End of the Line

Things are becoming obsolete, faster. Why? 

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

It isn’t culture, profitability or accounting. It’s the nature of the business. 

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

Hypersonic commercial space planes are just within reach using current technology, with a leading propulsion contender being Reaction Engines’ SABRE combined cycle power plant.

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

The Betavolt radioisotope-powered battery doesn't have great power output — but it is continuous, suggesting that this technology would be a complement to lithium-ion batteries in many applications such as industrial self-powered sensors.

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

With Ford’s recent production cut for the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup, many industry analysts are expressing doubt about the continued growth of demand for EVs in America.

With pickup trucks representing the highest volume and highest profit margin segment in the U.S. auto industry, why is demand for an electric version slowing?

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

The recent failure of a plug door in an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 generated lots of speculation about the cause of this unusual failure. As is frequently the case when components fall off aircraft, fasteners were immediately brought into question.

Whether or not the plugs were positively fastened to the airframe is still in question, but the mainstream media refers to all aviation fasters as “bolts,” and frequently implies that fasteners are the primary restraining force against cabin air pressure.

While missing fasteners could definitely allow the plug to shift, screws don’t hold back the pressure; the design of the plug does. 

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

The Robinson R22 and its larger sibling the R44, are two of the most widely produced light helicopters in the world. They are relatively cheap to buy, and have low operating costs, making them popular with flight schools, private pilots and law enforcement agencies. They also have a reputation for crashes.

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

EV’s are the future of motoring. Quiet, smooth, no pollution and no gas. Performance? With both high horsepower and very high torque off idle, we know that electric vehicles are fast and quick. So what’s not to like?

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

*This is our last episode of 2023! We'll be back again the week of January 8th.*

Golf equipment, particularly golf balls, have seen significant impact of technological advancements, leading to longer driving distances. This trend poses challenges for golf course design as courses struggle to accommodate the increased length. To address this, the PGA, in collaboration with the Royal and Ancient, plans to implement new engineering criteria for golf balls by 2028, aiming to reduce driving distances for both professional and amateur players. 

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.

The Saturn 1 project originated with a U.S. Army requirement for a heavy lift launch vehicle in the late 1950s and was ready for initial test flights shortly after President Kennedy announced the Apollo moon landing program.

The timing was perfect, since the program needed launch vehicles to test Apollo flight hardware a fast as possible. Reliability of launch vehicle systems early 1960s was not good and explosions, guidance problems and propulsion failures were surprisingly common.

Saturn 1 however, in its first iteration, flew 10 times between 1961 and 1965, with no failures. And then the follow-on Saturn 1B flew 9 times, again with perfect reliability. Why? Great design and forward planning.

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Want to watch this podcast as a video? End of the Line is available on engineering.com TV along with all of our other shows such as This Week in Engineering, Designing the Future, and, Manufacturing the Future.