"To promote for the public benefit by all available means the general advancement of the science and practice of measurement and control technology and its applications."
Incorporated by Royal Charter 1975
About the Midland Section
Programme of Events
Feedback from Recent Meetings
Members of the Committee
Useful Links
The Midland Section covers Birmingham and the surrounding counties. Technical meetings are usually held in Birmingham or Coventry, although we like to arrange visits further afield. We try to support the next generation of control engineers by awarding various prizes to students studying at any of the local universities. These student prizes are locally funded.
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Year 2008-2009 Meetings
Visitors are welcome to attend any of
the technical meetings.
An introduction by a member is not
necessary.
Light refreshments are available from 6:30 p.m. unless stated otherwise.
Other Events
Other events that are of interest to measurement and control technologists are organised by NPL (National Physical Laboratory). For further details contact:
Melanie Williams, NPL, Queens Road, Teddington, TW11 0LW melanie.williams@npl.co.uk 020 8943 6121
Please revisit this page in the
near future for the latest details of the technical programme.
All Technical Meetings count towards CPD.
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An Introduction to Foundation Fieldbus (9 Feb 2000)
This was a very successful meeting with a live demonstration of the
Foundation Fieldbus technology. The presentation was both
interesting and informative and was followed by a lively discussion
session.
Student Projects Evening (15 Mar 2000)
Regrettably this meeting had to be cancelled, but it is hoped that it
will be on the 2001 calendar. In previous years the students have
presented their final year projects. The presentations have been
to a very high standard and participating students have been rewarded
with prizes.
Annual General Meeting (12 Apr 2000)
Along with the usual business of the A.G.M., there was an update on the
future academic standards required for new members (IEng & CEng)
and the current position regarding CPD. These weighty matters
were then followed by a fine meal at the hotel.
The Internet & e-Commerce (15 Nov 2000)
A fascinating presentation, charting the origins of the World Wide Web
through to the present day and likely future developments.
Quite apart from the technicalities, some of the social, political and
of course economic implications are vast in an environment with no
regard for national boundaries.
Visit to Land Rover Calibration Centre (27 Feb
2001)
The visit to Land Rover's impressive calibration centre was well
attended and proved to be a very informative evening. Our thanks
to Land Rover.
Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Sites (19 Mar
2001)
This lecture reported the progress the UKAEA is making in
decommissioning a number of reactors around the UK. Several sites
have already been returned to grassland. Their aim is to return
all unwanted sites to 'nature' with no more risk than driving a car 50
miles in one year.
Visit to DELCAM - Advances in Computer Aided
Manufacture (12 Mar 2002)
The visit to DELCAM included a talk about the latest developments in
CAM. Software is available to scan physical models (in clay, wood
etc.) and then smooth this data, or take CAD models from a variety of
systems and cut metal using the latest cutting techniques and
technologies. All this can dramatically reduce the time from the
design output to, say, hard tooling. Much of the hand finishing
of tools that used to be necessary is no longer required, such is the
quality of the surface finishes now achievable. The visit
concluded with a tour of the workshops where some very large components
were being machined.
Using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle in the
Antarctic, Speaker Dr Brandon (18 Mar 2002)
Dr Mark Brandon gave a fascinating talk about a recent expedition to
the Antarctic where the worlds first completely autonomous underwater
vehicle was used to gather data from under the sea ice. This
British vehicle and research team collected over 400 km of under ice
data and showed for the first time the link between the physics at the
ice edge and the biology of the Antarctic region.
Annual General Meeting (12 Apr 2002)
The reports given to the A.G.M. by the Chairman, Hon. Secretary and
Treasurer reflected that the Midland Section had had another successful
year. It was agreed that as a cost saving, no technical programme
cards or leaflets will be professionally printed this coming
season. Instead, members will be notified before the events by
post and on the web page.
Visit to BMW Engine Plant - Hams Hall (16 Oct 2002)
This visit to perhaps the most advanced engine manufacturing plant in
the world was most impressive. The cleanliness and low level of noise
was more like what you would expect in a hospital rather than a
factory. We were shown the fully automated machining of the major
engine components and then the mainly automated assembly and test of
the engines.
Please continue to refer to this web site for future Midland Section events.
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Chairman |
024 76460721 |
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Vice Chairman |
David Johnson |
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Hon. Secretary |
0121 700 4322 |
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Hon. Treasurer |
Michael Wildsmith |
024 76460721 |
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Programme Secretary |
0121 700 4322 |
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Executive Member |
John Holland |
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For further information about the Midland Section, please contact Mike Wildsmith or Steve Jennings.
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Please note that the Institute of Measurement & Control including the Midland Section and its members cannot be held liable for any consequences arising from the accuracy or otherwise of the above information.
Last updated: 25th July 2008.