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In praise of skunkworks!

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2016

M. J. Platts*
Affiliation:
Manufacturing Engineering University of CambridgeCambridge, UK

Abstract

What is of central importance in progressing new materials through from development to use is not technology but the creative efficiency of the team. What results is technology, both a competence and a confidence in handling the new material that makes the clarity of the demonstration of its potential a delight. It requires a holistic approach. Clear concepts require functionally direct embodiment, and equally expressive robust detailing. No amount of additional detail will retrieve a bad concept. Growing a team that has enough insight to tell the difference and the courage not to settle for less than the best is the challenge.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society 1997 

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