Vacancies at PRVCall Us: 01495 769697

Blog

PRV Engineering > Blog
27 Aug 2026
Engineers inspect large manufactured components before modular installation at an energy construction site.

UK Small Modular Reactors: The Manufacturing Challenge Behind Wylfa

What Will It Take to Build Britain’s Next Generation of Nuclear Power?

Britain’s plans for a new generation of nuclear power are beginning to take shape. At the centre of the programme are small modular reactors, or SMRs: nuclear power stations designed around standardised, modular components that can be manufactured in factories before being transported for assembly on site.

Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK programme’s preferred technology partner in June 2025. In April 2026, Great British Energy – Nuclear, known as GBE-N, signed a contract with the company to begin technology and site-specific design work, regulatory engagement and planning.

The initial three-unit project is planned for Wylfa on Ynys Môn. However, important stages remain, including a future Final Investment Decision. It is therefore more accurate to describe Wylfa as a planned project than as one already moving into construction.

Much of the public discussion around UK small modular reactors naturally focuses on energy security and generating capacity. But the programme is also a manufacturing story. Its success will depend on whether complex components can be produced repeatedly, inspected thoroughly and delivered with the consistency and supporting evidence that major nuclear projects require.

Read More
18 Aug 2026
Engineers inspecting copper busbar power distribution equipment inside a modern data centre.

AI Has a Power Problem, And Engineering Has to Solve It

AI Data Centres: The Physical Engineering Behind Britain’s Compute Boom

Artificial intelligence may exist in software, but the infrastructure making it possible is very physical. Behind every large AI model sits a data centre consuming electricity, distributing enormous amounts of power, removing heat and supporting thousands of high-performance computing systems.

That physical infrastructure is now expanding rapidly in the UK. The Government’s UK Compute Roadmap says £44 billion of private-sector investment in AI data centres was announced over a 12-month period, alongside plans to invest up to £2 billion in public compute infrastructure. The roadmap also identifies energy availability as a central part of expanding UK AI capacity.

The headline story may be artificial intelligence but the engineering challenge is increasingly about power.

Read More
14 Aug 2026
Integrated engineering processes showing waterjet cutting, 5-axis machining, metal fabrication, busbar manufacture and finishing.

From Waterjet to 5-Axis: Inside PRV Engineering’s Manufacturing Capability

Why Complex Components Rarely Rely on One Manufacturing Process

A finished engineering component may look simple. The route taken to manufacture it often is not.

A plate may begin on a waterjet cutting machine before moving into CNC machining. A fabricated assembly can require cutting, welding, machining and finishing. An electrical component may need accurate profiling followed by plating to achieve the required conductivity and protection.

That is why modern subcontract engineering is increasingly about combining the right processes, rather than finding one machine capable of doing everything.

At PRV Engineering, those processes include hydro-abrasive waterjet cutting, CNC turning and milling, 5-axis machining, metal fabrication, welding, busbar manufacture and specialist finishing.

So, what are they actually used for?

Read More
6 Aug 2026

JetZero Z4: When Unconventional Aircraft Become Credible Engineering Programmes

Could the JetZero Z4 Change the Shape of Commercial Aviation?

A brief comment underneath a recent PRV Engineering post caught our attention and led us to explore the JetZero Z4:

“Our plans at Archon are similar.”

It came from Archon Aerospace, a company publicly developing its own unconventional flying-wing aircraft concepts.

The original post concerned the JetZero Z4, a proposed 250-passenger blended wing body aircraft. JetZero says the aircraft could travel up to 5,000 nautical miles while using as much as 50% less fuel per passenger mile than comparable conventional aircraft.

Those figures remain development targets rather than proven airline performance. However, the programme is beginning to attract the investment, government support and airline involvement needed to move beyond the concept stage.

That is what makes the Z4 worth following.

Note: The featured image used with this article is an AI-generated concept illustration of a blended-wing aircraft and is not an official JetZero rendering.

Read More
28 Jul 2026
Busy aerospace trade show with commercial and military aircraft on display, delegates walking between exhibition halls and the headline “What Farnborough Revealed”.

Farnborough Airshow 2026: What Really Stood Out

What Farnborough Revealed About The Future Of Aerospace

The Farnborough International Airshow has always combined spectacle with serious business.

Aircraft perform overhead while manufacturers, airlines, governments, investors and engineering businesses negotiate what the industry will build next. The flying displays attract attention, but many of the most important developments happen inside exhibition halls and private meeting rooms.

Farnborough Airshow 2026 took place from 20 to 24 July, bringing together the aerospace, aviation, defence and space industries. Organisers described it as the largest and most ambitious event in the show’s 78-year history, with a sixth exhibition hall added to meet demand.

There was no shortage of aircraft orders, technical announcements or ambitious concepts. Yet the bigger story was not simply what the industry wants to build.

It was whether manufacturers and their supply chains can produce, support and continuously improve everything being promised.

Read More
24 Jul 2026
Modern passenger aircraft with folded outer wing sections on an airport apron at sunset, illustrating how longer wings could improve efficiency while remaining compatible with existing airports.

Why Future Aircraft May Need Folding Wings

Could Folding Wings Solve Aviation’s Wingspan Problem?

Aircraft wings are getting a second look.

For years, the basic challenge in commercial aviation has been clear. Airlines want aircraft that burn less fuel, produce lower emissions and operate more efficiently over long distances. One of the most effective ways to improve that efficiency is to use longer, slimmer wings.

The problem is that airports were not built for unlimited wingspan.

That is why folding aircraft wings are back in the conversation. They offer a way to give aircraft more aerodynamic efficiency in the air without making them too wide for existing gates, taxiways and ground operations.

Read More
24 Jul 2026

McLaren’s Return To Le Mans In 2027

Can McLaren Win Le Mans Again?

McLaren will return to the top class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027, more than three decades after the F1 GTR won at its first attempt.

This time, it will race the MCL-HY, a purpose-built hybrid prototype created for the FIA World Endurance Championship. The car combines a carbon fibre monocoque, a twin-turbocharged V6 and a hybrid motor-generator system producing up to 520kW, or 707PS, at the rear axle.

Those figures are impressive. Le Mans, however, is rarely decided by one specification. The winning car must remain quick, efficient and dependable for an entire day and night.

Read More
10 Jul 2026
Engineers reviewing a component design while precision machining begins, illustrating how early manufacturing decisions influence cost, quality and production efficiency.

Why Simpler Engineering Supply Chains Often Deliver Better Manufacturing

Manufacturing Is Becoming More Complex. Your Supply Chain Shouldn’t Be

An engineering supply chain is only as strong as the connections between the companies involved.

That might sound obvious, yet many manufacturing projects become more difficult not because of the component being produced, but because every stage of production is handled by a different supplier. One company cuts the material, another machines it, another fabricates it, while finishing, coating and inspection take place elsewhere.

Each supplier may do an excellent job but the real challenge lies in everything that happens between them.

Every handover introduces another opportunity for delays, miscommunication or quality issues. Drawings are transferred, components are packaged and transported, production schedules are coordinated and specifications are interpreted by another team. None of these activities adds value to the finished component, but all consume time and introduce risk.

As manufacturing projects become more sophisticated, many organisations are beginning to question whether managing an increasingly fragmented supply chain still makes commercial sense.

Read More
2 Jul 2026
Engineer reviewing a precision aluminium component alongside CNC machining equipment, illustrating how early manufacturing decisions influence production quality.

Better Manufacturing Starts With Waterjet Cutting

Every Precision Component Has A Starting Point

Waterjet cutting is often viewed as a manufacturing process in its own right. In reality, it’s frequently the beginning of a much larger engineering journey.

Whether a component is destined for a defence vehicle, an electrical power system or a piece of industrial machinery, the first manufacturing decision can influence everything that follows. Material selection, production efficiency, machining time and even the long-term performance of the finished component are often shaped long before the first hole is drilled or the final surface is machined.

That’s why experienced engineering teams don’t simply ask how a component should be manufactured. They consider the entire production workflow from the outset, selecting manufacturing processes that work together rather than in isolation.

Waterjet cutting has become an important part of that approach. Far more than simply cutting material to shape, it often creates the starting point from which every subsequent manufacturing operation becomes more efficient.

Read More
26 Jun 2026
Engineers inspecting a precision-engineered aluminium component after hydro-abrasive waterjet cutting and before CNC machining operations.

Why Design for Manufacturability Matters More Than Ever

The Difference Between A Great Design And A Great Product

Design for manufacturability is one of the most important principles in modern engineering, yet it’s often overlooked until production begins.

Every engineer has seen it. A component looks perfect on the CAD model. Every dimension is correct and every feature has been carefully considered. The design meets the specification and performs exactly as intended but then somebody tries to manufacture it and suddenly, questions begin to appear.

Read More

Search

Categories

Recent Comments

    Events

    September 2026
    M T W T F S S
     123456
    78910111213
    14151617181920
    21222324252627
    282930  

    Tag Cloud

    Aerospace aviation CNC Machining Construction Engineering Engineering Developments Manufacturing New technology PRV Engineering Technology