Machine Concepts Homepage |
A lot of the projects I have been involved in are confidential and some the ones below have been censured to maintain that confidentiality. With this small sample I have tried to indicate the breadth of my experience which covers an unusually wide spectrum from large machine production lines to tiny moulded products. I have designed the mechanics for 13 interferometers so far, a couple of which are shown here. I have a lot of experience of design for medical equipment, high accuracy optics, test rigs, plastic moulding, and special purpose machines. I am also a qualified Scientific Instrument maker with my own workshop and nearly 30 years experience of using and managing CAD.
This unit was designed for a small company and the project has included designing the glassware for a number of different add-ons. go here for more information |
The casework for this complex machine was designed whilst I was with RoundPeg. Click the picture for a larger version |
This automated endoscope control system is now on the market and helping surgeons with difficult operations. I was employed to help with the disposable element of the unit. This also handled the focusing and was a complex mechanism with a number of moulded elements. Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
This project is a prototype production line for an innovative drug capsule manufacturing line. |
This machine strips the blocks of frozen human blood plasma from the bags it is collected in Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
The original machine for the manufacture of round teabags was developed at CCL. I was responsible for the design of the centre portion of the mechanism that cut the round bag from the web. Click the picture for a larger version |
Tux was a non-drip teabag for a major UK company. This was quite complex to manufacture. I was responsible for a significant part of the design. Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
Prestek approached CCL with a request to develop a thermal transfer printer able to print on moving substrate. I invented a new method to achieve this and Prestek were able to patent it and successfully increase their market shareClick here for more detailed information and pictures |
This clever piece of optics sorts and identifies tiny airborne particles Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
This was another particle identification machine. Not as sophisticated optically as the previous one but with a much greater throughput using a single laser, fibre optics and clever electronics to create a 10 channel device. Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
This proof of principal unit tested prepared samples of fluids taken from a patient and looks for tiny emissions of light and from that identified the type of bacteria, the type of antibiotic that would kill it and in what strength it should be administered. The challenge was to contain the mechanism in an enclosure that would exclude light down to just a few photons - a real challenge. The unit was a success but I don't know if it was taken any further. Click the picture for a larger version |
This is another clever piece of optics using a solid state interferometer as part of a drug discovery system.Click here for more detailed information and pictures |
This is a bench unit to strip the 2 piece plastic mould off of the finished contact lens prior to hydrating it. |
This machine was to trial the printing of banknote security codes onto bank notes using inkjet printing thus allowing the actual letters of the code to carry an imbedded code of coloured dots. |
This unit was to test the strength of action of a solenoid used in a medical device. This unit was a one off bench unit used to check a large batch of units that had exhibited a small percentage of weak action and these units needed to be weeded out. |
Commercial scale coffee machine. |