Flexure Suspension – Part 3 How a curved composite flexure, some first-principles calculations and John Barnard’s engineering approach helped solve suspension design problems on the Prost AP03 and McLaren MP4-17A. One of the interesting things about revisiting engineering projects from more than 25 years ago is discovering how much of the original thinking still applies…

An Engineer’s Guide to Joint Design: 10 Essential Principles for Better Joint Design Adhesives are sometimes treated as little more than a convenient alternative to bolts, rivets or welding. In high-performance engineering, that is a serious underestimate of what adhesive bonding can achieve. Structural adhesive bonding is widely used across motorsport, aerospace, automotive, composite engineering…

Metal 3D printing can be particularly valuable when a specialist engineering component is required in low quantities — especially when the project begins with an existing physical part rather than CAD data. Plan D Design recently completed a project for local Mazda and rotary specialist Silver Fern Performance, reverse engineering an existing aluminium component before…

From Metal Flexures to Carbon Fibre Flexures In Part 1 of this series, I looked at the thinking behind the F1 suspension flexure — replacing a conventional spherical bearing with a component that allows suspension movement through controlled elastic deformation. At Prost Grand Prix, the flexures I first encountered were beautifully machined titanium components bonded…

Introduction I’m starting a new series looking at an engineering idea that really captured my imagination during my time in Formula One: the F1 suspension flexure. It is a great example of the sort of engineering that appeals to me — not adding complexity to solve a problem, but understanding the problem well enough to…

Reverse engineering obsolete parts can provide a practical way to extend the working life of valuable manufacturing equipment when original replacement components are no longer available. Manufacturing companies often rely on specialist machinery that has delivered reliable service for decades. However, as equipment ages, a common challenge begins to emerge — the original manufacturer no…

Large-scale 3D printing has transformed far more than industrial engineering and product development. It is also opening up new possibilities across the creative industries, where ambitious ideas often need to become large, physical objects quickly and economically. From film props and cosplay to experiential marketing, exhibition displays and promotional installations, additive manufacturing allows complex digital…

In today’s fast-paced engineering and manufacturing sectors, reducing lead times without compromising quality has become a major competitive advantage. Traditional tooling methods can often be time-consuming, labour-intensive, and expensive—particularly when producing complex composite moulds and patterns. Advanced resin-based 3D printing is changing this landscape, offering a faster and more cost-effective approach to tooling manufacture while…