Record-Breaking 250+ mph Remote-Controlled Car 

A mechanical engineer from Rugby has used nearly 25 years of experience working with PTC technology to help him design and develop the world’s fastest remote-controlled car. 

Stephen Wallis, who honed his engineering skills at companies including Royal Enfield, Triumph Motorcycles and Greenjets, took just eight months to create, build, test and run ‘Mach Reaper’. 

Designed using PTC’s cloud-based Onshape solution, the car clocked 250.67 mph through the timing traps at a ROSSA (Radio Operated Scale Speed Association) speed event in North Wales. The achievement broke the previous Guinness World Record and makes Wallis the first person in history to push a remote-controlled car to those speeds. Just a few weeks later he broke his own record, reaching 256.47mph at an unofficial speed event. 

More information www.ptc.com  

Queen’s University Belfast Opens AMIC

Queen’s University Belfast has officially opened the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), a circa £100m investment through the Belfast Region City Deal that supports innovation, growth and the future of manufacturing in Northern Ireland. The facility is expected to create up to 1500 jobs across Northern Ireland, contribute £1.3bn to the economy and support the training of 300 apprentices by 2050. 

Located at Global Point in Newtownabbey, AMIC is designed for industry and in response to the needs of the burgeoning advanced manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland, with businesses and industry partners helping to shape its capabilities. The 10,500 m2 facility comprises a large engineering hall, labs, metrology suite, cleanroom, offices, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, VR suite, an auditorium and cafe. 

More information www.we-are-amic.com 

Manufacturing Champion Delivers SME Support Boost 

A new national platform designed to streamline how manufacturing SMEs access essential support has been launched by industry ambassador Andrea Wilson. The former managing director of Hone-All Precision has officially unveiled ManufacturingUK.org, a free to access digital platform bringing together a disparate support ecosystem in one place, a place where users can tap into advice and guidance from funding providers, skills programmes, trade associations, innovation resources and best-practice events. The site makes life easier for manufacturers that often find it difficult and time-consuming to access support. 

More information www.manufacturinguk.org 

ADIPEC Technical Conference Set to Stage 190+ Sessions 

As energy systems face rising demand, greater complexity and increasing pressure to perform, technical expertise is central to improving reliability, efficiency and long-term resilience. The ADIPEC Technical Conference 2026 (Abu Dhabi, 2 to 5 November) convenes engineers, operators, researchers, technology leaders and technical specialists from across the energy value chain to exchange applied knowledge, benchmark solutions and advance practical innovation. 

Across more than 190 sessions, over 1100 expert speakers will examine the technologies, processes and capabilities needed to improve operational performance, strengthen system resilience and deliver scalable solutions across real-world energy systems. Themes will include: asset development, engineering and project delivery; digital and intelligent energy systems; and sustainability, decarbonisation and environmental stewardship. 

More information www.adipec.com/conferences/technical-overview 

Cost-Effective Solvent Cleaning Focuses on What Matters Most

Karl Roll has developed its new Focus solvent cleaning system for manufacturers that need to clean smaller quantities of components more frequently while meeting increasingly demanding cleanliness standards. The compact, cost-effective system provides an entry into high-quality parts cleaning with a relatively low investment. 

Operating under full vacuum, Focus can use hydrocarbons or modified alcohols and requires only an industrial power supply and compressed air connection. Its working chamber accommodates components up to 565 x 365 x 250 mm and weighing up to 50 kg. 

Designed as a plug-and-play solution, Focus incorporates features intended to deliver reliable and repeatable cleaning as standard. Two solvent tanks with separate circulation systems and bypass filtration can support pre-cleaning and fine cleaning where high cleanliness levels are required. Alternatively, one tank can be used for cleaning and the other for conservation. 

Ultrasonic cleaning is also integrated, with frequency adjustable to suit the application. A loading aid supports ergonomic operation and can be extended to automatic loading and unloading, while barcode scanning is available for unmanned operation. 

Energy and resource efficiency were key considerations in the system’s development. Vacuum pumps, heaters and drain pumps have been selected to provide an efficient balance between performance and consumption. An integrated distillation unit continuously processes the solvent, while automatic oil removal helps maintain cleaning performance and extend solvent service life. 

Further energy savings come from recovering heat from the distillation process and insulating heated components. A filtration system removes particulate contamination, while an optional automatic lid lock helps prevent solvent release during filter changes. 

By concentrating on the equipment required for high-quality cleaning, Focus provides a practical solution for manufacturers handling lower cleaning volumes without compromising process reliability or efficiency. 

More information www.karl-roll.de/en