The pace of change in engineering is increasing, sometimes frighteningly so. Our end users are demanding more. We need to make sure we choose well in placing our bets on where to spend our resources. Or, we might need to hedge our bets to allow flexibility to pivot. Short term, focussed partnerships are one solution. Increasing complexity won’t give us a free pass from simultaneously increasing reliability though. Happy Reading.
How Can We Be Sure An Aerospace Technology Is Ready For Prime Time?
Boeing and Airbus are planning brand new airframes. What breakthrough technologies will they harness? Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) don't give a full picture for complex integration. Manufacturability and reliability are also important so a solid risk analysis is needed.
Aviation Week, October 2023
The New Wild West
Electric vehicle manufacture is an example in which "industry players will need to innovate at a swifter pace and need to adopt partnerships to fill gaps and defray risk." The pace of change also means that flexibility is important in order to be competitive. Nimbleness is a strategy.
SAE International, July 2023
Does Your Stuff Really Not Last as Long Anymore?
Do things break sooner? Anecdotal evidence indicates lower quality materials are used to reduce production costs to hit a price point. Also, as things get more complicated, there are more potential failure points. "...a product can be good, cheap, or fast, but you can only ever have two of the three."
Design World Online, October 2023
What Apple Crispness Can Reveal About Engineering Standards
And now for something completely different: an engineering analysis of the crispness of apples. Apparently food science is sound on chemistry, but soft on texture. How would a physicist approach the problem? Maybe: "first let's assume that all apples are perfect spheres."
IMechE News, September 2023