Author: European Springs Web Team

Here at European Springs IE, we’re pretty seasoned in creating wireforms for you to then go on and create your own pieces of tech. However, we also like to see what the next generation of budding engineers are up to, and how they are being encouraged to join our ranks.

The most recent announcement about inspiring kids to take up STEM is from Minecraft, who said they are creating an educational edition of the game. So here’s how the Microsoft-owned computer programme are planning to encourage children into engineering, along with plans from other companies.

MinecraftEdu

More than 7,000 classrooms across the globe already use Minecraft in some shape or form to make learning more dynamic and fun for children. However, the gaming giant are also planning to roll out a more structured edition of the game that will aid lessons about English, Maths and Science.

Using a computer game as an aid to lessons will not just make lessons more fun, it will also encourage children to think in a more scientific way.

Computer Programming

Coding is now a part of the national curriculum because it is such a valuable skill to have. This obviously has positive implications, allowing children to enjoy and learn how to build virtual programmes that they may enjoy playing on at home.

In fact, there have been articles showing that kids enjoy computer programming outside of their school hours and have taken it up as a hobby with their friends. Across Scotland, for instance, there are Coderdojo clubs whereby those aged 12-17 can go along and code.

Lego Challenges

Similar to the club-mentality that is found with the Coderdojos, kids are also able to create robots and compete in international championships known as the First Lego League. This year’s theme is ‘Trash Trek’, which will encourage more than 250,000 children between the ages of 9 to 16 to think like an engineer by solving the real-world problem of waste. Furthermore, they will also build, test and program an autonomous robot to solve a set of missions in the Robot Challenge.

If you’re interested in creating the next generation of technology but need springs or wireforms to bring it all together, we can help! As part of a company that was first established in 1948, we have a wealth of experience and expertise that we are just waiting to share with you and your project.

For more information about how our services can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 07889 171 165. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with our latest news!

He may be well known for his politically incorrect gaffes, but Prince Philip has played some pretty important roles over the years, and we have to say, we’re quite flattered by his recent comments about engineers.

Speaking on the Radio 4 Today programme, the Duke of Edinburgh spoke about the importance of engineers, saying it’s hard to imagine life without them.

He speaks from a position of some authority – he’s actually been involved in engineering since he was a young cadet, carrying out basic engineering tasks as part of his duties, and is today a Senior Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – an institution he helped to create.

In the Radio 4 interview with Lord Browne of Madingley – another Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering – the Duke of Edinburgh spoke about the problems the UK faced following the Second World War. The conflict caused serious damage throughout the country, with the Blitz affecting cities from Portsmouth to Glasgow, with knock-on effects to the infrastructure of the country. Combined with the cost of the war itself, the country was, in the Duke’s words, “completely skint. It seemed to me that the only way we were going to recover was through engineering”.

Over the following years, he used his influence to catalyse the formation of an academy for engineers as a way of integrating different engineering disciplines, identifying excellence in engineering and promoting the industry. Prior to the Academy’s formation in 1976, the Royal Society – the UK’s academy of sciences – had included engineers within its purview, but it was increasingly recognised that they needed a separate institution and today the two academies work side by side.

One of the interesting points that Prince Philip raised was that, despite the patently obvious importance of engineering to modern life, there is still no Nobel prize for engineering – an oversight he noted as “curious”. However, in recent years steps have been made to address this lack, with the introduction of the bi-annually awarded Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, first awarded in 2013 to the five engineers who are credited with the creation of the Internet and the World Wide Web.

The work of the Royal Academy of Engineering, supporting engineers, helping to encourage interest in the subject and bring young people into the industry, is certainly invaluable. As tension spring manufacturers, we depend on a continued support for engineering and manufacturing, and in turn support other manufacturers with our components, and it’s nice to see royal recognition for our industry!

If you’d like more information on the work we do here, or if you’re in need of components for your latest engineering project, get in touch with us on 028 9083 8605. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

It seems like everyone’s been going a bit space mad over the past few months. With the first official UK astronaut heading into space to work on the International Space Station, to the moon themed John Lewis Christmas advert, space seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind right now.

Things are set to look even more space-y in the near future thanks to the revelation that the European Space Agency (ESA) wants to construct a village on the moon by 2030!

A Chance to Further Human Space Exploration

Back in December, the ESA confirmed that they were looking into making their moon village idea a reality at a conference in the Netherlands. During the aptly named “International Symposium on Moon 2020-2030 – A New Era of Coordinated Human and Robotic Exploration” conference, the ESA put forward their proposed vision of how the moon village would possibly look.

The initial idea details how the village would be created by sending a cylincrical object to space which contains a dome structure which will self inflate on coming into contact with the surface of the moon. One inflated, the dome becomes the main, central structure of the village and will be reinforced by collecting lunar soil, which is already on the moon, and using it to 3D print a shell around the habitat with the help of robots on the moon’s surface.

This shell will protect astronauts from harmful background radiation, as well as create a sturdy outer wall to keep the structure rigid.

“A Comeback to the Moon”

European space planners are pushing for more human missions to the moon, starting as early as 2020. These missions will allow space experts to determine how successful the village would be, as well as to put robots on the surface to make way for human presence.

Kathy Laurini of NASA is the co-chair for the Exploration Roadmap Working Group for the Global Exploration Roadmap attended the conference and told Space.com that she was confident in the plans for a lunar village.

“The ESA space-exploration strategy sets the moon as a priority destination for humans on the way to Mars, and the recent talk of a ‘Moon Village’ certainly has generated a lot of positive energy in Europe … [of] Europe playing a role in a global human exploration scenario,”

She went on to say that lunar space missions to the moon will “only be possible with European investment in related technologies and capabilities.”

Here at European Springs Ireland, we can’t wait to see how successful this endeavor becomes- who knows, we could be the leading compression spring manufacturers on the moon by 2030!

However, if you are in need of a specific spring, pressing or wireform while we’re all still here on earth, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our fantastic team today by giving us a call on 028 9083 8605 or heading over to our social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and we will be happy to help you!

 

You’ve probably been hearing quite a lot about the UK astronaut Tim Peake over the last few weeks, and rightly so!

Unless you have been living a life away from any form of media for a while –and let’s face it, in today’s society, that’s pretty difficult, you will have heard about how Tim’s journey into space is a great feat for the future of British space exploration and that despite not seemingly like it, Britain is still heavily involved in space related science and engineering!

So why is his journey exciting so many people in the science and engineering industry? As engineering and science enthusiasts, we decided to take a look at the momentous space launch in more detail!

Who Is Tim Peake and Why Is He Important?

Although there have been many “British” astronauts taking to the skies in the name of space travel and exploration, many of them either had a dual nationality or a US citizenship or were privately funded, meaning that they were never officially representing the UK during their trip.

As of 2012, however, the UK Government decided to fund the European Space Agency’s International Space Station (ISS) operations, meaning that Peake would be the first official UK astronaut to have been funded by the UK Government.

This support signifies the first time in 30 years that the UK Government has shown support for manned space mission with a contribution of £16 million to the operation of the ISS.

What Is the Purpose of His Mission?

So why is Tim jetting off into space? What does his mission entail?

His six-month stint in space will see him conduct a wide range of experiments and activities which are geared towards encouraging more young people to get involved with science. Not much has been discussed about what these experiments and activities will entail, but we can safely say that we are excited to find out more!

So, not only is this space mission important for Britain with regards to the stance on manned space travel, but it is becoming a focal point in trying to get more young people involved and invested in science, technology, engineering and maths related subjects and industries as well.

Oh, and for all you wondering about the most important question of this whole mission? How will they ever live for six whole months without seeing the new Star Wars movie? Well…

.@ChrisEastabrook We have a projector & screen onboard & I’m told that @starwars will be waiting for us up there…what a place to watch it!

— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) December 12, 2015

We think he’s probably got the best seat in the world to watch it!

We can’t wait to find out how Tim does in space- only 6 months to go until we find out!

If you are looking for a durable spring or pressing, then you don’t have to wait for us to come back from space to help you out! As leading spring clip manufacturers, we have a wide range of springs and pressing related products and services available to help you!

Contact our team today on 028 9083 8605 and have a chat with a member of our team who will be happy to help you. Also make sure that you are following us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for all our latest news and updates.