The “Green Revolution” is under way. Regardless of how you rationalize it, there is a lot of activity around reducing the amount of energy being consumed in almost every aspect of American life. For the most part, its well intentioned. As good stewards of the resources we have, we should use them responsibly. Energy conservation […]
Time and Technology March On
Motion Control used to be its own unique domain in the control world. People tended to leave you alone. Few understood it. And because there were so many problems, many avoided it. Don’t get hooked up with to it. So control most of the major technologies grew up on their own. CNC’s first developed in […]
My first brush with Mechatronics came courtesy of White Sands Missile Range
Imagine a missile launch,” my boss explained. “It comes out of the silo without warning, goes like a streak, and sometimes explodes on launch. We want an unmanned tracking mount that will sit close to the launch area, pick up the missile, and track it — no matter what.” The engineering assignment was pure Mechatronics. […]
Better Software Tools
Better Software Tools Help Machine Builders Reap the Benefits of Mechatronics. Newer software programs intended for machine builders take advantage of mechatronic principles and easily blend the necessary and different engineering disciplines. By John Pritchard, Global Product Marketing Manager Kinetix Motion Control, Rockwell Automation Traditionally, machines have been designed and built using individual mechanical, control, […]
The Evolution of Motion Programming Devices
Here’s a closer look at software development for programming motion systems and how these choices affect software reusability. By Chuck Lewin Performance Motion Devices Software development can be the single greatest engineering cost for many machine design projects. This observation is especially true for motion control projects because of the inherent complexity of managing such […]
Multi-Axis Systems Turn Custom into Standard
Rexroth’s camoLINE is a Cartesian Motion building system that allows rapid combination of pneumatic and electromechanical components. Special machine construction and standardization: — this used to be a contradiction. Here is how one manufacturer developed a modular system to assemble handling systems with standard and custom components. Schiller automation systems are used in the production […]
Modeling Mechatronic Systems
Able to significantly reduce design risks, simulating overall system performance does not require expert knowledge of modeling. By Richard Comerford, Electronic Products The lesson of ancient Babel still resonates through the halls of design firms today: if you really want to screw up a project, make sure that everyone working on it speaks a different […]
Mechatronics’ Present and Future
Having just gotten back from the annual extravaganza known as the Consumer Electronics Show, I’m happy to report that the outlook for mechatronics is definitely positive. The integration of electronics and mechanical systems was clearly in evidence at CES, on both the micro and macro level. To start small, one of the more impressive in-suite […]