There’s no doubt that over the last few years there has been a great deal of uncertainty in the UK about where we are heading. Following on from the most recent general election (December 2019) and the landslide win achieved by the Conservative party, there is hope for a period of stability in leadership to manage the last days of Brexit and beyond.
Whether you supported the Conservatives or not, they will be shaping the future of the country for the next five years or so (unless yet another election is called), but what does that mean for business, education, industry and people in reality? Only time will tell. Keep reading types of engineering.
The Prospects for Engineering
It was clear during the election campaign that the climate change and energy agendas were front and centre for all the major parties. The need to do things differently and ‘clean up our act’ cannot be denied on the world stage.
With such a strong focus on green energy and climate there is no doubt that there will be an impact felt in the engineering world. It could be looked at as a challenge for existing techniques such as HVOF to meet or an opportunity. Those who take the latter attitude are likely to be the ones that not only survive but thrive as pressure is put on everyone to take care of the planet more.
New vs Existing Technologies
It will mean new technologies such as AI will be developed, existing ones will be improved and anything that can help improve the sustainability and lifespan of a product or material will be looked on in a favourable way. It is for that reason that being able to relatively easily apply coatings using methods such as HVOF and plasma coaching that provide resistance to wear and corrosion will really come into its own.
Energy and the climate will no doubt be the major topics, and in many ways the UK’s research base into this and other topics is the envy of the world. Sadly, we don’t capitalise on it as much as we could, which leaves a great opportunity for this government to really make its mark by consulting effectively with the researchers at the cutting edge of progress.
