Sanstec Design Previous Blogs

Trailer for sale or rent?

For those of you old enough to remember, I guess the title of this blog might sound a bit like the 1960s country track “King of the Road”. I’m sure any design engineers, in particular, will be relieved to hear that the topic is not music based, but instead centres on a recent Sanstec workshop challenge which allowed us to flex our Creo CAD skills again. So, enter the trailer.

So why this trailer? This particular trailer has been used.............. <continued>

Losing Continuity

I've recently had to undertake some basic electrical fault finding on one of our trailers in the sanstec workshop. After completing various jobs and updates on it, which included some tidying of the wiring for the towing lights, a problem occurred where all the trailer lights would come on all the time all at once.

The lighting board at the back of the trailer and necessary for any towing, is essentially a piece of plastic board with an arrangement of lights.............. <continued>

Industry News

PerkinElmer picks up Covaris’ sample prep portfolio in New Mountain-led deal.
Two ‘Green Steel’ Processes Close to Commercial Viability.
Toyota’s new GenAI Tool is Transforming Vehicle Design. ..........<continued>

The importance of knowing what you've got

The Christmas holiday period can provide an opportunity to get some perspective on things. Seems an obvious thing to say really, but it's important to actually reflect on what you've got, acknowledge and appreciate the relationships and material things that are right there in front of you and which you often take for granted every day.

I'm definitely one for needing to be more careful about being conscious of what I have and taking the time to appreciate things in general............... <continued>

2-4-6-8

For those of you old enough to remember, 2-4-6-8 was a 1977 hit for the Tom Robinson Band. For some reason, as we leave the festive season behind us and head into 2024 I can’t seem to shake this song and melody from my head. It’s possibly because we have been focusing on our strategy and ambitions for the New Year.

Just like the lyrics of this song, I can draw some parallels with my own design engineering business, Sanstec Design, and our plans............... <continued>

The Rise of the Machines?

With all the recent technical developments in robotics and AI lately, it is easy to get carried away into a futuristic world where we all retreat from doing what we do best, communicating face to face with one another.

Those that know me well appreciate that I like nothing better than having a business meeting over a cup of coffee. So why change?

We all know that our professional time is short............... <continued>

Industry News

4 medtech companies to watch this week in earnings.
AI and Digital Tools Will Ease the Skills Gap, Just Not the Way You Think.
Google Launches New Domain Extension for More Unique URLs. ..........<continued>

Staying In Tune

Recently, I was investigating some issues with a changing quality of reception being received with the portable radio in our kitchen. It seems that the distortion has increased quite a lot on some stations since we had the kitchen re-built at the beginning of the year, after the removal of what was originally installed in the house.

Interference can occur and build up for a number of reasons. Typically, that being materials blocking and shielding the............... <continued>

Eureka! That light bulb moment

Working as a CAD design engineer and being involved in the creation of new products, you naturally ponder from time to time the relentless pressure there is on a new product development team to invent the next best thing. Following in the footsteps of those famous inventors from centuries passed, it seems natural to question how they have all managed to create that so-called light bulb moment?

Taking the history of the light bulb into consideration, it is interesting to read there were a number of inventors competing to invent............... <continued>

You are what you EAT?

How many times have you heard the saying “you are what you eat”? Whether this concept is true or not, in this blog we are focusing on the Google search acronym EEAT, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. For many small businesses like ours, trying to grapple with understanding as to how search engine optimisation (SEO) works, can be quite tricky.

For our part, we do our very best to display............... <continued>

Design Engineering: Pot Luck?

After years of sitting watching late night television activity from The Crucible, Sheffield, you would be forgiven for thinking that I should be a snooker expert by now.

Although I have spent many nights with friends, attempting to play like a pro, for the present I plan to stick with design engineering, the rules and gameplay which I know thoroughly inside and out.

After all, I have been doing this job for over the past 25 years................ <continued>

Industry News

How can medical device OEMs support the circular economy?
Two ‘Green Steel’ Processes Close to Commercial Viability.
Toyota’s new GenAI Tool is Transforming Vehicle Design. ..........<continued>

Which CAD version?

You would be forgiven for thinking this blog has been lifted from a well-known magazine series. But this is indeed a serious question that we have to put to any client before we can begin any design and development project, as we have to be certain that we possess the software to carry out the task required.

Working alongside a variety of clients means that we need to keep our design engineering software up to date and aligned to the............... <continued>

Revolving doors: managing the workload

Providing our design engineering services directly to our clients means we need to be ready and available to accept work. This, of course, is a real challenge and one we constantly face month to month and sometimes even on a day-to-day basis. Our work schedule can be turned upside down before we’ve even had a chance to get started.

Like so many other small businesses, we have been in a position where we have started planning the project timeline with our client................ <continued>

Barriers to new product development

New product design and development is a complex process, involving a great number of professionals across numerous departments.

In fact, there are so many reasons why a product doesn’t make it on the shelves, so to speak, I sometimes wonder how anything gets made at all. These barriers can be numerous depending on the design and manufacturing process in order to successfully bring the designated product to the market place................ <continued>

Maintaining a Great Track Record

In our line of work, of the greatest importance to us, is pleasing our clients. Our aim, pure and simple, is to implement the design engineering project agreed by both parties.

Providing an excellent service is what it is all about, with the satisfaction of the customer, whether they be another design company, consultancy or manufacturer, being the final goal.

Thus, an impeccable performance history is why our clients................ <continued>

AI: Not science fiction

AI is changing the landscape in which we all live and work. It is gradually making its way into our lives as people and businesses assess how it can make processes more efficient, in terms of time and money.

Artificial Intelligence, as the name sounds, is a strand of computer science where machines are programmed to think as humans do. For those of you who are familiar with the old science fiction movies of the 1970s............... <continued>

Industry News

LinkedIn Adds New Ways for Job Seekers to Highlight Key Skills and Competencies.
10 AI Features for Simulation Engineers Coming in 2024.
Spring launch for electric bike from Lotus. ..........<continued>

It’s not all black and white

Back in the 1970s, we were content enough to sit in front of our black and white televisions where we had to physically leave our seats to approach the set in order to switch channels. Nowadays, that concept is so far removed from the current youth of today, who are used to watching everything in colour, at break-neck speed and on every digital device they can get their hands on. Those bygone days did seem simpler for those children growing up in that era, who, at that time............... <continued>

Reach for the Stars

How many times have you heard the phrase “Reach for the Stars” spoken to you? It is generally used as a message to inspire ambition and galvanise an urge to work hard. Of course, this saying may also rouse memories of the well-known 1980s S Club 7 hit, “Reach”, which conveyed a similar message about having dreams, reaching for the sky and fulfilling those goals and aspirations. As we hit the start of a new academic year, I wonder how many parents are communicating this.............. <continued>

IR35: In, Out, Shake it all About...

Well, this blog might sound like we’re singing loudly and badly, the Hokey Cokey, or playing some other sort of children’s game or activity. But IR35, for many of us, is most definitely as far removed from this sort of pleasure as is practical. Because, as we all know, if you get it wrong, the tax man will most definitely come knocking on your door, so to speak.

Introduced in April 2020, and still causing a lot of............. <continued>

How do you manage your engineering data?

In mechanical engineering, the way that data is managed, can be critical to the success of a design and development project. Whether a client has a PDM (Product Data Management) system, or not, and therefore using some sort of manual control process, whilst both work practices have to be adhered to and respected, the processes essentially involved couldn’t be more different.

Over the years, we have become particularly familiar with............. <continued>

Industry News

Twitter To Launch Job Listings For Verified Organizations.
Meta Announces New Video Features for Facebook as It Looks to Align With Broader Usage Trends............. <continued>

The Wow Factor

I am sure many of you would agree that it is seriously getting harder to impress. For anyone to experience the wow factor nowadays, it can almost be likened to winning the lottery. You have to more or less take consumers by surprise and present them with something that they weren’t expecting, in order to exceed their expectations.

Obviously, during the current cost of living crisis, when money is being more closely guarded, we are all naturally aiming to stretch things even............. <continued>

Industry News

LinkedIn Shares New Insights into its Latest Algorithm Updates - the platform recently updated its algorithm in response to user feedback that too much irrelevant, non-professional content that was flooding their feeds............. <continued>

Every day is a learning day

In engineering, you can almost learn something new every day. That is most certainly the case for us, particularly when we are working on an internal project in the Sanstec workshop. We are fortunate to not only operate as a consultant mechanical design engineering company, offering services to design and develop products or parts, but, to have our own engineering facilities. I won’t lie, but this dedicated space has been great for us to increase our knowledge and push our.............. <continued>

Once upon a time in Engineering.....

The story of engineering, if condensed into one book, would be vast. The pages would be jam-packed with descriptions of creatives and visionaries, who, despite experiencing adversity, had the passion and drive to continue with their individual inventions, ideas and projects. The list of these influential people who have gone before, is endless. But it is thanks to the likes of James Watt, George Stevenson, Nikola Tesla, Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, and so many others, that present.............. <continued>

Keeping it Real

When we land a new design and development project, everyone involved is naturally full of excitement and anticipation of bringing something that is, usually up to that time, completely fantasy, and making it a reality. That is essentially what a mechanical design engineer’s role is all about. In a nutshell, we are responsible for transforming a client’s original creative brief or concept into something more substantial; physical.

So, yes, we do our very best to keep things............. <continued>

GD&T: Not a refreshing beverage

In mechanical design engineering, we, of course, strive for perfection, but in reality that always can’t be achieved. It is generally recognised that, due to variations in the process, manufactured components differ in size to that specified in the original CAD model. In order to control these discrepancies, engineers and manufacturers alike refer and rely upon the system of GD&T.

Not to be confused with a well-known and loved beverage............. <continued>

The nuts and bolts of a project

I guess you’re all very familiar with the phrase, “nuts and bolts”, being used to describe the basic components or the nitty-gritty of a given situation? In mechanical design engineering, a comparison can closely be drawn with this concept, as the nuts and bolts in our industry are what physically hold things together, or in other terms, are the most critical part of a mechanical structure.

So, as you would expect, these fasteners and fixings are............. <continued>

Consistency and Persistency: An Engineer’s Superpowers?

For those mechanical design engineers out there, I’m sure many of you would agree that we have to possess in our armoury numerous technical and creative skills and attributes. In addition, when working on a design and development project, the ability to be persistent and consistent is needed, not only in the level of work produced but in the overall communication of ideas and problem solving ability.

But being persistent comes at a price. If a design is deemed............. <continued>

Laying the foundations

I’m sure many of you would agree, it is imperative that when laying the foundations for any building project, it is done properly, with no cutting of corners. As we all know, the repercussions of this aspect of construction, not being undertaken correctly can lead to catastrophic consequences. In mechanical design engineering it is no different, with CAD software being our virtual building block platform.

I would even suggest that a good CAD drawing can............. <continued>

Why innovate?

It is generally acknowledged that the process of innovation within the new product development arena is fraught with risk. So, why do it at all? Why do businesses and entrepreneurs innovate or invent new things?

Well, if they completely stopped innovating, they could fall behind in the marketplace, as a product becomes deemed unfashionable or outdated. In order to stay ahead of the competition and keep up with............. <continued>

Industry News

J&J raises forecast as medtech procedures recover - The company’s medical device business grew by more than 7% in the first quarter. J&J raised its forecast for 2023. It now expects revenue of $97.9 billion to.............. <continued>

Permission to Proceed

In our 25 years’ plus experience dealing with highly confidential design and development data files, it is imperative that we have complete control as to whom has access to these sensitive documents when under our care. It is therefore our intention, as a consultant mechanical design engineering company, to be highly strategic, in only allowing those individuals, who as part of their remit or technical role within any given project, can view specific engineering data............. <continued>

To agree or disagree

Over the years, it never fails to surprise me just how complex and involved it can be to take on a new client or project.

For those of you unacquainted with the process, once a verbal exchange has taken place to move forward with a design and development proposal, there follows an almost endless paper trail of agreements. Of course, along the line there may be some disagreements, but in the end these will need............. <continued>

Freedom to Operate

Working in the field of design and development, it is generally acknowledged that the significance of not finding out if you can legitimately proceed with a project, can be catastrophic. It is therefore highly recommended that a thorough check is undertaken to ascertain whether a product, technology or invention has already been patented.

A Freedom to Operate search or FTO, as it is more commonly known, therefore reduces the risk of infringement on someone else’s............. <continued>

Thinking outside of the box

How many times have you heard the phrase, ‘think outside the box’, particularly when you are trying to problem solve or be creative? Over the past 25 years, as a mechanical design engineer working in a variety of industries, I can say with experience that it appears to be a similar story in most work environments. Product designers and customers alike are always looking for something new, may that be an innovation, idea or concept. On many an occasion, I have been............. <continued>

The small stuff

How many times have you heard the phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff”? These words could have been spoken to encourage you, or those around you, to disregard those issues that could be considered to be unimportant, compared to the bigger picture and other things going on in the world. However, speaking as a mechanical design engineer who has to constantly drill down to the minutest of detail, I’m afraid the small print and anything else considered to be microscopic, is most definitely not thought insignificant, but very, very important............. <continued>

Fit for Purpose

It’s that time of the year when many of us are hoping to dodge the latest cold and flu germs that are being circulated amongst friends, family and colleagues. As we move into spring, it is heartening to witness that many people are still going strong with their individual fitness routines, whatever they may be.

I, for one, would certainly find it hard to identify someone that wasn’t measuring their steps with some fitness device or another............. <continued>

Engineers make things happen

Engineers don’t just make things, but make things happen. A huge sweeping opening statement this may be, but when a design engineer is handed a new idea, design or concept, the main objective is not just to turn a dream into a reality, but more importantly, transform it into a working design.

This sounds relatively straightforward, I know. But in practice, the process involves innumerable strategies, being technically............. <continued>

In a fix

Fixings have a critical role to play in mechanical design. First and foremost is that they physically hold components and therefore, products, together. So without them, all the gadgets and gizmos that we have known and grown to love, would fall apart. But their starring part all depends on the end goal of the product in question.

There are numerous fastenings that can be selected by a mechanical design engineer, such as bolts, screws, studs, rivets, nuts, nails, and............. <continued>

Shades of Grey

Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that everything now seems to be a shade of grey? Cars, front doors, fitted kitchens, lounge soft furnishings, window frames, luxurious padded headboards, whatever the item, it appears that grey is the colour to be sought and purchased from our High Street or online retailers alike.

In the world of mechanical design engineering, however, life couldn’t be so different. If engineers like me are doing our jobs well, then we............. <continued>

Chapter and Verse

Over the years we are thankful to have been approached to work with a variety of clients on long-term mechanical design engineering projects, but this is not always the case. We are often called upon, particularly if there is an important deadline looming or a technical bottleneck being experienced, to provide support on a short-term contract. Hence, to focus on the completion of a particular task or milestone, rather than the entire span of the development project............... <continued>

CAD Templates: An engineer’s way of achieving consistency

A big part of being a mechanical design engineer is managing the considerable amount of CAD data. Much of the inherent detail lies behind the scenes, but at the forefront are, of course, the CAD drawings. These files are paramount to the success of a design project and are treated, quite rightly, as such.

Engineers use CAD template files to consistently maintain standards and styles across a business. They are used to set, manage and............... <continued>

The comeback kids?

I was excited to read in the news that the American automotive giant, Ford, is returning to F1. Their plan to make a comeback from the 2026 season is something that I am personally going to look forward to with anticipation. I understand their restoration was a consequence of the new engine changes that pave the way for a greener racing programme, which includes increased electrical power and 100% sustainable fuels............... <continued>

Engineering: Practically Magic?

Whether I am in the Sanstec Design office or workshop, my main aspiration is generally to make something work. That may be interpreted as getting one of my classic cars to function correctly, but usually I am focused on creating a robust CAD design for a client. It doesn’t always play out that straightforward though, as more often than not, my engineering skills are called upon to weave their magic and solve technical question upon question............... <continued>

On the surface

A weekend or two ago, I was back in the Sanstec workshop renovating one of my cherished classic cars. Where the vehicle had been patiently standing for a long time, waiting for me to turn my attention to it, its door panels had unsurprisingly started to rust, where the paint was rather too thin.

So, just as with any renovation, I began to prepare the surfaces to conserve them, as I most definitely did not want them getting any................ <continued>

A bad connection

There’s been times, I’m sure, when we have all experienced a bad connection. Whether this has manifested itself as an unsatisfactory telephone or internet line, a misunderstood conversation, or a challenging relationship. In some cases, you are able to simply fix or remedy the situation, in other situations you have to approach with extreme caution and tread very carefully. My most recent encounter of a bad connection made me acknowledge the fact that................ <continued>

One Way or Another

Working with numerous design and development projects, as we have, over the 20 plus years that Sanstec Design has been operating, there have inevitably been a substantial number of clients that have required their original design files to be converted into another format. One way or another, depending on the existing data and where they want or more importantly, need to be, we have successfully problem-solved and aided them on their journey of conversion............... <continued>

2023: Easy as 1, 2 3 ?

Well, “Happy New Year everybody!” On behalf of everyone at Sanstec Design we hope you had a suitably festive season. We are all set, nicely positioned on the engineering starting blocks, ready to sprint into action. Like any start to a new year, it brings with it fresh goals and objectives. But not everything is as easy as one, two, three.

There will of course be more design and development hurdles to overcome and CAD problems to solve for our clients, but the good............... <continued>

Merry Christmas Everyone?

Well, it’s that time again. Where on earth did 2022 go? It certainly has been a challenging year for many people and businesses alike. What with the post-Covid struggle, the problems with sourcing raw materials and securing supply chains in general, plus the rise of the cost of energy and the war in Ukraine. All of this was enough in itself, then we lost the UK's longest-serving monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

But here we are. We have ridden the political and economic............... <continued>

Engineering: not just trains, planes and auto-mobiles

Engineering has continued to evolve over time to keep up with consumer demands. It is possible that when Robert Stevenson, the Wright Brothers and Henry Ford, for example, invented their specific machines, they never imagined there would be moderately affordable electric versions being designed, developed and engineered for consumers like you and me. But progress and modern times dictate that we must now bring products to the marketplace which are deemed............... <continued>

Snakes and Ladders

Sometimes a day in the office can be likened to a game of snakes and ladders. One minute you are climbing up the ladder of success, doing well and with one throw of the dice, or a slip on a wet wooden rung, you find yourself sliding back down again. But life can often be like that, with hopefully, a good balance of ups and downs, or the feeling of travelling one step forward and two back.

Reaching the top of the ladder, aspiring for that career goal or............... <continued>

CAN bus: not a public transport vehicle

You would be forgiven for thinking this blog is going to be discussing the pros and cons of your local bus service or timetable. I’m afraid this is simply not the case. Neither is it going to be anything as entertaining as the famous British sitcom, On the Buses. What it is going to focus on, however, is how a vehicle communicates internally. Still with me?

As a mechanical design engineer with more than a keen interest in old and classic vehicles, I am of course acquainted with a............... <continued>

May the force be with you

In mechanical design engineering it is sometimes necessary to determine how something is going to react under given circumstances. It is a way of checking how a product will behave when it is actually being used for the purpose it is required to serve. We have been involved with many clients over the years who have necessarily needed to complete a sequence of testing in order to proceed with their design and development project. But what is the best way of............... <continued>

The seed of an idea

It is an understatement to say that when it comes to new product development, an idea has to come from somewhere. Whether that may manifest itself as a spark of genius to create something entirely new, or a more subtle design change in how a product looks, feels or operates. In any case, it is a seed of an idea which will have to be rooted and nurtured in order for it to reach its full potential.

Out and about in my local woods the other weekend................ <continued>

Shhhh, Shhhh

You might be forgiven for perhaps thinking this blog is going to focus on Björk’s famous 1995 hit “It’s Oh So Quiet”, but you would, I’m afraid, be sadly wrong. Although highly enjoyable, if you like that sort of thing, the title is actually referring to how we have to behave as a mechanical design engineering business.

Serving clients who may be bringing a new product to market, or who are working on a design improvement to an................ <continued>

Building Bridges

When you meet someone for the very first time and tell them that you are an engineer, many assume you are in construction; that you build bridges, tower blocks and skyscrapers. I have to then explain that I am in fact a mechanical design engineer, which means I don’t get directly involved in these so-called big scale building projects, but rather you will find me beavering away behind the scenes, so to speak, with the intricate details, the nuts and bolts. Namely, the mechanisms, systems and components that drive or lay behind these constructions................ <continued>

The Long and Short of It

It certainly is really scary how quickly time passes. We came to the realisation the other day that we have been in the new Sanstec workshop for almost a year. It only seems like yesterday when we were having to safely pack tools and machinery in preparation for the move to another premises.

The cost of relocating was indeed considerable, both in terms of time and money. A lot of clearing and sorting was undertaken prior to................ <continued>

Is engineering for me?

So, why choose a career in engineering over banking, accountancy, or teaching, to name a few professions? Well, Sanstec Design’s MD and Mechanical Design Engineering Consultant Alastair Sanderson speaks candidly, in this blog, about his personal pathway and why 20 plus years later, he still finds the industry extremely exciting.

When did you become interested in engineering?

As long as I can remember I have always been interested in................ <continued>

Up Close and Personal

A recent addition to the Sanstec workshop, electronics bench and inventory, has been a new digital microscope. It is something we have been thinking about acquiring for some time, but it was not until we needed to solve a technical development problem for one of our clients, did we actually take the time to research the marketplace and select the right product to suit our needs.

We were very excited indeed, when at last we could................ <continued>

Here’s the Thing…

Sometimes, one of the very first phrases I hear when taking on a new mechanical design engineering project, is “here’s the thing”. This is the moment you know that you are going to receive details of the engineering problem to be solved. The project, often named as ‘x’ or something more obscure, is used for those more highly confidential development products. Maybe as yet unbranded or named, it is up to the research and development (R&D) team to develop the................ <continued>

Over the top

The next time you brush your teeth with a humble non electric toothbrush, take a closer look at the handle.

With a quick first glance, you may only see that another colour plastic has been incorporated into the product, but take a second, closer inspection and you might realise that the plastic not only looks unalike, but feels distinct too. This is a result of using the manufacturing process of overmoulding................ <continued>

Copycat, Copycat, Sitting on the Doormat

No one really likes a copycat, or do they? Well, we all may know someone who seems to constantly mimic other people’s ideas and actions, but how do we feel about it? Within the school gates, it certainly seems acceptable behaviour, to make children feel part of the in-crowd. How many of us can remember and admit to wanting the same expensive branded pencil case, watch or phone, as the other children cherished and enjoyed, when we were at school? But sadly, or gladly, I am................. <continued>

Engineering The Future

You don’t have to look very far to read about the various technical advances in engineering.

Whether it be in relation to the latest discovery or scientific breakthrough. New products and ideas are happening all the time and a lot of them sound like they have been lifted from the pages of a science fiction comic or sci-fi movie script. It certainly is an extremely exciting era to be involved in this................ <continued>

Mercury Rising

So it was hot, really hot! During last week's record-breaking heatwave, members of the press, media and weather forecasters were talking about climate change and the fact that we will need to get used to higher summer temperatures and more records being broken. Some of us were considered lucky to be working in air conditioned offices, while others like delivery drivers and the bin men were trying to carry on as business as almost usual. With never-before-seen temperatures............... <continued>

NPD: A Risky Business

Mostly everyone involved in new product development (NPD) generally appreciates the overall process is a risky business. Sometimes it genuinely really does surprise and impress me when things actually go to plan and a product which starts as an intangible idea, physically comes off the conveyor in the factory, packaged ready for the consumer. For those of us involved in the design and development cycle, we will appreciate that it is not a simple process and for many.............. <continued>

Opportunity Knocks

So how many of you will confess to being able to remember the BBC radio and subsequent television programme, Opportunity Knocks? Presented by a variety of people including Hughie Green and Bob Monkhouse, the show provided an opportunity for unknown variety acts to perform and impress the audience. The support for each act was visually represented through the use of a measuring instrument, the ‘clapometer’ and the winner was subsequently determined based on............. <continued>

The Value of Sketching

I am sure that many of you have, from time to time, found yourself doodling whilst otherwise being occupied with thinking about something else. The ability to produce sketches, consisting for example of random lines, shapes, cartoon characters, flowers and fictional monsters, is a by-product of allowing the creative juices to subconsciously flow. It is no surprise that doodling is generally acknowledged to be a form of expression and a de-stressing tool. Design engineers like me, also value............ <continued>

Not just a one-trick Pony

For those of you who pay attention, close or otherwise, to the content written in our Sanstec blogs, will know that I am a consultant mechanical design engineer. But what does that actually mean? Many of our social followers will be aware that my company, Sanstec Design, is generally known for providing CAD design services. But the services we offer do not simply revolve around producing CAD per se; 'we' are definitely more than a one-trick pony........... <continued>

A Tough Nut to Crack

At the weekend you will often find me busy on various projects in the Sanstec workshop, catching up on those long overdue tasks that I have been unable to fulfil during the so-called five day working week. Recently I have been making repairs to a 2009 Mk2 Ford Focus Zetec that I have owned for a number of years now. The top of the car’s engine lay in a number of bits around me as part of changing the cam belt. The instructions in my trusty manual simply said........... <continued>

Game, Set and Match

So we once again find ourselves on the lead up to the Wimbledon fortnight. The two weeks of grass tennis permanently aired across the BBC for the duration of the tournament. The quintessential epitome of the British summer: oodles of Pimms and lemonade and strawberries and cream to consume. Of course at the end of the Grand Slam we have the winners to cheer and be proud of and along the way we might have some rain and a song or two from Cliff Richard. But what has.......... <continued>

Injection Moulding Tooling: The Importance of Getting it Right

The next time you brush your teeth in the morning, take a good look at the lid of the toothpaste tube. This component, like many others that we use and which surrounds us in our everyday lives, has been derived from a process called injection moulding. Sounds and looks simple, doesn’t it, and in a way it is, however there is a lot that can go wrong in the process, leading to problems with the components etc. and subsequently incurring financial losses and environmental consequences.......... <continued>

NPD: Is a change as good as a rest?

In design engineering a change is most definitely not as good as a rest. Any amendment occurring to a product’s CAD design usually results in an enormous amount of work to ensure the data used is both accurate and is the most up to date version. The consequences of not adhering to this can lead to disastrous consequences, with the ripples being felt far and wide.

So dealing with alterations to a new product’s design needs to.......... <continued>

The Land of Make Believe

Following the recent Eurovision excitement caused me to reflect back to when the UK last hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998 in Birmingham following Katrina and the Waves' victory with Love Shine A Light in 1997. But most people my age, will probably remember the animated performance of Bucks Fizz’s Making Your Mind Up in 1981. Their follow up single which reached number one in the following year, The Land of Make Believe, was also a big hit. But what does any of this.......... <continued>

Hitting the spot

Our weekly blog chatter, #SanstecStories, has been published across our varied Sanstec Design social platforms and web pages for some time now. As with any PR or marketing communication, we are naturally aiming for the most appropriate message and tone of voice for each piece of content we produce.

Our original content has therefore been carefully written with the intention of creating both thought-provoking and entertaining.......... <continued>

Refining the Design

It sounds simplistic, doesn’t it? Refining a design; just change it, I have heard so many people say. But it is never that straight forward and throughout my career, I have often experienced that by altering one thing, function or component of a product, can lead to something else needing attention the consequences of and sometimes the unseen/unintended consequences of change!

Product refinement is part of the overall.......... <continued>

Making it a Reality

How many people do you need to change a light bulb? Well, put in the context of new product development, you actually need quite a lot. When that light bulb moment happens or the seed of a new product, innovation, dream or aspiration is sown, that’s when it becomes the turn of a design engineer to make it a reality.

Whether a client requires an outline CAD model or an update to an existing design, companies like ours are tasked with providing a robust design.......... <continued>

Seeking Perfection

Many of us I’m sure would generally agree with the saying that no-one is perfect, but could the same be said for manufactured parts? Would it surprise you to hear that there is no such thing as perfection in the manufacturing world? And that there are acceptable degrees of variation?

Like with many things, there are naturally variations in material characteristics and in mechanical design engineering this means that parts are.......... <continued>

Let it flow

Have you ever wondered what work goes into producing every day plastic items such as your car dash board, bottle lids, electronic housings for power tools, remote controls and the humble washing up bowl? Injection moulding is the process used to produce these and many other high volume identical items and components. In its simplest form a mould, also known as a tool, is created for the plastic, resin or polymer to be injected into and then allowed to cool, in order to release the.......... <continued>

Engineers: We Just Love to Create

Many of you who know me, know that I love to create. I’m not talking about what my wife would say about me creating something out of nothing at home, but more specifically my general love of engineering.

From a young age I have always asked plenty of questions, and enjoyed exploring and discovering how things worked. So it is suffice to say that I have a genuine interest in anything considered to fall under the umbrella of being.......... <continued>

Making the Right Move

For those of you who have been following the Sanstec blog closely, you will have noticed that we have been looking for a premises in which to relocate our workshop. It has felt like a long played out episode of Relocation Relocation or a game of chess, where it seems we have spent forever thinking about making the right move for the business.

Like many moves, whether it be for domestic or commercial purposes, there is more often than not, an emotional connection felt. This combined with.......... <continued>

Design Engineering with a Conscience

In this modern informed society in which we in the UK are fortunate to live in, you would be hard pressed not to have heard about the situation regarding the climate and destruction to the environment. Certainly as a mechanical design engineer this has been a subject looming at the forefront of my mind for some time now.

With consumers asking more and more ethical questions of packaging and parts, the answer could be said to lie with a product’s initial design. I can.......... <continued>

Stretched to the limit

You might be forgiven for thinking I was going to ramble on about being busy again, but you would be mistaken. Yes, of course I am often in a position where I am stretched to my limits in terms of my mechanical engineering output, but I want to focus here more on the injection moulding materials that I am involved in working with, at least five days a week.

As time has moved on and margins for bringing a new product to.......... <continued>

NPD: Breaking through the noise

Noise, it is all around us, right? Some of it good, like the birds singing outside the windows of our houses, bungalows, flats and offices. Other noise can be annoying, especially if it is unwanted, such as a loud radio or music being playing by someone else close by. There are of course other examples of noise and interference in general communication, but this blog is going to focus on how we engineers deal with it.

Upon taking on a new design and development project whether.......... <continued>

A Smooth Move: The logistics of packing up

Moving; never underestimate what is involved. That’s why many of us put it off, unless for whatever reason, it becomes a necessity. As the date looms to vacate the Sanstec workshop to a new premises, we have been busy preparing for as smooth a move as is practically possible.

Providing a mechanical design engineering service for many years now puts us in a great position to manage our own move, in terms of being fully.......... <continued>

Virtually Here?

With the repeated Covid lock downs many of us have unfortunately experienced the new concept of working from home as our permanent base. The reality of remote working and communicating virtually, across a screen, has become the norm as we try to perform and produce the same outputs as we would if we were physically in the office.

This concept of a virtual world has been taken a step further with.......... <continued>

The Design Brief: Painting a Picture

There is nothing more exciting than speaking with a client about a new invention, or change to an existing product. We enjoy hearing them provide a detailed account, like painting a picture or telling a story. This allows us to get on with their story, drafting it chapter by chapter.

We relish the opportunity to dive into a design brief when we do receive one, but in reality this is not always the case. .......... <continued>

Mind the Gap

“Mind the gap”, I’m sure you’ve all heard this familiar automated announcement when using the London Underground. The design of some stations present an unsafe gap between the platform and train and therefore to make passengers take extra care with embarking and disembarking, this message can be heard each time a train arrives. In engineering, we too have to be mindful of the gap, which can be equally disastrous, especially when dealing with injection moulded.......... <continued>

Inheriting the design: where to next?

As a design engineer, each concept or design we are fortunate to work on is treated almost like a precious family heirloom. In that it is something we have inherited and needs to be cherished and kept in good order to pass onto the next generation.

When we are approached by a client, whether this may be a well-known brand or smaller seed or start up, there are a number of big questions to ask in determining where to go next with a design project. Essentially our initial.......... <continued>

Bench work: Back in the workshop again

As we roll on into January and those resolutions made at the start of the new year that may have included a return to the gym, leads me to turn my own attention to some much needed bench work. No, I’m afraid I’m not talking about bench presses or gym activity of any kind at all. I am instead readying to move the contents of the current Sanstec workshop to a new improved premises.

The impending move, which is becoming scarily only a few weeks away is inciting me to complete those engineering tasks in readiness for the relocation.......... <continued>

The DeLorean: A back to the drawing board car

Upon watching a recent episode of the BBC’s Top Gear programme, reviewing the original DeLorean, made me reflect on how tricky the process of new product development can be, and the fact that not always the inventors original aim physically comes out the factory door.

The DeLorean was made famous by the film Back to the Future as a modified time machine. But in reality the original 1980s manufactured vehicle, was far removed from John DeLorean’s original vision. When it was first invented back in the early 1980s.......... <continued>

From Prototype to Production: On the Conveyor again...

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

New product development is happening all the time to either.......... <continued>

‘22: Getting our Ducks in a Row

So another year has passed and a new one has begun. Sanstec Design, like many smaller sized businesses I’m sure, has been trying to use any of the so-called quiet time in the lead up to Christmas, to get everything in place and prepared for another busy year.

Throughout 2021, despite the trials and rigours of the pandemic, we have been fortunate to have had back to back mechanical engineering design projects, which has meant we have had very little actual down time ourselves. So when it does happen, we have.......... <continued>

Do not adjust your set

In days gone by, when there were just four television channels, we would occasionally suffer with TV interference, or technical issues, then the test card would appear and stay there for a short time or sometimes longer.

These difficulties with communication are not an isolated issue and although technology has moved on a great deal, over the years, many of us I’m sure, will still have experienced instances when our communication has been hampered and our message distorted.......... <continued>

Don’t blow a gasket

So the drama of our daily lives is still being acted out against a back drop of the pandemic and this has indeed tested both our patience and tempers. During these tricky times, when simply trying to behave and act normally is still very frustratingly not within clear sight, can lead us all to figuratively blow a gasket. Obviously we all want to avoid this from happening, and it may take a few deep breaths to calm us down before doing something we might regret.

Speaking of which, this leads me nicely onto one of the classic vehicle projects.......... <continued>

One Man and his CAD?

Being a design engineer, sometimes people assume that it is just me and my CAD software, churning design after design in 3D, but it is simply not true. Yes, providing clients with drawings is a big part of what my company Sanstec Design provides, but that is not the whole story. You might need to contact a mechanical design engineer like myself for a number of reasons.

So apart from the obvious, developing conceptual and detailed designs in CAD, we have worked with marketers to develop product concept and specifications to.......... <continued>

One STEP Beyond

In engineering and design we are always looking to do things better, seeking out creative breakthroughs or innovations to solve technical problems. This deliberate move to push ourselves out of our comfort zone, or taking a giant leap into the unknown, is in a sense looking to go one step beyond.

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

It’s all about you

So as we creep considerably closer to the end of the year, and take a breather to look back on our achievements with relief, despite the disruption from the pandemic, the focus begins to shift towards setting new aims, ambitions and goals for 2022.

For Sanstec, 2021 has actually been a very special year as we have been operating as a limited company for twenty years. I can’t say we haven’t had our ups and downs, because believe me, we have, but despite the turbulence we have remained as.......... <continued>

Getting Your Bearings

Whilst working on a gearbox related issue on one of our 'project' cars' in the Sanstec workshop recently, it dawned on me how something so small as a bearing, could be crucial to the overall smooth operation of the vehicle. It is only when an engine stops working as it should and you take it to pieces, do you discover the fault and question how on earth, a tiny bearing can have such an important job to do.

A bearing, from the verb, to bear, is a machine element that does what is says on the tin, whereby it bears, or supports another mechanical part. Present in all.......... <continued>

Form, fit and function: Just a balancing game?

Bringing a new product to market can be likened to that of a simple balancing game. There is a fine margin indeed between producing something that not only gives your customer everything they want but what a business can realistically and economically manufacture. This compromise of creating a product for you and I, namely the customer, is not something that is undertaken by one person or an isolated team, but by many knowledgeable.......... <continued>

New Product Development: Every day is not plain sailing

I’m sure many of you will appreciate, that bringing a new product to the marketplace is quite a challenging process, with a number of obstacles to deal with along the way. These unknown elements which hit during the new product development (NPD) process is what prevents a large proportion of products ever being manufactured.

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

Striving for Perfection: An Engineer’s Daily Goal

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

Anyone who is an engineer, or who has to live with one, will understand it is not simply the case that you become an engineer, it is more like the career chooses you. It is a way of life and engineering embodies every aspect of your being and encompasses everything you do. For those of you who think the job simply comprises of......... <continued>

Job Vacancy: Project Manager (Software)

The Job Role: To provide effectively and efficiently project management capabilities and work with senior software engineers and product owners to develop the project plan and facilitate effective objective scheduling. Working and integrating effectively with client teams on and off site by employing flexible and focused working methods.
Reporting to: the ‘Managing Director' & client 'Technical Lead'.
Company Overview - Sanstec Design provides Design Engineering Business Solutions to a variety of Product Design, Product Development, Manufacturing and......... <continued>

Engineering with PCR Technology

A couple of years ago nobody, apart from those scientists, doctors and laboratory technicians in the medical world, would ever have heard of PCR technology. Nowadays, with the onset and presence of Covid 19, it is sadly one of those phrases we are constantly hearing both in the media and in general everyday conversations as we go about our daily business and chores. But in reality we all need to be very thankful that this technology has been developed and that we can be tested for Covid and indeed many other diseases......... <continued>

CAD Drawings: The Blueprints of Design

Computer-aided design (CAD) is a technical process by which an idea or invention is communicated and captured via computer software. Items all around you such as furniture, household appliances, your car, home, and even some jewellery, have all initially been laid out in CAD. These technical drawings, provide a visualisation of the concept, a so-called blueprint of the design.

But did you know that each part involves having its own drawing and therefore a complex product that contains numerous parts will therefore have roughly the......... <continued>

Push the button

Upon hearing the popular Sugababes track “Push the Button” recently, and not being able to get the tune out of my head afterwards, led me to start thinking about buttons in general. A button can be used to fasten clothing, start something or used in language to describe how someone has evoked an emotion, usually irritation or anger. But that’s not all, in engineering a push button serves an important task.

Push-button engineering is a term used to describe an......... <continued>

Keep Clean to Carry On

As a design engineering company with expertise in the medical device sector, we understand there are many challenges ahead after we have provided our client with their CAD drawings for a product or component. Medical devices, given the function they perform, are naturally heavily regulated throughout the entire product life cycle. Thus any company brave enough to get involved in this area will have to jump through virtual hoops to keep everything spotlessly clean in order to carry on operating.

During the product development process......... <continued>

Tick Tock: Against the Clock

Don’t worry, the blog title hasn’t been misspelt. I am most definitely not about to reveal to you what’s in my latest TikTok. I’m simply finding, like many other engineers and non engineers, that there are presently not enough hours in the day and I’m mindful of the background tick, tick, tick of the analogue clock hanging on my office wall.

So yes I’m pretty busy at the moment, which is a good thing. I’m always appreciative that we have a number of clients who return to me again and again and......... <continued>

Client Selection: Small can be beautiful

We’ve all heard the phrase good things come in small packages, but can the same be said of choosing the right b2b partner to work with? Well being the MD of a small design engineering business I can certainly endorse this concept wholeheartedly and for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, like any business, it is crucial that any SME like ours, keeps their good paying customers happy. It is as simple as that. In order to do this we, like many other smaller businesses, are able to focus more on pleasing our clients and if this means......... <continued>

CAD to CAM: Simple as ABC

For those engineers (and interested non engineers) out there, CAD and CAM, are a fundamental part of the wider development process when bringing a product from its conception to the manufacturing stage. The partnership between the two can be likened to that of Simon and Garfunkel or Cliff Richard and The Shadows, put simply, you couldn’t imagine one without the other if you are looking to bring a highly engineered product into mass production.

CAD for those of you who don’t know, is a 2D or 3D model......... <continued>

In the fast lane: The drive for alternative materials

In the engineering world there has recently been a lot of activity and resources focused on sourcing alternative materials. This drive for new modern man made materials with improved properties stems from looking at how we can reduce waste and the damage already inflicted on our planet.

The term “clean manufacturing” is now being banded about and it is the present day challenge facing many of us. The real need to invest in innovation in materials is pressing ever harder as raw materials used for years and years, become harder to......... <continued>

On the Fence

Over the weekend I have been watching several of my neighbour’s cats walk along and numerous birds perch on, the fence enclosing my garden. It never fails to impress me that they never seem to fall off, despite looking a bit shaky from time to time. Almost like walking a tightrope, gingerly balancing, hoping not to land unceremoniously on one side or the other.

Being literally ‘on the fence’ is a funny saying when you begin to think more deeply about its real meaning. Being in between something unable or unwilling to......... <continued>

Behind the Mask

So who hasn’t been caught up in the recent ITV Saturday night family frenzy of shouting “take it off”? For those of you who have avoided the latest craze of The Masked Dancer and before that The Masked Singer will not have a clue as to what I’m referring to, but needless to say these are the type of shows that just make you want to sit down as a family and watch safe television together week after week.

The concept of pretending to be someone......... <continued>

The Sanstec Workshop: Can we fix it?

Those of you who know me well and many more that have kindly spent some time reading my blogs, will have learnt that I am a lover of classic cars. At present I have a small collection that I am restoring in the Sanstec workshop, but my time spent working on these cars and fixing any problems surprisingly presents other solutions.

As we all know there has been a lot written and spoken about the state of the mental health of the population as a result of the pandemic. For me, personally, I have......... <continued>

Project Management: The Long Way Round?

As an engineer involved in complex design and development projects, I know how crucial it is to adhere to the numerous milestones and timelines set, thus doing everything in the right order. It might be tempting to take shortcuts but in reality, the long way round, is generally the preferred option.

Some of you may recall Ewan McGregor and his best pal Charley Boorman, set themselves a goal of riding their motorbikes around the world. Their epic motorcycle......... <continued>

Engineers, we’re all just curious cats, aren't we?

When I was growing up I possessed a deep desire to generally know how things worked. The incessant questioning “why” as a child is still strong today as I work through more technical design and development mechanical engineering matters.

One definition of curiosity is "a desire to know” which certainly sounds familiar to me in my world of engineering. The premise that being inquisitive will hopefully lead to an understanding of how a thing works and therefore the ability to supply......... <continued>

Fly me to the Moon (and beyond…)

The concept of flying anywhere at present is a delicate conversational subject matter to have with anyone. Questions such as “is it safe to book a holiday to foreign soils?”, or “is there a chance we might get there and the Covid status change whilst we are abroad?” These are the deliberations that many friends, family and colleagues are having at the moment. But in the area of aeronautical engineering, there seem to be no restrictions or boundaries certainly in terms of new ideas and innovations......... <continued>

Engineering with Lego: The building blocks of life

Looking back at some old photos from my childhood I found myself reminiscing about that era and the activities and toys which kept me out of mischief … sometimes. My collection of Lego City kits, I’m a bit embarrassed to say, continued throughout adulthood until only recently I had to say please no more. I didn’t know it back then, but when I was enjoying being a child, I was an enthusiastic engineer in the making.

Getting back to my reflections and specifically how important........ <continued>

Inspiration: An Engineer’s Driving Force?

I was thinking the other day generally about innovation and new ideas. Where do they come from? What is the driving force behind new inventions and the next best thing?

Upon Googling the term “inspiration” many definitions appeared on screen but one in particular caught my attention and which in my view perfectly encapsulates it from a design engineering perspective. It read: “a sudden brilliant or timely idea”. When trying to adapt something to perform a task whilst at the Sanstec Design workshop I often have to........ <continued>

Rain Making: It’s raining again

It’s raining again, I hear you say. It feels like it’s been non-stop raining for weeks now, surely it is time for our summer to start? In whatever business you are in, the art of rainmaking is very important, as it is the term generally used to describe the process of attracting new clients.

For most businesses, who don’t have a constant stream of repeat buyers waiting in the wings to spend their money, rainmaking or to coin another more common phrase, business development, holds the key to........ <continued>

Remote working: All by myself

No, I’m not sitting here humming or worse, for anyone within earshot, singing this famous 1975 track. I’m simply mulling over the benefits, for me personally, as a design engineer, of working remotely.

Love it or hate it remote working is here to stay for a while at least and yes I hear some of you have felt isolated, tucked away in a back bedroom, perhaps squashed between an old wardrobe and the spare bed for some time. I can appreciate that........ <continued>

Collaboration: Working hand in hand?

The principle or act of collaboration sounds so simplistic but in fact, for those of you who have experienced it, and I’m sure many of you would agree, that on occasions it can be quite the opposite. One of the dictionary definitions, (they all vary slightly), cite collaboration, as “the action of working with another person or groups of people to produce something”. This, essentially is what my job as an engineer is all about, but it’s not always that straightforward.

Working towards an end goal in design and development means you have to........ <continued>

Crisis - Rapid Technical Change

During the pandemic crisis of what is now over a year long, there have been many life-changing events that dare I say, almost all of us, have had to face. These include for some the devastating news of the loss of loved ones and family members or friends and neighbours, people we knew well and who used to live next door. It’s something which many of us will probably never get over, not to mention adapt to the changes that this crisis brings.

We've heard lots and lots of advice about how we should........ <continued>

Coffee and Chat - Company

It's good getting together for a chat over a coffee (or tea, etc.), taking a moment or two to just try and find bit of space and time to interact with your work colleagues outside of the normal work related activities.

Obviously over the last year or so, the 'getting together' part has been problematical, or in fact essentially impossible, challenging us all to find other ways to keep in touch, often when we are all at at a considerable distance from each........ <continued>

Jump Start: Inspiration to get on with it!

Do you find occasionally that you need something to give you a bit of a jump start, or perhaps more often in fact, you need to find something to inspire you to 'get on' and do something? The jump start could of course be related to any number of things, including getting going in the morning, bringing the car back to life when the battery has gone flat or a moment to help you crystallise some ideas into motivating you. What source of inspiration helps you take action to get something resolved or perhaps encourages you to........ <continued>

Cruise Control: Driving within the speed limit

Now that we are allowed to jump in our cars and go for a short ride, irrespective of whether or not it's an 'essential journey'!!, I expect many of you will have used the opportunity to get to visit some much missed family or friends in their gardens. In the past, and where necessary now, on longer journeys you will have been using your vehicle’s cruise control function whilst you travel to your destination. Did you actually know or may be surprised to hear that it works because of a 19th century engineering breakthrough........ <continued>

The Customer is King

So after a very long shut down our High Street doors have finally been permitted to open and I’m sure many business owners will be anxious as to whether there will be any customers. In this world where we have been relying on cultivating virtual relationships, the fact remains that the customer is king and is indeed essential if businesses are to remain afloat.

We all understand the importance of placing the customer at the heart of our business, in terms of meeting and exceeding their needs and wants, but the buying........ <continued>

The MedTech Industry: Reflections on the last 12 months

So, it has been a little just over a year since our world was turned upside down and we were told to stay at home and not go out. Working in the MedTech industry, and therefore having a genuine interest in this sector has led me to reflect on what has been a really difficult 12 months since the first lock down and how developments have aided our near return to normality.

2020 could be said to have been a real game changer for the MedTech world. It was already generally accepted that the sector was steadily........ <continued>

Skills every mechanical engineer needs

It came to me the other day, when I chanced upon some online job descriptions for mechanical design engineers, and noticed quite rightly that there is a pattern of essential and desirable skills for these sort of roles. However in my 'small' engineering world, dare I say, I think they just might be missing a few.

I think we would all agree that the most basic skill a design engineer needs these days is the ability to use CAD software and have an appreciation of........ <continued>

Design and Development for your Customer's Customer

So it’s official, we are in the middle of the 4th Industrial Revolution. An era of technical innovation in the areas of AI, AR and robotics to name but a few. It certainly is an exciting time to be involved in shaping the future, but it is still important not to lose sight who you are creating products for, namely the end users, buyers, or put more simply, humans.

Research and development or general innovation, helps drive the world forward at a rapid pace. During times like these the marketplace can become........ <continued>

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3

Slightly reminiscent of the 'old days' of communication, typically you'd hear the call 'testing testing' down the wires and into your ear or perhaps through the speakers at an event just after the exciting bump, buzz and clonk of the 'mic' being plugged into the live amplifier before the performance starts or as an 'important' message was about to be given. Personally, with sensitive hearing and some sympathy for the electrical aspects involved in connecting up the equipment, that horrible hum/buzz/clonk sound used to make me really cringe, mixed with some anticipation that if the levels were set wrong, some hideous squeal of........ <continued>

Don't park on the pavement!

I essentially understand that when people take what they think is some considered action to enable, protect or make something better, that they mostly are in fact trying to do it for the right reasons. The issue that I'm really referring to, is that without careful and thorough consideration, you can sometimes actually create more problems when you try and do something to address or avoid creating a problem, or when trying to make something safer.

The title identifies the fact that actually parking on....... <continued>

Waste Not Want Not

It's time to stop throwing everything away. Well, if you saw some of our workshop storage areas you'd very definitely question whether or not that was a good idea.

I'm not going to lie, we've got some clutter that's accumulated; materials, old projects, tools, general junk or appliances a selection of old computer stuff and hardware, packaging materials equipment and so on and on etc., including quite a few bits of 'we'd better keep that, just in case' stuff....... <continued>

Groundhog Day: A Day in the Life of an Engineer during Lockdown

I’m sure it is not just me, but every day is now feeling like groundhog day: a cycle of the same things over and over. Of course I consider myself extremely fortunate not to be in the front line, but I can say with sincerity that lockdown 3 is most definitely taking its toll.

My typical day, as a design engineer, involves a variety of activities constantly keeping me occupied such as paperwork, general administration...... <continued>

What’s in a name?

“What’s in a name?”, Juliet asks in Act II Scene 2 of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. This quote led me to start thinking that in business it’s an interesting marketing concept, when building an overarching brand, we try to create a persona that clearly defines what we do and how we would like to be perceived.

I appreciate that a company name can be derived or created for a variety of reasons, but for me developing the name Sanstec came from...... <continued>

Will it blow? Passing the performance parameters

We've gone turbo-charged! Yes, I know we are in danger of catching up with technology at last; a relatively modern transport experience as opposed to all those old carburettor driven vehicles. What you may ask am I on about.

Well actually, it's not really our first turbo-charged vehicle, as we've had a Transit Connect 1.8TDCi for a few years (its currently for sale, so get in touch if you are interested) and it really isn't new technology anyway!...... <continued>

Made to measure

Well, not exactly, but you get the picture. If you read my last blog I was talking about the right tool for the job. How to or actually rather that you should know if, in your experience, you can identify the right tool and if not, be a bit tenacious and ask someone else and in some cases get them to both select and use the tool for you. Hey presto, less stress, job gets done properly.....result!

In that blog I mentioned make do and adapt, well guess what, only a week after writing that one, I've found myself actually needing to make a...... <continued>

2021: A New Hope?

No, I’m not writing about another Star Wars sequel, but instead have been looking back over the last year of our Covid nightmare. Who would have thought the words lock down and social distancing would be part of our every day vocabulary and the wearing of a mask be mandatory just to pop to your local shop to buy groceries?

The distressing media images over the last 12 months has indeed taken its emotional and financial toll on everyone and now we are all anxiously asking, will 2021 be a year of...... <continued>

The right tool for the job

It may sound like a cliché and I was warned by my colleagues that the title of this blog may be 'misinterpreted'.… but you really do need 'the right tool to do the job'.

With a considerable amount of involvement to varying degrees with all sorts of mechanical design and development projects and engineering activities, we've proven on so many an occasion that you really do need to use the right tool to do the job.

With some fascination, I often have to search through the...... <continued>

Value Engineering: A price worth paying?

As part of the product development process, value engineering (or value analysis) is used to carry out a systematic and organised approach in assessing the function of a product or component against the cost to manufacture it. The overall aim being to achieve the same outcome but at a reduced financial outlay.

This process is strategically used to improve the value of a product and can help by cutting design and manufacturing time, and eliminating unnecessary...... <continued>

The 'quotation' process, an exact science or guess work?

"I guess it'll be about that much"...."It'll probably take about that long"...."Well, we could probably do it for about that much"....."We might be able to squeeze it in for that amount"...."I need you to ping me over a quick cost to do that"....."A rough estimate will be fine, get it to me as soon as you can."
If you've heard any of the above and/or they sound familiar, then be warned and be wary, or at least anticipate some issues, or at worst a potentially...... <continued>

The 12 Days of Christmas at Sanstec

We all acknowledge that 2020 has been tough for everyone, so as we get ready to celebrate Christmas under the guise of the new normal, we thought we would provide some source of virtual cheer by creating our own Sanstec version of the 12 Days of Christmas…. <continued>

Once upon a time: The story of product development

Is it just me, or does anyone else think of product development as telling a story? Each idea has a beginning, middle and end. The theme might be too fantastic or boring, or worse takes a turn into horror or comedy, but nonetheless, if a component or product could talk, it would definitely have a good story to tell.

How a product began, from the spark of an idea to how ideas were generated and a visual creation assembled, its journey to market, including changes to..... <continued>

Fitness for purpose

Being an orientated creative and technical company, we come across, that's to say use, see, observe and experience a real variety of 'products' that perform some sort of function, to help you to do something or simply make something easier to do. We particularly view and critique the aspects of the design, production and 'implementation' of these products from a professional and personal perspective.

Perhaps a good example or analogy would be the humble desktop..... <continued>

We’ve got this….

So here we are again amidst another national lockdown. 2020 most definitely has been a tough year both from a business and personal perspective for me and I’m sure for everyone who is taking the time to read my humble blog posts.

Like most people I am trying to come to terms with the loss all those things I took for granted a few months back, like going out, catching up with friends or family and visiting my local gym. Who would have thought these so-called simple things would be..... <continued>

Lest we forget

I've been reflecting a lot this week on how the country is experiencing a much changed set of Remembrance Day commemorations, observing that there has been a considerable amount of effort to mark the occasion in the most appropriate way, given the current circumstances and the restrictions we must all apply to aspects of our lives.

The poem "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon, is an emotional and powerful reminder that millions of service people have given their lives for us in the ultimate sacrifice..... <continued>

Getting creative

With the current situation forcing each and every one of us to make changes to our personal and professional lives, it has led me to start thinking about the extent to which businesses have had to get creative to keep within the law and at the same time, try and stay afloat.

These recent times have had far reaching consequences. Not only have we all had to get to grips with remote working and maintaining communication between the geographically separated decision making unit (DMU), but companies have ..... <continued>

Why CAD and CAE go hand in hand

Have you ever thought why a number of things get grouped together in pairs such as pen and paper, cats and dogs, or song and dance for example? In the world of engineering, things aren't really so different. You may be relieved to hear that I don’t have any songs for you, but instead want to talk about another partnership, that is considered to be an important part of the manufacturing cycle.

Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering (CAE) ..... <continued>

Workshop Wonders

While the weather has since said goodbye to the scorching summer heat and hello to more cooler autumnal rain, I have been busy working on a number of projects in the Sanstec workshop.

Those of you who know me will acknowledge that I have a long-standing passion for classic cars and have recently been working on a number of vehicles. As most of you will appreciate, with older cars replacing the broken, rusted or decayed parts becomes more difficult, in fact sometimes impossible, to physically buy off the shelf from ..... <continued>

The Future of Engineering

Amidst the current global pandemic, with its own health and economic issues affecting each and every one of us in one way or another is a message of hope and ambition. You would be hard pressed to sidestep the news about the global climate crisis, but is there a way that engineering can be used to create a cleaner and greener, better world?

The big thing that caught my attention recently in the news is the collaboration between Prince William and Sir David Attenborough. Named the ..... <continued>

Engineering:  Expectations vs. Reality

Inventions have the ability to change the way we live our lives, but sometimes they simply fail to impress and fall by the wayside, perhaps because the product falls short of performance expectations, or because it wasn’t properly thought through in the first place. Who would have thought the World Wide Web could have dramatically changed how we all behave and communicate with one another, every day.

Most engineers would agree that new product development isn’t ..... <continued>

3 reasons we keep different CAD software

As a design engineering business we make no secret that we utilise and maintain three leading CAD systems. Although there are a number of other choices out there as well, we made a strategic decision some time ago to specifically focus on Creo, Solidworks and Inventor, as they seemed to be the ones our clients were, and still are, using for design and development in '3D'.

It’s an obvious statement really, but our clients’ needs are at the forefront of everything we do. By keeping three different CAD systems within Sanstec and ..... <continued>

Sanstec welcomes new key team member

We are absolutely delighted to announce that Kaye Hewitt has made the momentous decision to come and join Sanstec as our new Finance and Administration Manager.
We would very much like to welcome Kaye into the core management team.  She brings with her a wealth of experience in finance, administration, sales and marketing, to mention just a few of her skills.

Sanstec’s Managing Director, Alastair Sanderson, says ..... <continued>

Propeller: Diameter and Pitch?

We're working hard in the Sanstec workshop at the moment on various internal projects relating to our interests, technical exposure and engineering know how. In amongst these are a number of ongoing marine and general boating commitments, some of which have meant that we have both deliberately and inadvertently, in some cases, accumulated a reasonably large selection of 'unwanted' hardware (more about that later in some upcoming content).

Whilst sorting through a box of inboard marine engine bits the other day that we are clearing out, one item particularly caught my ..... <continued>

Weathering the storm

With all the bad storms of late, it certainly has the feeling that autumn has arrived and the heat of the summer sun has now left us for another year. With the emergence of September just round the corner and the return to school for our children, like many other parents we are looking forward to the new academic year both with relief and anxiety. It seems unreal that after nearly six months of home schooling, we can now focus on our own tasks, jobs, careers and businesses.

This new reality we are all living in means we have to reset our expectations. I’m sure I’m like many others out there ..... <continued>

How to grow an idea

All the hours at home recently and spending more time in my garden than usual, has led me to think about the parallels between the growing process of a plant and that of a new business idea or invention. Both take an awful lot of work, in terms of time and energy. In addition, if you don’t plant them in the right location, then neither will flourish.

In design and development the engineering  design stage focuses on how to grow an idea from the basic seed that someone has planted. The sowing of the ..... <continued>

Plastic Part Design: Precise and Perfect

Designing a new tool for injection moulding is a highly technical and complex task dealing with precision and tight dimensions. Accuracy is crucial, and engineers are therefore, generally aiming to be as precise and perfect as possible, like hitting a bull’s-eye in darts or other similar arrow sports.

Injection moulding is a popular method in product or component production. Once you are passed the high set up costs, it becomes a very ..... <continued>

Let’s Shake on It

It is a truth universally acknowledged that in business a handshake is a symbol of agreement. Who would have thought a few months ago that we are now in a situation where that is no longer possible? In this new arena where meetings are undertaken virtually and socially distanced face to face meetings are kept to a minimum, how are business managers sealing the deal?

As a design engineering business, like many others out there who rely on a steady stream of project work, it is essential that when ..... <continued>

Material Choice: An Engineering Chocolate Selection Box?

One of the tasks of a design engineer is to identify the best material for a product or component. It is, quite rightly, generally agreed to be an important part of the engineering design process because if you make the wrong choice it can lead to failure, which is a costly result for all involved.

Likewise it is generally acknowledged that if a material selection procedure is not in place, it can impact on the design and consequently render it unsuccessful. For those of you who think it might be a bit like dipping in to a well known Christmas chocolate box, where ..... <continued>

One Direction: Pathway to Success

As you begin to read this blog I need to make it clear that I’m not going to be talking about the success of the famous pop group One Direction, but a useful planning technique crucial to aid the completion of complex engineering projects.

Familiar to many people, I’m sure, the critical path method is a systematic approach which defines goals and plots activities along a timeline with the aim of logging the progress of all project activities and accomplishments. For cross departmental and ..... <continued>

Heading in reverse?

Going backwards to solve a question might be considered a strange approach, but as an engineer methodically going into reverse can actually be a good route to unpicking and finding some answers.

Reverse engineering, or sometimes known as back engineering, is a process by which a product or individual component is deconstructed. By working backwards an engineer is able to determine several things such as, how a component was ..... <continued>

Give us a bell

How many times have you heard the slang “give us a bell” used? Of course, this phrase refers to Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone and a request for someone to make a phone call. Nowadays, we are more accustomed to sending emails or texts, rather than actually speaking with an individual over a telephone, but the patent struggle Bell went through, could still be relevant now, 150 years later.

Best known for his invention of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell ..... <continued>

Open all hours?

As some businesses are given the green light by the government to open their doors, they are faced with the hard task of having to review processes and systems, so that customers can be welcomed back.

It’s certainly a difficult time for business owners frantically adapting to these changes, implementing high level health and safety standards, such as making changes to an office or shop layout, creating a one-way system, or adding ..... <continued>

Going around in circles

Ever get the feeling you’re just going around in circles? Sometimes life can feel a bit like that, can’t it? If you look hard enough, you’ll see that circles are everywhere, from the shape of our planet to my humble, but very important, daily coffee cup.

Even in nature, circles exist. I was watching a recent episode of BBC’s Springwatch the other day and there was an interesting piece about newts living in our garden ponds and the life cycle of these species in general. Bizarrely, in an instant, my ..... <continued>

To boldly go.....

We never know what’s round the next corner, the big new idea, scientific breakthrough or invention. That’s why is so exciting to be an engineer as you are always looking forward to the future, in anticipation of what’s coming next.

In terms of space exploration there’s been a lot of build up in relation to entrepreneur Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. Who would have thought that since we first stepped on the moon in 1969 that it would be 50 years later before excitement in ..... <continued>

A Brave New World?

You only have to turn on the television or tune in to the radio to hear someone talking about having to make changes in order to live in today’s world of the new normal. The creation of ‘think tanks’ for this and that Governmental department has become a usual part of the Downing Street daily updates.

As a design engineer I’m used to working together with our clients to bring a new product to market, whether this may be a completely new ..... <continued>

Ready to ride the next wave

So things have moved on and some of us are going out a bit more than we were a few weeks back. We’re still open for business, that hasn’t changed, although the new Sanstec working day looks a bit different now.

We’re still continuing to service our clients by working remotely and holding virtual meetings to talk through technical design and engineering issues or questions. Our regular team meetings are now undertaken using Skype, as we feel it’s ..... <continued>

How to ‘Engineer’ an answer

Something caught my eye the other day and made me think about what it means to be an engineer. Yes, it’s someone to invent, design, build and analyse products and components, but what actually makes us engineers tick?

According to Wikipedia the word ‘engineer’ is derived from the Latin ingeniare (“to create, generate, contrive, devise”) and ingenium (“cleverness”). Setting aside the latter definition “cleverness”, which is a sweeping statement and doesn’t ..... <continued>

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Will anything be the same again?

On hearing one of David Bowie’s best known songs on the radio the other day, I started to reflect on the lyrics and how they could be interpreted now in this current crisis.

At the time Bowie wrote this track, which was first released in 1971 on his album Hunky Dory, it was said the lyrics were meant to reflect his own self reinvention of both his personality and music style. In terms of the here and now, we are all doing a lot of reinvention, making changes to the way we live and ..... <continued>

Engineering a positive mental attitude

As a design engineer we are expected to solve technical problems for colleagues and clients. We are naturally asked questions on a daily basis, which uses our creative engineering skills to fix things, and sometimes we have to dig deeper than usual to find an answer.

Fortunately as we are geared up for remote working, we are thankfully still in a strong position to service our clients with providing design engineering support using, although not limited to, CREO and Solidworks software. As such we were recently able to ..... <continued>

Resilience: The New Buzzword

So, as the lock down progresses, we find ourselves having to dig deep to adapt and deal with our current situation in our own way. Like many others, I realise that this is a small part to play in comparison with those who are facing this virus on the front line.

While many of us are weathering the storm at home, waiting anxiously to hear that the tide has turned, outdoors nature is still moving on. Whilst I was out on my daily walk the other day, it became apparent that with the demise of ..... <continued>

Not Going Out: The New Normal

Before the recent crisis, you might have thought I was making reference to the TV hit show which shares the same name as this blog. The “new normal”, who would have thought a few weeks back we would be told to stay home and not go out, unless for emergencies or one session of daily exercise?

Whilst we’re still all trying to get used to living in isolation and coping with new routines, just trying to get by day to day, can be a ..... <continued>

Adapting in a Changing World

Over the last couple of weeks all our lives have been turned upside down, and we are now trying our best to adapt to new routines and daily schedules. So, how has your life changed? From visiting the gym and ‘going’ out to work, the Sanstec team, like many others, have started to exercise and work from home. To keep motivated we’ve dusted off our home gym equipment and to aid relaxation and promote a positive mind set, have been ..... <continued>

Reasons to be Cheerful Part 3

Whilst practising social distancing, like so many of the UK population and indeed people across the globe, I have found myself not dwelling on the negative side of the current situation, which is all too easy to do so, but focusing on the positives.

A song came on the radio recently and immediately I was transported back to 1977, our Queen’s Silver Jubilee year, when Ian Dury and the Blockheads released their famous track ..... <continued>

Social distancing: Is anybody out there?

As more and more of us are told to work from home and our schools close, we find ourselves embarking on a new journey, one that will involve keeping a virtual conversation flowing.

With all the daily comments on social media concerning the mental health of the nation as a result of social distancing, despite all the isolation and anxiety over the whole situation, it is necessary to stay productive and keep the wheels of manufacturing in motion, so to speak.

As an SME it’s more important than ever to stay ..... <continued>

Keep calm and engineer on

With all the sobering news in the media at the moment, it really is important to try and ‘keep calm and carry on’. That said it is far too easy to get caught up in the negative side of all of the situations surrounding this virus. I for one have been really heartened at the amount of kindness being shown by a lot of people. This has indeed helped me to keep grounded, reminding me that the amazing part of mankind is that it continually evolves to adapt and overcome.

At Sanstec, probably over the last ten years or so, we have ..... <continued>

Making your mind up

I noticed Graham Norton on TV the other day speaking about our 'song for Europe’, which got me thinking about Eurovision in general and how long ago it was since we last won. The concept of winning in the Eurovision Song Contest is all down to lots of individual choices being made.

This then led me to start thinking about the choices manufacturing businesses have to make when selecting a product design partner and whether the old saying 'people buy from people' still holds true ..... <continued>

Under the microscope

Providing our design engineering services as we do, we expect to be closely 'studied' by whomever is paying us to ensure that we are doing what we are being asked and keeping up with deadlines. It is a natural part of the job of a design engineer to experience critical examination and have everything you do put under the microscope, so to speak.

Working as we do and coping with lots of data, thankfully with the aid of CAD technology, which is developing all the time, it helps me and ..... <continued>

Right place, right time: Putting yourself out there

In business it’s generally acknowledged that in order to bring in work you have to get out there, in the big wide world.

The out there can take many forms, such as networking events early doors with a coffee and croissant, attending trade shows and events, or catch ups over lunch with business associates.

I think we all recognise that in order to put your best foot forward you have to be in a particular mindset, positive that you can ..... <continued>

Back to the drawing board

Before recent technical developments any new product or invention would have to be hand drawn on paper using a drawing board. Equipped with a pencil, eraser, ruler, set square and any other tools, the time consuming task would be to set about creating an accurate design blueprint.

For design engineers operating in this era, the process could be hampered even further if the design needed changing, so back to the drawing board they would go to start over. It’s not surprising then that around the mid-20th ..... <continued>

Creating the wheel

It is generally acknowledged that not one person was attributed with having the original idea for the wheel, but was an invention developed over a period of time. It is hard to imagine life without it now, although the design has evolved, having been adapted to serve different needs.

This concept got me thinking generally about the engineering design process, which has similarities with this process. Like the creation of the wheel, with design engineering, there are a series of steps to follow in order to create an end product that functions to serve a designated purpose for the ..... <continued>

Collaborative Working: The Team Approach

We’re all familiar with the old saying that “two heads are better than one”, but in product development it is a common fact.

Product development can be a complex process. Take medical device development for example, bringing a new product to market not only can take years, but lots of expertise often from a number of companies to deal with the complicated process of clinical trials, risk management, patents and countless ..... <continued>

The Rocket: The fastest locomotive engine in the North

Delving back through the history of British inventors, I was fascinated to read about George Stevenson, an engineer, and inventor made famous by his invention of the railroad locomotive.

Nicknamed ‘The Father of Railways’ [Source] he was a pioneering engineer who liked to fix things as a child, but it was probably his success with his engine, the Rocket, which he is best known for. There are many parallels with his determination to design and engineer the fastest locomotive than any of his rivals, with present day ..... <continued>

The importance of knowing what you've got

Having had a bit of a break over the Christmas holiday and spending some downtime with family and friends, as well as having space to think and reflect on the last year and the one to come, can give you an opportunity to get some perspective on things.

Seems an obvious thing to say really, but it's important to actually reflect on what you've got, acknowledge and appreciate the relationships and material things that are right there in front of you and which you often ..... <continued>

2020 vision: looking ahead with curiosity

As a creative design engineer and inventor I’m excited to read in the news and trade publications, numerous articles concerning new inventions, technologies and ideas for 2020.

As we say goodbye to 2019 I’m genuinely curious to see what the New Year will bring. It’s certainly a good time to be involved with engineering and innovation in general. There are many new products and processes that are being designed to save both energy and resources, which is reassuring given the ..... <continued>

‘Tis the Season to be jolly: The Story of the Christmas Card

I was participating in a quiz the other day and was fascinated to learn the origins of the first Christmas card. This got me thinking about how times have changed. Nowadays we are used to receiving Christmas greetings in a variety of formats, both print and electronic, to pass on traditional wishes, but look back c.150 years and things were rather different.

Henry Cole was the inventor of the first Christmas card, which he sent in 1843. He was another Victorian who was considered ..... <continued>

It’s not rocket science

Providing good customer service is not rocket science. It’s all about listening to customers’ needs and wants, meeting deadlines and expectations.

Once you enter into a relationship with a client you are promising to deliver these basic needs. Of course like many suppliers we are constantly looking at ways where we don’t simply deliver, but exceed expectations and provide the ..... <continued>

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together

Once you have created your idea or concept, and how you move on will depend on the size of your business, such as a big brand manufacture, a medium size company or consultancy, seed or start up organisation. How you begin to take your idea forward and start putting the pieces of the puzzle together will differ for each product type and cycle.

There is an awful lot to consider. Aside from the general engineering assistance in terms of CAD or product development support to aid you through the ..... <continued>

We’re not all robots

With all the recent technical developments in robotics, AI and AR lately, it is easy to get carried away into a futuristic world where we all retreat from doing what we do best, communicating face to face with one another. Those that know me well, appreciate that I like nothing better than having a business meeting over a coffee. So why continue to act in this way?

We all know that time is short, but if we cut out the process of meeting and talking a problem through, we may miss out on finding that solution to ..... <continued>

That light bulb moment

Working as a design engineer and being involved in the creation of new products, I have naturally been doing a lot of thinking lately regarding the relentless pressure to invent the next best thing. I have found myself looking back at some famous inventors, pondering on their new ideas of the day and how they created that light bulb moment.

Taking the light bulb into consideration, it is interesting to read the history of the two inventors Thomas Edison of the USA and ..... <continued>

Positive, Pro-Active and Strategic

There's a lot of doom and gloom about at the moment, to say the least. Some of the recent news articles, political tensions, economic issues, reports on climate change and general 'pointing the finger of blame' are not exactly inspiring, positive or very re-assuring at all, never mind the fact that some of the news is quite frankly downright shocking.

We could of course comment on the various situations in more detail, give our opinions and express our concerns, but we don't think that would ..... <continued>

Medical Devices: Design and Development Validation

Well, what a busy few weeks we've had, I've genuinely been rushed off my feet whilst we transition between previous commitments and a substantial new assignment with a long term medical devices design and development consultancy client of ours.

It's been particularly good to be back working with some old colleagues, (older in years as well), re-kindling some great working relationships, and developing some new ones in a place that we are relatively ..... <continued>

Face to Face: A short interview with Alastair Sanderson

We all know that in the business to business environment people tend to buy from people with whom they form a connection with, lots of the reasons why we work hard to try and build quality relationships with our clients.  This got me thinking that maybe I should allow myself to be interviewed, over a coffee naturally, so you can all learn a little more about me.  Who knows, you may read something that resonates within your own life.

Q: Where did your love of all things engineering begin? ..... <continued>

Sugary Treat Friday: Time to say thank you

It's always a bit of challenge when it’s time to leave one project and move on to the next. You say goodbye and farewell, thinking about the next project that's already started to consume some of your thinking time, still wondering how things really went on the one you're leaving, but also what challenges the next engagement will bring.

To sweeten (literally) the departing/leaving/finishing experience and particularly in acknowledgement of the effort that your client’s 'people' have ..... <continued>

Tank Driving: "mind your head"

I was in Leicestershire over the weekend as part of a gift generously bought for me by my family. Husbands Bosworth to be precise, because that's where you can get an opportunity to drive around some fields in a FV432 Armoured Personnel Carrier, in this case fitted with a L7 GPMG (de-activated of course).

Thanks to Armourgeddon and particularly Joe who was my instructor for the session on Sunday morning, navigating me, (as commander of the tank), as we ..... <continued>

Engineering Change Control - an important process

Over the last couple of months we have been working hard, utilising PTC's Windchill and CREO 5, to help our client complete a number of important changes and updates to their products, to reflect the various engineering changes that are required.

The 'process', generally known as Engineering Change Control, is the overall method of ensuring that an existing product is kept up to date with the best engineering specification that the manufacturer can achieve. Relating to safety and ..... <continued>

Classic Car extreme recovery - Part 2

Classic Car extreme recovery - Part 2 and counting.....

After our recent blog about our sister company, Sanstec Garden, asking for us to help it to extricate a 1968 Austin Pickup from a customer’s garden, as it very much appeared that it would need some sort of engineered solution to effect a recovery, we had quite a lot of feedback. So, following receipt of these interesting comments and general curiosity on the subject, we thought we ought to provide a little bit of an update on the progress we've made so far ..... <continued>

When one door closes another one often opens

Stay positive…when one door closes another one often opens……..

Providing our design engineering services directly to our clients as a company, means we need to be ready and ‘available' to work. This of course is a real challenge and one we constantly face month to month and sometimes even on a day to day basis. I’d love to tell you that we always get it right…….. but of course that wouldn’t be true, with circumstances sometimes completely changing after just one phone call and ..... <continued>

To keep in-house or outsource

How does your organisation procure your support services?

A company/business is an 'organisation', so defined because it's an organised set of constituent parts that form/co-operate/function together to perform the intended core/primary tasks which are the reason for the business in the first place.

By the nature of the fact that the company/business is an organisation, whether it's directly or indirectly, it will need several support services which are ..... <continued>

An Interesting Engineering solution

Classic Car extreme recovery

An interesting engineering challenge, requiring a lot of diversified problem solving, was recently presented to us by our sister company, Sanstec Garden, after a client asked them to help out in resolving a particularly sensitive and potentially destructive situation.

Well not really a case of some cataclysmic event, but rather a very awkward and particularly fragile object that was hindering progress on the maintenance and ..... <continued>

From PDM to PLM - Business and Process Improvement

We're off to the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull on Thursday next week to spend time learning more about Business & Process Improvement, by transitioning from PDM to PLM. Thanks to Concurrent Engineering, who are hosting the session, there's free registration and parking, plus we get treated to a buffet breakfast and coffee.

Knowing that it's organised by Concurrent, we are expecting an informative and productive time and it will be really useful to hear from ..... <continued>

Multiple CAD Platforms and Version management

Working alongside a variety of clients means that we need to keep our design engineering software up to date and aligned to the various new releases. We spend a lot of time working on establishing the capability within the latest version and essentially exercising its capability in relation to the previous version. Having more than one CAD system, which includes, CREO, Solidworks and Inventor, ensures that we are kept very busy updating and understanding the changes in the individual ..... <continued>

Developing vehicle technologies: creating better drivers?

I need radar; or rather my car does, so I can look ahead beyond what I can physically see. What I'm actually saying is my vehicle needs some way of helping me to make better driving decisions in a simple way and less complex than perhaps a fully autonomous response, some way of warning me that what I am about to do is hazardous.

After another recent delay (and subsequent cancellation) getting to an appointment, I'm confronted yet again by the conclusion that people are ..... <continued>

'The continued decline' of UK Manufacturing

Is there a perception that there is a ‘continued decline’ of UK manufacturing and is it true?

Following a recent announcement in the press that a company with production facilities in Suffolk are 'having' to re-locate their operations outside the UK for 'economic reasons', we decided to conduct a quick bit of research into whether or not we could identify whether this was actually a general trend for manufacturing-based companies. Just in simple terms and trying to remain objective, to provide a bit of an overview of the ..... <continued>

The User Experience - 'UX' anyone?

It sort of baffles 'us' slightly, well a lot actually, that more manufacturers aren't, shall we say, a little more 'user centric' (to use some of the relevant terminology), during the design and development process. After all a product is really an experience to the user and only a 'product' to the 'someone' who makes it. We're not saying that all manufacturers have no UX focus as such, we're just saying that sometimes when you 'have an experience' with a product, you might wonder if the design of it could have been a little ..... <continued>

'UK Manufacturing' under pressure....

Overcoming the challenges of 'NPD' outside the UK.

I was concerned and saddened to read in the news at the beginning of the week that BOSCH Lawn & Garden in Suffolk have decided to close their UK manufacturing facility based in Stowmarket, as production is being re-located to the Power Tools plant in Miskolc, Hungary in Eastern Europe. Our thoughts and feelings go out to those families that will be affected, the local businesses and community as a whole. There is some good news though, as the ..... <continued>

Automechanika: We’ll see you there....

We're looking forward to attending the Automechanika trade fair which is held at the NEC between the 4th and 6th June.

This will be our first time at an Automechanika event and leads on from our previous involvement in the general automotive sector with client projects completed on motorbikes, remote control systems, UAV transportation support, autonomous robots and robotics for products in manufacturing. We've worked on various design and development of ..... <continued>

'A' Class Surfacing - Triumph Daytona 'bodywork'

When I was out and about the other day, I found myself admiring some motorbikes parked along the High Street in Colchester and realised I'd become distracted by the design of the different models. I was particularly interested in the similarities and differences of the design and branding for the different manufacturers.

Anyway, that got me thinking about some work undertaken quite a long time ago - nearly 20 years in fact - we had previously done for a consultancy that worked for ..... <continued>

Majenta sells Autodesk division to Symetri

CAD Reseller Developments: Symetri acquires Majenta Solutions's Autodesk Division.

Early April we received the news that Majenta Solutions has sold its Autodesk Division to Symetri. With the general busyness of the last few weeks, it's taken me a while to research and digest this news to see how it might affect us as a company and perhaps the industry in general.

Majenta Solutions has supported our use of Autodesk products, in our Product Design Suite Premium package, following its acquisition of ..... <continued>

New Sanstec external signage designed and commissioned

For some time now, we have had a lack of 'proper' external signage at our workshop in Colchester, which has caused a bit of confusion experienced by visitors and delivery drivers alike.

One of the reasons for the delay in getting something arranged was that we couldn't decide whether or not we liked what was on offer for the cost. Being a creative and a rather particular design company caused us to procrastinate for quite a while. In the end, we took it upon ourselves to design a new main workshop sign in-house. After looking at a few examples ..... <continued>

Keeping up with CAD: CREO 6.0 now available

Thanks to PTC and our active maintenance package through Concurrent Engineering, Sanstec Design gets all the latest updates and product communication notifications as soon as PTC releases them.

We're particularly interested to see that CREO 6.0 is now available and can be downloaded etc through the normal channels. We'll be going ahead shortly, with downloading and installing our own copy, so that we can start to get familiar with the latest ..... <continued>

Brief Review on CREO Simulation Live

We recently attended a couple of webinars (5th February 2019 - thanks to Root Solutions and to PTC for inviting us and hosting them), about the functionality in the recently released 'Creo Simulation Live' from PTC.

This new 'product' has been fairly well hyped in the industry during its general release, so I'm sure you'll already know it has updated functionality which is powered by ANSYS that allows you to get "real-time feedback on your design decisions ..... <continued>

Component Rationalisation

Whilst undertaking routine grounds maintenance at our workshop recently, our Viking petrol lawnmower had an unfortunate 'coming together' with a 'stray bit of concrete', which took a 'chunk' out of the blade and shattered the bottom of the aluminium blade carrying bush.

On repairing the lawn mower, (thanks to Ernest Doe in Colchester for supplying the part), we noticed that the original blade bush assembly of 4 parts, consisting of an aluminium cast bush, a plastic pulley and two screws, had been  ..... <continued>