Process Engineering

Within the remit of the CRAFT European projects, the Departments of Materials and Mecatronics at CIDEMCO, in conjunction with IKERLAN (E) y VTT (FI), have finalised a development project for an on-line system for the measurement and control of the thickness of varnishes. The aim was to develop equipment which would provide information about the quantity of the product applied in the various varnishing processes.

As a rule, the quantity of varnish applied is controlled only at the start of a

Not only can an electronic tongue monitor the prevalence and growth of microorganisms, it can also sense the difference between various forms of fungi and bacteria. This is shown in a dissertation by Charlotte Söderström submitted at Linköping University. An objective of the project as a whole is to be able to make use of an electronic tongue in the future to monitor whether foodstuffs are fit for human consumption.

Today’s monitoring methods involve taking samples from production and analyz

The feasibility of using microwaves to extract minerals from rocks has been demonstrated by UK researchers.

This revolutionary technique could cut mining and mineral processing industry costs, and make it viable to process previously uneconomic mineral reserves. It could also help the environment by saving energy as 3 – 5% of the world’s entire electrical energy output is used for the size reduction of rocks and minerals.

The technique has been developed by engineers at the

Mine-infested land can now be rendered safe by a new tractor that crushes unexploded bombs.

Unexploded anti-personnel landmines litter the border between Croatia and what was once Yugoslavia. The mine-infested area spans more or less half of the country and roughly 1,700 km2 of minefields are left to clear.

EUREKA’s first foray into anti-personnel landmine technology, the ORACLE project has developed a rugged tractor for clearing mines and unexploded shells from agricu

Today there are evermore intelligent objects, i.e., more devices that adapt to our needs. For example, there is intelligent clothing, intelligent computers, and intelligent household devices such as washing machines, music centres, lamps, and so on.

In fact, it is currently possible for a sensor at the entrance to a dwelling to recognise the voice or the odour of the owner and simultaneously open the door. It is also possible, on entering the house and depending on the mood or physical state

Pioneering research carried out by Kingston University is helping to pave the way for a manned mission to Mars. A project team based at the University’s School of Engineering has developed a robotic micro-rover to travel the Martian surface to find out whether humans could live in the Red Planet’s hostile environment.

Named Endurance, the small self-propelled vehicle will be powered by the sun’s rays and equipped to drill beneath the surface to find out if life exists on Mars in the form of