Clarity

A national talk-show host I listen to comments “I would rather have clarity than agreement”. I think that is a great platform for discussion. And I approach the blog with the same goal. This posting is an attempt to clarify my previous entry.

I got into the big debate on automobile technology in the 1980’s. It started with a duty cycle chart of engine horsepower and led me to join Unique Mobility in the late 80’s to try and help bring hybrid technology to the California low emission initiative. We were not successful. Primarily because none of the Big 3 automotive companies would agree to supply a vehicle platform for the drivetrain we developed. We did succeed in building a drivetrain for BMW’s EV-1 and EV-2 which were very successful steps along the way.

But the point of my earlier blog was simply to comment on “automobile technology” as the greatest mechatronic challenge of all. You can start with a simple F=ma approach and deal with how much mechanical power must be produced to move the vehicle, which the Big 3 have been messing around with for years. We have cars made out of plastic to reduce vehicle weight (the “m”) in an effort to get lower power solutions which mean more miles per gallon, you know the rest. Read more

The Ultimate Challenge

Mechatronics is a difficult term. It covers a lot of territory and is, as one comment mentions, almost meaningless because it is so broad. I think the term is mecha- due to the fact that every application is bounded by its mechanical design as a starting point. The -tronics is intended to capture the electronics element as either control or power, and sometimes both.

But mechatronics includes pneumatic and hydraulic systems, and basically anything that moves. And what moves Americans more than our cars? So I return to an earlier comment that the electric car is the Ultimate Mechatronic Challenge. Read more

Energy Policy

Americans have been focusing on energy reduction in this country for some time. In an upcoming article to be published in Design World, I will detail some of the impact of national energy policy on how electric motors should be built, and how they should be used. The main conclusion of the article from a technical perspective, is that the big energy savings come from control system solutions, not from incremental improvements in electric motors themselves, which the Department of Energy has spent a lot of money pursuing.

It is reasonable that the government concerns itself with how energy is used. But what is appropriate for implementing policy? Is it in the national interest to develop better washers and dryers? better refrigerators? better air conditioning systems? Or is this the domain of private enterprise? Business that is for profit and normally makes the investment in product development sometimes gets a hand from government. Read more

Medicine and Mechatronics

An interesting niche in the mechatronic world is the laboratory automation market. Applications in this arena can be syringe dispensing of tiny volumes of fluids, automatic dispensing and sampling of chemicals, DNA processing and many other applications. For the most part, the applications are Cartesian arrays of samples in small wells and single or multiple dispensing devices on a moving head. The number of samples being managed can be anything from 1 to 96. Read more

E Drives Conference

I was fortunate to attend the E Drives Conference In Atlanta Feb 14 & 15. The show is an annual gathering of specialty companies involved in mechatronics. The exhibits and lectures cover magnetic design tools, power electronic modules, control technology, feedback technology and gear reducers. A lot of cutting edge conversations in the mechatronic world.

The design of motion control components is a difficult balancing act. Component manufacturers must incorporate a lot of features and functionality in order to address the broadest portion of the market. For the OEM machinery builder, this often means paying more for a product that exceeds the requirements of a particular application.

It has always been my opinion that most of the available motion control products are very expensive, so I am always on the lookout for technology that offers the potential to reduce price and deliver the right kind of performance. Read more