?

Now we can see that A-B is in compression and a buckling failure becomes understandable. Some recent versions of the rotary airer have replaced the tension rod design with a channel section. This not only resists compression better than a rod but allows the parts to nest together when the airer is folded.

This example shows the importance of care in forming a structural mind model. All structures are three-dimensional and must be modelled that way. The more detailed the thinking behind the structure, the better it can be designed.

These examples are intended to show how a better understanding of the structure underlying all solid objects can help across the whole spectrum of design. Designs can be lighter and more efficient; details can be more robust and longer lasting. I hope that I have also shown that it is not difficult to understand structural behaviour without getting tangled in the complexities of analytical equations. A better appreciation of the role of the structure of materials should be a key part of all design education.

(Some of the diagrams used were originally drawn for the Engineering Design Teaching Aids series, published in the Design Council’s Engineering Design Education magazine during the 1980s.)

ReferencesThe New Science of Strong Materials or Why You Don’t Fall Through the Floor,

J E Gordon and P Ball, Penguin.Structures: or Why Things Don’t Fall Down, J E Gordon, Penguin.

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Figure 8: Rotary clothes airer. Figure 9: Simple force diagram.

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Figure 10: Typical clothes line.

Figure 11: Modified force diagram.

X+X X X-

Flanges

Web

Distributed Loading

Loaded Stitches Unloaded Stitches

Velcro Loops Velcro Hooks

AB

C Line of resultant load

A

B

C

Line of

resultant load

DSide View

Plan

Create a sensible mind model of the flow of forces between the load application and the reaction of the supports

Book reviews

The Enigma of the Aerofoil: Rival Theories in Aerodynamics, 1909-1930

TitleThe Enigma of the Aerofoil: Rival Theories in Aerodynamics, 1909-1930

AuthorDavid Bloor

PublisherThe University of Chicago Press

Publication dateDecember 12 2011

ReviewerGraham Jeffery BSc (Hons) CEng FIMechE FIED

ISBN 978-0-226-06095-8

Latest book reviews

14

Why do aircraft fly? That is the question posed in the very first sentence of The Enigma of the Aerofoil by David Bloor. It is also a question that I probably first started asking myself, sub-consciously or otherwise, when I first made a simple model aircraft at about the age of eight or nine.

It is a question that I have continued to ask ever since, to the extent that, over the years, I have collected a small library of books relating to flight, in an attempt to answer the more specific question for me, ‘How do wings work?’ I found this necessary despite the fact that I had received a thorough grounding in fluid mechanics and aerodynamics as an undergraduate in the 1960s. However, one book in particular, Understanding Flight by David Anderson and Scott Eberhardt, which I bought in 2001, highlighted the inconsistencies in the various explanations that were given in my other books.

Consequently, I decided to try to think through the problem logically for myself, rather than simply accepting one or other of the disparate explanations. The process took me the best part of a decade, with the inevitable distractions of home, family, work and latterly, an active retirement. Nevertheless, I persevered and finally arrived at my own conclusions during the past couple of years, albeit with some late refinements. It was, therefore, somewhat ironic that my attention was recently drawn to The Enigma of the Aerofoil, published last year, which I immediately purchased unseen.

In total contrast to Understanding Flight, which might be characterised as a ‘popular science’ publication, The Enigma of the Aerofoil: Rival Theories in Aerodynamics, 1909-1930, is a serious and detailed historical work. As its subtitle suggests, it records and contrasts

the development of two competing, if not contradictory theories. Discontinuity theory was propounded and championed at the turn of the 20th century by various British academics and experts in fluid dynamics, with the notable exception of Frederick Lanchester, while circulation (or vortex) theory was promoted by their German counterparts.

Following the Introduction, which outlines the plan and purpose of the book, chapter one describes early British work on aerodynamics; while chapter two goes on to lay the foundations for understanding the two competing theories of lift. Chapter three introduces the discontinuity theory and describes the early British research programme on aerodynamic lift, which began to show up discrepancies between theory and practice. Chapter four discusses the circulatory or vortex theory, as first propounded by Lanchester, and describes the hostility he generated among other British experts.

In chapter five, the author contrasts the two intellectual and academic traditions, British and German, which were attempting to develop a theory of lift. Chapters six and seven go on to discuss the development in the German universities of the circulation theory, while chapters eight and nine describe the British response in the years after the Great War, which resulted in theoretical confrontations. In chapter 10, the author concludes by giving a sociological, even philosophical commentary on the development of aerodynamic theory and the interactions, both theoretical and human.The book, with some half-tone illustrations and diagrams, together with notes, references and a bibliography, has over 500 pages, using a relatively small font. It is, I must reiterate, a serious and scholarly study of the history of the subject and is not a work aimed at the

Book reviews

15

‘popular science’ market, nor is it a text book. Its readership is likely to be limited to those with an equally serious interest in the fundamental question as to how and why aircraft fly. However, it does highlight the fact that aeroplanes did fly in the first decades of the 20th century, largely as a result of the work of practical engineers and designers, and despite the theoreticians having an incomplete and flawed understanding of aerodynamic lift.

But then what has changed in the past 100 years? My attention was drawn to this book by a retired and highly respected aeronautical engineer who told me that an ‘equal transit time’ condition must be achieved (ie, that the air flowing over the wing must arrive at the trailing edge at the same time as that flowing beneath the wing, from which it was separated at the leading edge), in order for the Kutta condition (ie, the optimum flow condition off the trailing edge), to be observed. That fallacy was disproved experimentally decades ago, using pulsed smoke flow visualisation techniques in a wind tunnel. The fact is that the air above the wing arrives at the trailing edge well before that flowing beneath.

The next question is usually, ‘why?’ The conventional answer is, typically, that the flow must accord with Bernoulli’s Principle: however, this would imply the need for equal transit time. Even at the turn of the 21st century, an argument has persisted between those supporting Bernoulli and those supporting Newton, not dissimilar to the Lilliputian argument in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels over which end a boiled egg should be cracked! A few years ago, the NASA Ames website showed portraits of Bernoulli and Newton, with a statement that they were both right: the current website, aimed at US high school students, cites both Bernoulli and Newton.

Nevertheless, Bernoulli has been increasingly, if not controversially ‘debunked’ in recent years. And what of my own theory? During the course of 2011, it finally dawned upon me that circulation theory, which I had been taught as a student, was not simply a mathematical model, but was physical fact. A wing actually generates a vortex in basically the same way as a rotating cylinder, known as a ‘Flettner rotor’,

Ludwig Prandtl (left) and Albert Betz (right) standing in front of one of the Göttingen wind tunnels. In the early years of aerodynamics Betz was second only to Prandtl in the scope of his theoretical and experimental investigations. Zentrales Archiv, Deutsche Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt. 1924.

August Föppl (1854-1924), a versatile mathematician and a professor at the Technical University of Munich. He was the author of an extremely influential textbook on technical mechanics that was based on his Munich lectures. He was also the father-in-law of Ludwig Prandtl. Photograph from Bäseler, W. et al, Beiträge zur technischen Mechanik, 1924.

Book reviews

16

which produces lift in a transverse airflow. The pressure gradient above the wing is, therefore, generated by the curvature of the flow, just as a pressure gradient is produced in a tornado, for example. It does not depend on the shape of the wing, which is why a flat plate at an angle to the airflow will produce lift.

Am I alone in coming to this conclusion? I was initially gratified and then chastened when I came across an article in The Daily Telegraph earlier this year reporting on the work of Professor Holger Babinsky of the University of Cambridge. He had recently produced a video of an aerofoil with pulsed smoke flow visualisation, showing the phenomenon to which I refer in an earlier paragraph. Further research then led me to an article of his, published in 2003, in which he cited the curvature of the airflow above the wing as being the source of the pressure gradient

and hence the lift force. However, it must also follow that there has to be a deflected downwash in accordance with Newton’s Third Law.

Nevertheless, having read The Enigma of the Aerofoil, my final conclusion must be that, despite the existence of a conflicting theory and in the face of hostility from other ‘experts’, Frederick William Lanchester effectively arrived at this conclusion over a century ago. Even more to his credit and indicative of his considerable intellect, is the fact that he did so with little benefit from experimental aerodynamics and with no flow visualisation. Whilst Prandtl and others in Germany might subsequently have developed the theory, Lanchester was the originator of circulation theory and, in my view, should be more widely recognised.

LETTER Space science and engineeringIn May of this year Professor Brian Schmidt, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize, lectured in Australia on his team’s discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

The Hubble Space Telescope played a major role in their work, and he was interested to be reminded of major contributions by BAe engineers.

The Space telescope was launched and serviced by the Space Shuttle, in the design of which BAe teams at Bristol, Weybridge and Downey California had participated.At Downey I had advised Rockwell on mass and thrust targeting for the Shuttle to avoid the Concorde problems of repeated redesign that caused much delay and overspend.

The BAe team at Bristol designed and made the solar cell arrays for the Hubble Telescope, and improved arrays which were fitted (together with corrected optics) on the Shuttle Servicing mission in 1993. From then on very distant supernovae could be photographed, providing the basis for the Nobel Prize work by the three science teams, two in America and one in Australia.

Many members of those teams had not met before the Nobel award, communicating by satellite. Some of those communication satellites were Bristol made Intelsat IVs.

Well done those BAe space engineers!

David Farrar OBE CEng MA FRAeS FRSA HonFIED

Top left: Lanchester’s account of why a spinning ball generates lift. Notice the presence of the dead air behind the ball and hence the appeal to the discontinuity theory. From Lanchester, Aerodynamics, 1907, 43.

Top centre: Diagram showing Lanchester’s pictures of trailing vortices. From Lanchester, Aerodynamics, 1907, 172. Top right: The flow that results from the combination of a uniform free stream and a vortex. The streamlines above the centre of the vortex are closer together than below it showing that above the vortex the speed is higher, and the pressure lower, than below the vortex. There will be a resultant force directed upwards, ie a lift force. From Lanchester, Aerodynamics, 1907, 164.

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Design ambassador

The art of communication

‘In the precise world of design engineering, effective communication is key’, says Blair Hutton, the IED’s design ambassador.

Hopefully anyone reading this article will agree on the sociable nature of a career in design engineering. We are required to liaise with all manner of different individuals on a daily basis – in areas as diverse as manufacturing, sales and finance – as well as other designers and engineers. So we need to be as conversant in the Dickensian technicalities of patent attorneys as we are in the dry-wipe rhetoric of marketeers. The means by which we communicate will vary accordingly from the shopfloor to the boardroom as well, of course, as to the subject at hand.

Written and verbal dialogue is often complemented by graphical aids with a picture, as they say, being worth 1000 words. Nowhere is this more true than in the necessarily precise world of engineering. A

common sight in design offices is the look of frustration on the face of an engineer, at pains to describe his concept to another. Quickly exhausting our (typically) limited vocabularies we resort to words like ‘widget’,’ wotsit’ and ‘doo-dah’ and the accompanying wild gesticulation only goes so far in getting the point across.

More likely to yield accurate results is thrusting a pen and paper into your colleagues’ hands and prompting them to draw their idea. Whether as a scribbled isometric or simple section, the intent can be conveyed and confirmed as understood far quicker and with less risk of misinterpretation. We don’t have to be classically artistic, rather putting onus on the accurate relative layout of the concept. After all, who doesn’t enjoy playing Pictionary?

A common sight in design offices is the look of frustration on the face of an engineer, at pains to describe his concept to another.

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Design ambassador

All too often, misunderstandings and delayed deadlines result from miscommunication at all sorts of levels.

My mother remains, by her own admission something of a ‘grammar snob’ and has tried to impart this upon me. For this reason, it grates me to read the shoddy spelling and lack of punctuation common to our generation (myself included). Of course, language, and other tools of communication evolve usefully over time to embrace the world in which we live. ‘Man doth not’ advocate a return to antiquated versions of English or our morning start-up meetings may be somewhat protracted. From here come useful abbreviations such as ‘can’t’, ‘should’ve’ and so on. Any of these could have caused educated scholars to balk as they must have represented the ‘CU 2MRW’ of their time.

The same applies more recently to electronic media. Email and text messages are, of course, powerful tools which have brought massive rewards in efficiency and become almost indispensable in our professional and social lives. Less welcome, though, is the slovenly approach to communication resulting from leaning too heavily on predictive text tools and ‘chellspecking’. Why so often do engineers, trained and conditioned to quoting dimensions to +/-0.01mm or entering code where the slightest of syntax errors would crash a programme, err on the stuff of primary school exercises. Bad grammar make’s me (sic).

If I now sound self-righteous, please don’t think it is from anything other than a practical perspective. All too often, misunderstandings and delayed deadlines result from miscommunication at all sorts of levels. A test result might be summarised by an email response saying ‘test ok’, but what do we conclude from this? Is the test in question underway, completed, or merely scheduled to happen? Is the initial brief understood? Has a benchmark been identified or a pass criteria defined? What is intended as time-saving expediency on the author’s part then instigates a far greater level of further interrogation to extract the pertinent information. The more cynical amongst us might even see such ambiguity as a means of stalling for time and eschewing commitment and responsibility.

The situation could become critical when any such report is applied to safety critical assemblies or systems. When diligence is required throughout, the weakest point could all too easily be a misunderstood

assumption on the back of poorly explained documentation.

Amongst the Engineering Council’s UK-SPEC definition of competencies expected of professionally registered engineers is the requirement to ‘demonstrate effective interpersonal skills’. The description that follows hints at the various media required to support this, and the diverse nature of dealing with ‘technical and non-technical colleagues’.

With the emphasis on that word, ‘effective’, our most powerful arsenal might be the cold calculated nature of geometry and prosaic calculations. CAD models and drawings or results represented in numerical or graphical form are far less prone to misinterpretation than more verbose reporting media. Data transfer protocols faithfully reproduce design intent for the means of communicating this to others and so should we.

As modern day engineers we can be considered designers, end-users and victims of communication tools. In recent times, great strides in interface design have raised our expectations in terms of interacting with our computerised cohabitants. Meanwhile, our own efforts to communicate, and accordingly our attention spans, have regressed. In social media, our opinions and emotions are commonly constrained to 140 characters so that any more appears excessive. I can remember a former colleague typing the ridiculous abbreviation of ‘m’k’ting’, saving a mere single keystroke at the expense of precious seconds of having to ‘compute’ the translation at either end.

As I type this I realise I am subjecting you to a text that might be considered as grandiloquent (which is, itself a grandiloquent way of saying ‘wordy!) This may seem ironic, given that I am trying to advocate concise communication so if you’ve made it this far then ‘big up’. Almost as a timely reminder, a text message has just come through from my mum who is happily resigned to moving with the times: ‘WHAT R U UP 2 THIS WKD?’ So I’d better get back to her; L8R!

Design education forfuture wellbeing

The 14th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE2012) is being hosted by Artesis University College, Antwerp.

The conference is a unique opportunity for educators, practitioners, researchers and students in design-related areas to meet and exchange experiences in design education and future wellbeing.

Travelling to Antwerp could not be easier as it is readily accessible by plane, train, and boat. The Central Station is ranked in the top three of the world’s most beautiful and successfully restored train stations and is well worth a visit.

The university college is located in the heart of Antwerp and within walking distance of all major landmarks and attractions: the fashion and diamond district, Rubens’ house, the cathedral, the Museum aan de Stroom (MAS) and port.

Delegates will be given the opportunity to register and collect their delegate folder at a welcome evening, held at Artesis University

College between 6pm and 8pm. A selection of Belgian beers and cheeses will be available to taste.

Before the conference dinner on 6 September, delegates are invited to attend a drinks reception at the Wandelzaal (City Hall) before walking to the Grand Café, Art Nouveau Zaal – the dinner venue – to experience Belgian gastronomy at its best.

Antwerp is an undiscovered gem in Europe and has much to offer. For more information or to book a place, visit www.iepde.org/epde12

E&PDE2012, Artesis University College, Antwerp 6-7 September 2012

Conference

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20

Membership

Service improvement

The results of the IED’s recent survey and a

guide to membership benefits.

Late in 2011 we invited members of the Institution to take part in an online survey about the IED. Questions included general fact-finding about members and more detailed queries relating to the services we provide. We also asked for suggestions on what we could do better and whether there were any additional services you would like the IED to provide.

Responses were received from a wide range of members – from newly graduated to those who had been retired for some years and from a wide range of disciplines. This spread of responders will help us to develop the Institution to suit a wider range of members and provide a more comprehensive service to all.

Much of the feedback we received was reassuring in that it confirmed that we are doing some things right – 70% of responders state that they think the IED does a good job overall, with 63% likely to recommend the Institution to colleagues and friends, and

60% of responders think the IED represents good value for money.

However, there are many areas in which we could do better. Fifty per cent of responders think the IED is good at communicating benefits, which means that half of our members don’t know what the benefits are – this is reflected in the list of suggested improvements which includes many benefits which already exist, including a membership card, payment holidays for those experiencing financial hardship, joint events with other Institutions and advice and guidance on progression from IEng to CEng registration. It is clear that we need to do more to promote these, and other benefits to our members.

The way forwardAll of the responses from the survey are being fed into relevant working parties to ensure that they are addressed within the development of the Institution. Some of

the issues raised can be addressed quickly – these include a re-vamp of the website to include more accurate and up to date information on a variety of issues including member benefits, encouragement of more local events and company visits and more regular newsletters. Other suggestions will become more long-term developments and include the introduction of Special Interest Groups, development of training courses and the introduction of a more formalised CPD scheme.

Of course the Institution can only carry out the majority of these improvements with the help from members – we will be regularly updating the membership on developments and calling for expert advice and guidance on specific topics. If you think you can help in any of the areas mentioned please do let us know. In the meantime, keep an eye out for some changes and developments and many thanks go to all those who gave their time to complete the survey – your input is much valued.

21

Membership

Special Interest Groups

A few months ago a group of willing volunteer members got together for a day workshop to discuss the matter of developing Special Interest Groups at the IED. The aim of the SIGs is to provide a platform for networking and knowledge sharing between members, help to develop the IED strategy and lead on topics of particular interest to members of the Institution and the wider engineering community.

The outcome of the workshop was to select, from a long list of suggestions, some themes to be addressed by the first SIGs. These have been chosen as:

• Healthcare and wellbeing;• Sustainability;• Processes and methods.

Terms of reference for the groups are being drawn up, the aim is for each group to have an online presence for the purpose of discussions and knowledge sharing, plus one or two physical meetings per year. Each group will have an IED member as leader, plus a Council member to help develop the group and offer relevant support.

If you have an interest or expertise in any of the above topics and would be interested in helping to develop and/or lead the relevant group, or would like to join one or more of the groups, please do let us know – contact Nadine@ied.org.uk.

Also, we are looking for willing and experienced members to help with our social networking – regular posting of tweets to Twitter, plus features on Facebook and LinkedIn all help to raise the IED profile. If you can offer some regular support in these areas, please email Nadine at the address above.

A quick guide to member benefits

Legal advice helpline – free for all our UK-based fee-paying members, 24-hour helpline to provide expert legal advice on any issues, personal or professional. Log on to the members’ area of the website, or ring the IED office on 01373 822801 for further details.

Intellectual property advice – Wright-Hassall Solicitors are offering special rates on IP audits and advice to IED members, contact Iain.Colville@wrighthassall.co.uk for more details.

Reduced rate private medical care – please see carrier sheets in the journals sent in July and January for full details.

Joint courses with other institutions, free seminars and reduced rate tickets to relevant events – please see the newsletter, website and journal for details throughout the year.

e-newsletter – monthly updates on news, events, awards and member benefits. To make sure you get your copy, please send your up-to-date email address to alison@ied.org.uk.

Help in times of financial hardship – if you are unemployed, returning to full-time education or taking a career break and are having difficulty in paying your subs, or if you have developed a medical condition which requires specialist equipment, the IED Benevolent Fund might be able to help. Contact amanda@ied.org.uk to request assistance with subs or to outline your request for support from the fund.

Every fee-paying member receives a plastic membership card on payment of annual subs, sent out with the acknowledgement letter and receipt. The card shows your name, membership number and grade and some of the member benefits listed above.

Progression with registration – if you think you are eligible to progress through the grades of Engineering Council registration (EngTech, IEng, CEng) or through the grades of Institution membership (Graduate, Associate, Member, Fellow) please contact sue@ied.org.uk for further information and guidance. Members with relevant work experience who lack formal

qualifications can apply via the Technical Report Option, the IED has a success rate of over 90% via this route.

Professional indemnity insurance is vital for any designer, either directly or via their employer. Check that your organisation is adequately covered and get a quote from our specially selected advisors who will give a reduced rate to IED members. Contact Oval Insurance on 0845 643 7053.

The self-employed members’ directory features on the IED website as a place for members who are contractors or freelance to promote themselves. Visitors to the site can sort by specialism and/or geographical location and listing is free – if you are self-employed please contact nadine@ied.org.uk to ensure your details are included.

Electronic version of the journal – Engineering Designer is now available online, in the members’ section of the website. To view it, simply log on and click on the relevant button. If you would prefer not to receive a hard copy of the journal, please do let us know.

Finally, some members commented that the IED subs are expensive compared to other Institutions. Our research shows that IED member fees are in fact some of the best value around, being on a par with similar organisations and up to 50% less than other engineering institutions.

The unique venue offers an ideal platform to showcase the work of students within Brunel’s School of Engineering and Design and highlight the journeys that they have taken throughout their degrees, says Brunel.

The theme for 2012 was ‘journeys fuelled by ideas’ representing Brunel’s aim to share the process and development that goes into all of the projects, the progression of the students and Made in Brunel itself.

On the following four pages is a selection of projects which caught the editor’s eye. For much more visit http://madeinbrunel.com/projects/w_see/ or http://madeinbrunel.com/

Made in BrunelMade in Brunel is one of the most exciting graduate events of the summer, showcasing the projects of around 100 students. Melanie Armstrong visited the exhibition, held at the Bargehouse on London’s South Bank last month.

Made in Brunel

Adaptable Arm Support ‘Off the shelf’ arm support for children with Cerebral Palsy, who find it difficult to operate augmented communications devices. Comfort and support is offered from the main body, but it does not restrict the arm, leading to a more pleasant experience for both carer and user.

Rohin OdellProduct Design Engineering BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/adaptable-arm-support/

The projectsBoot Trolley

Collapsible shopping trolley designed to load directly into the back of a car boot,requiring only one push from the user.

Philip ThomasProduct Design BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/boot-trolley/

A Conceptual Rethink of a Neonatal Ventilator

An emotive approach to medical product design, the concept makes use of a renewed product architecture, aiding cable management and reducing the existing ventilator footprint.

Dominic SebastianIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/a-conceptual-rethink-of-a-neonatal-ventilator/

22

Made in Brunel

Curve

Female-specific bicycle saddle, a simple and elegant solution to the pain and discomfort most female cyclists currently experience with standard saddle designs.

Katy KorenProduct Design BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/curve/

AGA Watering Pot

A thumb watering pot for separated elderly and younger family members. The bowl includes a sensor to record how often the pot is used. This information is communicated to the other family’s bowl, giving them a reassuring indicator that their loved ones are okay.

Michael PuttockIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/aga-watering-pot/

Angel: Automotive Exterior Mirror

Angel aids drivers in protecting their valued assets (alloy wheels, vehicle, etc) from accidental damage during parking/manoeuvring and reduces the risk of a collision with an inanimate object.

Jayson TullochProduct Design BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/angel-automotive-exterior-mirror/

Chameleon Shoes

Affordable bespoke high heels to suit anyone. This product allows the user to change the top section to suit different outfits, meaning they need only buy the upper part of the shoe each time, saving money and waste.

Rosanna WellsProduct Design Engineering BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/chameleon-shoes/

23

myLab Drug purity testing device; a portable, a one use only, drug testing unit so that individuals can become aware of the substances they are taking.

Hannah DevoyIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/mylab/

Lotus Ice Axe A future concept for Lotus, this ice axe has a titanium shaft, high in strength but lightweight for the user, with a thermoplastic rubber handle for maximum grip.

Efua Mensah-AnsongIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/lotus-ice-axe/

Exercise Equipment for Seniors A safe and exciting piece of equipment, designed for indoor use to encourage people to do exercise regularly and make the process more interesting and safer for older people.

Tingting XiaoIntegrated Product Design MSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/exercise-equipment-for-seniors/

High Altitude Oxygen Mask Coping with high altitude mountain climbing is tough. This mask is custom made for the environment in which it will be used rather than adapted like many of the other masks in use today.

Michael DayProduct Design Engineering BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/high-altitude-oxygen-mask/

Made in Brunel

24

W_See Improving the hygiene of public restrooms, this is a new toilet system aimed at reducing disease transmission within the restroom environment.

Nicholas EdgarIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/w_see/

Three In One Headphones Three kinds of headphones, one set. Designed to encourage a sustainable product philosophy as users will not need to purchase more than one set of headphones for any activity they may pursue.

Andres CervantesIntegrated Product Design MSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/three-in-one-headphone/

Spikey A future concept for BIC, Spikey is a unique bottle opener that helps reduce the chances of drinks being spiked in public places.

Tom JayProduct Design BSchttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/spikey/

Podoconiosis Prevention Shoe A cheap and durable shoe to be made in Ethiopia, to help prevent the contraction of Podoconiosis, which causes a swelling disease of the lower limbs.

Tom CollettIndustrial Design & Technology BAhttp://madeinbrunel.com/projects/podoconiosis-prevention-shoe/

Gauss An affordable electrostatic loudspeaker which retains the quality of sound, whilst reducing the price for the user.

Allan LowtherIndustrial Design & Technology BA

Made in Brunel

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26

Design Museum

At the launch of the new £80m Design Museum, Sir Terence Conran called for design to become part of the DNA of this country, as it is in Scandinavia. Since its inception in 1981, the museum has worked to place design at the centre of contemporary culture – with the mission to celebrate, entertain and inform. Here are some of the ways it is doing it...

Designed to WinCoinciding with London’s biggest year of sport, Designed to Win explores the various ways in which design has shaped the sporting world, pushing the limits of human endeavour to achieve records and victories of increasing significance and wonder.

From the design of F1 cars to running shoes, racing bikes to carbon fibre javelins, the quest for enhanced performance and function is endless.

Designed to Win demonstrates the process of designing sporting equipment and its various influences, including material innovations, sporting constraints, nature and science.

The exhibition explores key moments where design has played a significant role in progressing sport and looks at themes of safety, performance and examples where sporting bodies have intervened to limit the

The heart of the matter

The new Design Museum (entrance foyer John Pawson Ltd) is expected to open in 2014. Image by Alex Morris Visualisation

Michael Phelps wearing Speedo FastSkin3 racing suit and goggles, 2012. © Speedo International Ltd

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Design Museum

effects of ‘technological doping’ where new equipment is deemed to give some athletes an unfair advantage over others. But where does human ability stop and the contest between designers, scientists and engineers begin?

In a profession where the difference between winning and losing can be as little as a fraction of a second, the importance of design is of paramount importance. Design to Win also looks at how design has revolutionised sports opportunities for people with physical impairments.

By examining celebrated sporting moments and the sense of shared celebration and spectacle, the exhibition will look at not just how design can influence sport but also how sport has influenced design, art and culture.

Film clips, photography, models and interviews will be on display alongside interactive displays, sporting equipment and timelines.

The exhibition runs from 26 July-18 November.

Designs of the Year 2012 Diversity of design in all its forms was celebrated in the Designs of the Year awards with the overall winner, Barber Osgerby for its London 2012 Olympic Torch.

The awards, now in their fifth year, celebrate the most innovative, useful or beautiful designs from around the world, nominated in the categories architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, product and transport.

Chosen from 89 entries, the winner meets a demanding design brief. The torch will be carried over 8000 miles and is perforated with 8000 circular holes, each representing a bearer who will run with the torch.

The circles which run the length of the body of the torch also offer a unique level of transparency – allowing people to see right to the heart of the torch and view the burner system which will keep the Olympic flame alive. The circles also help ensure heat is quickly dissipated without being conducted down the handle and providing extra grip.

Designers responded to the fact that more than half of the London 2012 torchbearers are

London 2012 Velodrome, Hopkins Architects

Radarlock Path – blood orange with

fire iridium polarized, image courtesy of

Oakley

expected to be young people aged between 12 and 24, implementing several design features to produce what will be one of the lighter Olympic Torches. Crafted from an aluminium alloy, developed for the aerospace and automotive industry that is lightweight whilst having good tensile strength and excellent heat resistance, the 8000 circles also reduce the weight of the final design whilst ensuring strength isn’t compromised.

Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum, said of the winning entry: “Nothing is harder to get right than designing for the Olympics. The lightness and simplicity of this torch does just that. It not only captures the spirit of London as Olympic host city but also demonstrates how design can celebrate traditional ideas in a modern way.”

David Kester, chief executive of the Design Council said: “This is a great example of how government procurement and design can

Overall winner of the Design of the Year award: London 2012 Olympic Torch by Barber Osgerby

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Design Museum

come together – not just to create a beautiful, iconic example of design excellence, but to provide real business opportunities and to show the world that Britain is a leader in design-led innovation and manufacturing.”

Other category winners were as follows: • Architecture – the London 2012 Velodrome; • Fashion – Issey Miyake 132.5 collection; • Digital – Kinect by Microsoft;• Transport – the redesign of the ambulance;• Graphic – Nokia Pure, a font design that can

adjust to all languages;• Furniture – recent RCA graduate Kihyun Kim

for his balsa wood 1.3 Chair.

Showcasing emerging talent – designers in residence

Celebrating new and emerging design talent is also high on the Design Museum’s agenda. It recently introduced its 2012 designers in residence, demonstrating an ongoing commit-ment to showcasing and supporting the next generation of designers.

Selected via an open-call, this year’s residents will be Freyja Sewell, Harry Trimble and Oscar Medley-Whitfield, Lawrence Lek and Yuri Suzuki.

The finalists were asked to respond to the brief ‘Thrift’ and to explore the idea of economy and resourcefulness in an object, an environment or an experience. The results will be displayed in the Design Museum from 5 September – 27 January 2013.

Freyja Sewell’s residency will investigate the potential of wool fibres produced as a by-product of the British carpet industry. Freyja will explore the merits of wool as a sustainable material, using it to create a variety of furniture designs. Graduating with a degree in 3D Design from Brighton University, Freyja has been selected as a member of the Icon Graduate Showcase 2011 and awarded the Nagoya Prize. She has also recently co- founded Studio Sudi and her wool designs were selected as a ‘Green Hero’ at Grand Designs Live 2011.

Oscar Medley-Whitfield and Harry Trimble’s residency takes inspiration from Southwark’s historic and once thriving ceramics industry, tapping into the unused resource of Thames river clay to create a range of products that revive the history of ceramics in the area surrounding the Design Museum. Graduating from Kingston University and the University of Brighton respectively, the duo are currently in the process of forming a design studio, Studio Extract. They share an interest in sourcing local materials to create pieces which embody local identity and heritage.

Lawrence Lek works as a sculptor, industrial designer and architect and will continue his investigation into the processes of natural growth and industrial fabrication through modular sculptural objects and environments. His work has been exhibited and performed in Japan, New York and London at the ICA and The Roundhouse. Born in Frankfurt to Malaysian-Chinese parents, Lawrence studied at Cambridge and the Architectural Association.

Yuri Suzuki explores the realms of sound, design and electronics. For his residency, Suzuki will be conducting a series of workshops to show the concept of ‘how things work’. Electronic products used to be fairly simple to repair but contemporary designs with their impenetrable, sleek exteriors make understanding their value and function difficult, encouraging consumers to purchase new products as opposed to repairing the old. Born in Tokyo, Yuri studied at the Royal College of Art and after his graduation in 2008 opened his own studio in London.

Design of the Year architecture nominee: Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects. Photography by Iwan Baan.

Design of the Year product nominee: Totem no. 5. Ruy Teixeira, 2011

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Design Museum

Moving on upAt the beginning of the year, the Design Museum unveiled plans to create a leading museum of design and architecture at the former Commonwealth Institute building in Kensington, London.

The Grade II* building, designed originally by Robert Matthew of Johnson-Marshall architects and crowned by a copper-clad hyperbolic paraboloid roof (realised without computers), is to be tuned up by the Dutch architects OMA with Arup as structural engineers. The interiors will be transformed by John Pawson.

The museum submitted its second listed building application in May, which provides more detailed information on the interior fit out.

The application shows the museum’s scheme for reconfiguring the interior of the building. The plans online give a good outline of how the internal layout will be reconfigured to accommodate the museum’s and its visitors’ needs.

Specifically, this application is aiming to determine the size and location of the openings in the first and second floor that will form a new central atrium, create a second opening in the second floor, create two new mezzanine, one in the basement and one between ground floor and first floor levels which will echo the original dais. These changes will preserve stunning internal views of the distinctive ‘swept’ roof and will improve the quality of access in the public spaces.

A decision from the planning committee is expected in summer this year. The next phase of further design work is expected to resume in autumn 2012.

The £80m project will give the Design Museum three times more space to showcase its unique collection. The museum aims to double its visitor numbers to 500,000 a year, and will greatly expand its education and public events programme with state of the art facilities.

The building, which will open to the public in 2014, will be a world class centre for design, nurturing British talent and its international influence on design of all kinds. It will bring the museum into Kensington’s cultural quarter, where it will join the V&A, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Royal College of Art and Serpentine Gallery, creating a platform for the promotion and support of the next generation of creative talent.

designmuseum.org

Designer in residence 2011 Jade Folawiyo’s tarnished light shades. Photograph: Luke Hayes.

Designer in residence 2011 Hye-Yeon Park - The Autonomous Clock. Photograph: Luke Hayes.

Designer in residence 2011 Will Shannon – Autonomous Workplace no004: Mobile Particleboard Factory. Photograph: Luke Hayes.

Designer in residence 2011 Simon Hasan – Future Imperfect. Photograph: Luke Hayes.

What’s happening

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Designing 007: 50 years of Bond style

The Barbican is marking the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, from 1962’s Dr No to this year’s Skyfall, with an exhibition showcasing the inside story of the design and style of the world’s most influential and iconic movie brand.

Designing 007 will be a multi-sensory experience, immersing audiences in the creation and development of Bond style over its auspicious 50 year history.

It will explore the craft behind the screen icons, the secret service and villains, tailoring and costumes, set and production design, automobiles, gadgets and special effects, graphic design and motion graphics, exotic locations, stunts and props.

The exhibition runs from 6 July to 5 September. www.barbican.org.uk/bond/

Design students reveal 2012 ceremonial costumes and podiums Students from the Royal College of Art’s fashion and innovation design engineering programmes have designed the ceremonial costumes and podiums for the London 2012 Olympics.

They will be used across 805 Victory Ceremonies taking place in over 30 London 2012 venues.

The ceremonial costumes will be worn by volunteer athlete and presenter escorts and volunteer flower and medal bearers. When designing the royal purple podiums, the team of students – Gaetano Ling, Hong-Yeul Eom, Luc Fusaro, Heegun Koo and Yan Lu – used dynamic lines representing the energy that the Games and athletes represent.

The purple ceremonial costumes feature elegant designs by students Thomas Crisp and Trine Hav Christensen, representing London and its architecture with a modern twist. The students were inspired by Greek mythology as well as British heritage.

The Siemens Stiftung (foundation) has launched a worldwide competition aimed at identifying and granting better access to appropriate technological solutions as one of the key levers for sustainable development.

Inventors and developer teams are invited to submit technical products or solutions that help combat existential problems in basic supply. Entries can be filed in the categories of water and waste water, energy, food and agriculture waste management and recycling, housing and construction, healthcare, and information and communication technology. The competition winner will be awarded 50,000 EUR. The second prize is valued at 30,000 EUR, the third at 20,000 EUR and a further 5000 EUR will be awarded to 20 runners up. Deadline for entries is 31 December 2012. www.empowering-people-award.org

Wanted: technological solutions to tackle basic supply challenges

What’s happening

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Pictured are Jodie Rodaway

(presenter escort with hat), Hilda

Kwafo-Akoto (athlete escort),

Matt Smith (medal and

flower bearer)

Professor Isobel Pollock becomes second female President of IMechEProfessor Isobel Pollock has become the 127th President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. She is the second female President in the Institution’s 165 year history.

“During my year as President I want the public at large to realise the vital role engineers play in keeping society moving and driving change for the better,” she said.

“I will be a passionate advocate for engineering and manufacturing, and the role it can play in revitalising our economy. Furthermore, I want to encourage more young people to pursue engineering careers.”

Sci-fi ballbot a reality, thanks to motion control technologyA team of Swiss students has developed the world’s first high agility, high stability ‘ballbot’.

Balancing on a single sphere, the robot, dubbed Rezero, can instantly accelerate in any direction, taking ball mobility to a new level in terms of both balance and speed.

Rezero achieves this by constantly making minute adjustments, keeping its centre of gravity perfectly positioned.

To move, the robot performs a controlled fall in the desired direction of travel, and then applies the exact amount of drive to the ball to hold it at a constant angle.

It stops by outrunning itself, counteracting the forward momentum and bringing its body back upright.

Drive to the ball is delivered via three omniwheel assemblies, allowing a complete range of axial and radial rotation.

Engineers from Maxon Motor helped specify a drive solution that would deliver the speed, torque and lightning responses necessary to maintain balance, within the limited space of the omniwheel housing.

“Making science fiction come true is just the kind of challenge we enjoy at Maxon,” said Ian Bell, Maxon Motor senior sales engineer.

“We’re all engineers, so it’s always exciting to bring our specialist knowledge into a ground-breaking new project,” he added.

The Design Council has movedAfter 15 great years at Bow Street, Covent Garden, the Design Council has moved to pastures new – the award winning Angel Building in Islington.

The new address is 407 St John Street London EC1V 4AB. Phone numbers and email addresses remain the same.

What’s happening

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The Prince’s Foundation and University of Strathclyde unveil new collaborative agreementThe Prince’s Foundation has announced a collaborative agreement with the University of Strathclyde, focusing on education and research in architecture and urban design. The collaboration, which begins in September, will initially provide course options to fourth year students, alongside a partnered studio unit for fifth year students. The partnership will aim to run a joint degree

programme being offered at graduate level in 2014. Students undertaking the joint course will be encouraged to undertake research that focuses on sustainable community-building, drawing on the expertise of the Prince’s Foundation and its community capital framework in urban design, traditional building and place-making.

Chief executive of The Prince’s Foundation, Hank Dittmar (left) and Professor of urban design and head of department at the University of Strathclyde, Dr Sergio Porta.

The MAK Exhibition Hall, Vienna, is exploring the ideal of simplicity as a significant and formative element of style history across epochs and cultures.

THINGS. plain & simple is a broadly conceived exhibition from the museum’s collection. It puts the principle of simplicity in different perspectives, discussing it not only as an aesthetic premise, but also in the context of socio-political and sociological phenomena.

While simplicity in furniture design is mainly surveyed as a Modernist issue, the exhibition segment about plainness in everyday objects and utensils focuses

on the polarity between functionality in use and moderation in luxury. Finally, an excursion into Asian art history explores simplicity in relation to a specific way of living and view of the world, but also to European tendencies.

“It makes a case for the ideas of plainness and simplicity of form and may well be taken as a call for a new school of seeing that does not foreground opulent materials and abundant decoration, but perfection in plain and simple shapes,” explained MAK director Christoph Thun-Hohenstein.

The exhibition runs until 7 October.

THINGS. plain & simple

What’s happening

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Apple design chief Jonathan Ive is knightedJonathan Ive – the British designer responsible for Apple’s iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad – has been knighted at Buckingham Palace.

The 45 year old said the investiture in front of the Princess Royal was “really thrilling and particularly humbling.”

Born in Chingford, east London, Sir Jonathan studied at Newcastle Polytechnic. After graduating, he began working as a commercial designer before founding design agency Tangerine with three friends.

One of the agency’s clients, Apple, was so impressed with his work it took him on as a full-time employee in 1992. Now living in San Francisco, he has led the Apple design team since 1996.

Over the past 15 years, the company has created a series of products which are all considered to be design classics. They include the iMac G3 – the

‘Bondi blue’ computer launched in 1998 – and the iPod, released in 2001, which helped to revolutionise the music industry.

In a rare interview, Sir Jonathan told The Daily Telegraph he was “the product of a very British design education.”

He said that “even in high school, I was keenly aware of this remarkable tradition that the UK had of designing and making”.

“It’s important to remember that Britain was the first country to industrialise, so I think there’s a strong argument to say this is where my profession was founded.”

Sir Jonathan was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the New Year Honours list for services to design and enterprise.

www.bbc.co.uk

Good news for design: Changes to copyright law The government has announced that copyright in designs which qualify for copyright protection is to be enforceable beyond the current 25 years to a term of ‘life of the creator plus 70 years’.

Under the new measures, certain ‘artistic’ designs of manufactured goods (for example certain furniture, lamps and jewellery) created before 1987 may now be protected from unauthorised copying under copyright law.

The changes are part of the Enterprise and Regulatory Bill, recently announced by the government. The Bill will repeal section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which currently restricts copyright to 25 years (calculated from the date on which the work is first placed on the market) on artistic works which are exploited through an industrial process.

In practice, this means that owners of any copyrights in classic designs will be able to use copyright law to prevent the sale of unauthorised copies of such designs. Not all works will necessarily be artistic works and the repeal will not apply retrospectively, so retailers will be able to clear any unauthorised existing stock.

The UK had been one of only three Member States (Estonia and Romania) to place a limit on the term of protection for copyright works which are produced through an industrial process, and the move will clarify and update the law in line with the rest of the EU.

“By protecting new designs more generously, we are encouraging more investment of time and talent in British design,” said Sir Terence Conran. “That will lead to more manufacturing in Britain, and that in turn will lead to more jobs – which we desperately need right now. Properly protected design can help make the UK a profitable workshop again. We have the creative talent – let’s use it.”

What’s new

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Give Your Big Idea a Little Mojo

Xxxxxx

UK Distributor, Laser Lines Ltd, is pleased to announce the Mojo 3D Printer, which brings affordable, professional 3D printing to your design process. Powered by proven Stratasys FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling™) technology, it is the 3D printing technology you can trust to empower your design creativity.

Whether you are testing for form, fit or function, Mojo works easily with your CAD software – bringing your ideas to life with just the push of a button. Mojo produces models in ABS™ production-grade thermoplastic, so you know they will be durable and high quality. And with the Mojo 3D Print Pack™, you’ll have everything you need to get started.

It’s as simple to use as an inkjet printer, yet powerful enough to meet the highest 3D printing standards. With the Mojo Print Wizard software, you can orient and optimise your 3D print files in an easy-to-use graphic interface – including STL thumbnails, real-time autopacking and 3D views of your print job. Plus, with simple colour-coded indicators on-screen, Mojo Control Panel software provides real-time 3D printer status and estimated print time. And that allows you and everyone on your design team to be able to print their big ideas faster.

Another breakthrough feature of Mojo is the new QuickPack™ Print Engines – including the only easily replaceable, professional-quality print heads in the industry – which make it as simple to switch out Mojo 3D printing materials as an inkjet printer cartridge. With Mojo’s auto-calibration and 0.007 inch layer resolution, your 3D models will not only be accurate and reliable, but also print faster than ever before.

The Mojo 3D Print Pack has everything you need to get started. Set-up is fast and easy – you can be printing your first 3D model in less than an hour. The WaveWash™ 55 Support Cleaning System, designed for soluble support material removal, is as revolutionary as Mojo. With a stainless-steel carafe, it is compact and runs quietly – ideal for nearly anywhere in the office. No plumbing connection is required and with the new Ecoworks™ Tablets it is as clean and simple to run as a coffee maker.

With prices starting at an affordable £6400 you will feel like you discovered some design magic of your own. The Mojo 3D Printer is now available for shipping.

For more information please contact Mark Tyrtania on 01295 672500 or email markt@laserlines.co.uk

The Engineering Council has announced the appointment of Katy Turff as Head of International. Katy joins the organisation from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) where she worked for nine years, most recently as programme manager, delivering the Institution’s strategic objectives relating to member engagement.

Katy will be building on the work in progress to shift the emphasis of international agreements from academic to competence-based standards, to ensure that all Engineering Council registrants can benefit from international recognition, whether they have achieved their professional qualifications through a standard or individual route.

“Engineering is a global profession so it follows that international recognition of our professional qualifications is vital for engineers, technicians, their employers and clients,” said Katy.

“There are still a lot of barriers to international mobility and it makes sense for the Engineering Council to take the lead in tackling these on behalf of, and in collaboration with, the professional engineering institutions.”

New Head of International for Engineering Council

Engineering Designer

CirculationEstablished in 1945, The Institution of Engineering Designers is the professional body for Engineer-ing Designers, Product Designers and Computer Aided Draughtsmen and Designers. Engineering Designer is the Institution’s bi-monthly journal sent to all members, as well as design professionals and opinion formers in industry, schools, colleges and universities.

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Unless otherwise indicated, views expressed are those of the editorial staff, contributors and cor-respondents. They are not necessarily the views of the Institution of Engineering Designers, its officers, or Council. The publication of an advertisement or editorial does not imply that a product or service is recommended or endorsed by the Institution. Material may only be reproduced in any form by prior arrangement and with due acknowledgement to Engineering Designer

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Engineering Designer

10 22

Design of the Year

The journal of the Institution of Engineering Designers

July/August 2012

What lies beneath

Understanding the

structure of solid objects

Designs of the Year 2012

Overall winner – Barber Osgerby’s Olympic Torch

Made in Brunel

A showcase of the projects

at Brunel’s graduate event

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Write for your journalEngineering Designer needs good articles on matters im-portant to design. Why not write one? You will receive help from the editorial team if you need it.

If you want to try your hand at writing a feature for Engineering Designer, please submit an abstract (around 200 words) explaining what your feature is about, with intended word count. (Features can be between 1000 and 3000 words.) It will then be forwarded to the IED editorial committee for consideration.

PresidentSir George Cox HonFIED

Immediate Past PresidentProfessor GE Kirk RDI CEng FREng FIMechEFRAeS FRSA FIED

ChairmanDr DJB Maffin PhD BEng CEng MRINA MIED

Immediate Past ChairmanATA Keegan CEng FIED(PCh)

Vice ChairmenCMC Dowlen BTech CEng MIMechEREngDes FIED FRSAEurIng C Ledsome MEng CEng FIMechE FIED MCMI FBIS MDSEurIng SP Vaitkevicius BEng(Hons) MSc CEng MIED

Ordinary CouncillorsP K R Bateman EngTech AIEDWS Beck BSc(Hons) CEng FIEDProfessor GN Blount BSc MSc PhDCEng FIMechE FIEDL J Meaton DipRSA IfL MIEDEurIng MAC Evatt BA(Hons) CEng MIEDDr TMB Humphries-Smith BSc PGDip MPhil EdD CEng MIED FHEAGK Lacy MDes RCA CEng FIED FRSAJD Poole FIED(PP) (PCh) IEng MCMINC Robinson BEng PGDManuf IEng MIED MSEE MIETDr GAL Tizzard BSc MPhil DIC PhD MIEEE CEng MIED FHEAI Treacy BA MSc IEng MIED MIET

Co-opted CouncillorSimon Benfield CEng CEnv FIED

Councillor and Honorary TreasurerEurIng Professor KL Edwards BEng(Tech) MSc PhD CEng CSci FIMechE FIMMM FIED(PCh)

SecretaryEK Brodhurst BSc(Hons)

Note: (PHP) – Past Honorary President, (PP) – Past President, (PCh) – Past Chairman

Managing Editor Libby Brodhurst

Editor Mel Armstrong

Designed byBecky Ellison

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Printed by MWL Print Group

Editorial CommitteeEK Brodhurst, PC Hills,C Ledsome, MK Chowdhree, JD Poole, GJ Jeffery and KW Kempson

ISSN: 00137898

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Contact the EditorIf you would like to write a feature, add to the news, or send your points of view, write to Mel Armstrong at 27 Castle Street, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2PX.Telephone01795 542436

Emaileditorial@engineeringdesigner.co.uk

Contacts

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