Author: European Springs Web Team

3-D printing has developed at an astounding rate in the last few years; the ability to 3-D print nearly everything brought solutions to problems in a variety of industries, like mechanical engineering and space exploration. And it seems like medicine is also greatly benefiting from this technology, mainly the field of tissue engineering.

Researchers can now print living tissue structures to replace injured or diseased tissue. Their custom-designed printer was able to create structures that were placed in animals, and they succeeded in maintaining those structures alive.

How is it Possible?

The technology, called Tissue and Organ Printing System (ITOP), creates a water-based gel that, once solidified, gains the consistency of living tissue. It also allows blood vessels to be accommodated in that tissue, so they can receive oxygen and nutrients; cells can then be added to the structure. The materials used are bio-degradable and don’t harm the cells.

There is one issue researchers need to overcome, however. Any tissue thicker than 0.2 millimetres doesn’t allow the cells to receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which leads to the necrosis of that tissue.

But, that said, the printed tissue already has a vast array of applications, since it can vary in terms of strength – for example, the gel can solidify into the consistency of muscles, cartilage and bones, and researchers hope that this will lead to the printing of other human tissues.

Why This Matters

The implications for the field of medicine are extremely important. Since living tissue structures can now be printed to replace injured or diseased tissue, ITOP has the potential to bioprint tissue and cartilage for people with missing body parts, meaning reconstructions with bioprinted organs could be widely available in the future.

And the shortage of donated organs could be solved by simply having them custom-made for each patient – or, at least, the waiting lists for organ transplant could be greatly reduced. To have a body part that perfectly fits, the scientists involved in the project need to use imaging techniques and allow for the transferring of that data to their software, which could then be printed to flawlessly match the patient.

 

Here at European Springs Ireland, we’re interested in the advancements made in the engineering industry every day, like in 3-D printing, and we pride ourselves of offering top quality products that help move it forward – this is why we’re compression spring manufacturers as well as providers of information on these recent developments.

If you want to know more about what we do, don’t hesitate to contact us or call us on 028 9083 8605. Alternatively, you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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!