Before the Industrial Revolution, most manufacturing of items was done by a single craftsman. From start to finish, one person would work to create an item before moving onto the next, often leading to long wait times for production and the need for a great amount of skills for a craftsman. With the creation of the assembly line, and later machined assembly, the process of production could be broken up into various steps and work stations that allowed for multiple employees and machines to service parts of an item at a time. This allowed for the reduction of production time, as well as the division of manufacturing labor. In this article, we will give a short overview of assembly machinery and their part in modern manufacturing. Read more >>

The inception of the diesel engine came in the late 1800s when German inventor Rudolf Diesel set out to create a more efficient alternative to gasoline and steam engines. The engine was conceived while Diesel was enrolled in engineering school and patented soon after in 1892. Read more >>

Aircraft rigging is the process of adjusting movable flight controls on major aircraft surfaces like wings and stabilizers. Ailerons, elevators, and rudders are all examples of aircraft rigging gear. Besides the flight controls, rigging is also done to other areas of the aircraft to incorporate engine controls, flight deck controls, and components of retractable landing gear. Attachment of hardware using cotter pins, locknuts, or safety wire is also included in the rigging process. Read more >>

The standard propulsion system seen on commercial aircraft is a twin turbofan gas turbine engine assembly. Airbus and Boeing utilize this dual engine system on most of their aircraft. The fuel-efficient assembly is widely used in high-speed transport and has helped propel the aerospace industry to what it is today (pun intended). Read more >>

Diesel engines are internal combustion engines. The main difference compared to other internal combustion engines is how the fuel is ignited. Hot air from the compressor is transferred to the combustion chamber, but instead of requiring an ignitor, the air is hot enough that when the fuel is injected, it spontaneously combusts. Spontaneous combustion is the result of two things, the self-ignition temperature of diesel and the compression ratio of diesel engines.  Read more >>