BGA Primary Gears Kit Supports Design Unit’s Overseas Immersion Programme

A good learning resource earns its keep when it can travel, adapt and still do the job in a new setting. That is why we were proud to support British Gear Association (BGA) Member Design Unit at Newcastle University during their Overseas Immersion Programme in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology.

One of the most pleasing parts of the report below was seeing the BGA Primary Gears Kit adapted for use at the event. The kit has a familiar role in introducing gear principles to Primary age children, but this event showed how useful it can be when the format needs to shift.

Our thanks go to Design Unit and to everyone involved in making the programme a success. Seeing the kit used in this way was a proud moment, and a welcome example of how practical engineering learning can travel well.

From Design Unit:

In July 2026, Design Unit at Newcastle University had the pleasure of hosting 80 joint-degree students over two days as part of the Overseas Immersion Programme (OIP) in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

The OIP offers SIT students a multi-week, immersive campus experience featuring academic lectures, industry visits and cultural trips across the region.

During their visit with us, the students gained insight into Design Unit (who we are and what we do), explored the fundamentals of mechanical power transmissions & gear design and learned about our active research portfolio.

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To put theory into practice, they took on a competitive "Build Challenge" using primary gear kits supplied by the British Gear Association.

Their goal? To construct an accurate physical representation of a hidden model and calculate its total gear ratio - relying 100% on verbal communication, with strictly no photos or shouting allowed!

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Here is how the team dynamics was set up:

❌ Chief Engineer: The only person permitted to see the hidden model, but strictly forbidden from touching the build.

🔄 Master Builder: Responsible for translating the Chief Engineer's instructions, without ever seeing the hidden model or the final build.

🛠️ Builders: Assembled the components solely based on the verbal directions relayed by the Master Builder.

It was a challenging, fun and eye-opening exercise in organisational communication and precision under pressure, creating a fantastic buzz across the cohort on both days.

After lunch, the students broke into smaller groups for interactive activities and facility tours, including the AERH facilities, the UK National Gear Metrology Lab (NGML) featuring a hands on gear measurement challenge and our materials lab for a characterisation activity.

A massive thank you to everyone in Design Unit team who helped plan, host and facilitate such a successful and energy-filled two days! ⚙️👏