Engineers, anaesthetists and surgeons from the University of Oxford and King’s College London are testing prototypes of a rapidly deployable ‘flatpack’ ventilator that can be manufactured using techniques and tools available in well-equipped university and SME workshops.

The team, led by Oxford professors Andrew Farmery, Mark Thompson and Alfonso Castrejon-Pita, and King’s College London’s Dr Federico Formenti, has been working to define novel mechanisms of operation that will meet the required specifications for safe and reliable function. The OxVent design exploits off-the-shelf components and equipment.
For further information https://oxvent.org/

MA Exhibitions, which owns and runs Subcon, The Engineer Expo and The Manufacturing Management Show, has decided to reschedule the event, pushing it back from 9-11 June to 28-30 September.

The decision was taken due to the spread of COVID-19 and concerns shared by a number of the show’s partners. MA says that its number one priority is to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of all exhibitors, visitors and staff, and that moving the show to September will provide a better experience than would be possible in June. Subcon will take place in Hall 6 at Birmingham NEC.
For further information www.subconshow.co.uk

Rockwood Composites has secured an order for parts that will be used on 130 decoy launch systems as part of Babcock International’s Eurofighter programme.

The contract was secured on the basis of development work undertaken by Rockwood which established that the parts, which had previously been manufactured using a filament winding process, could be made using Rockwood’s bladder moulding technology. By doing so, significant quality and cost advantages are gained, while maintaining strength and stiffness.
Gam Mahil, Babcock buyer for defence systems technology – marine and technology, says: “This was a technical challenge and Rockwood Composites overcame the difficulty, delivering in terms of quality and cost. The components are an integral part of our Eurofighter production programme, which is progressing full steam ahead.”
For further information
www.rockwoodcomposites.com

Precision engineering subcontractor CBE+ has been selected by UK aerospace OEM Leonardo for sponsorship on the SC21 operational excellence programme.

SC21 is a continuous improvement programme designed to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace and defence industry by optimising the performance of its supply chains. Certification is only achieved after all SC21 framework requirements have been met, and covers elements such as delivery, quality, sustainable improvement, business and manufacturing excellence.
For further information https://cbeplus.com/

The medical division of global technology company Smiths is ramping up production of paraPAC Plus ventilators at its Luton site to meet increased demand from the UK and across Europe.

Smiths Medical is working with its supply chain to increase weekly production over the coming weeks. The company will also play a central role in the industrial consortium being formed by the UK Government. Smiths will provide IP and technical advice, and make available its paraPAC Plus ventilator to the consortium, so that additional UK sites and supply chains can be created to deliver the objective.
For further information www.smiths-medical.com