|
|
|
 |
Something old, something
new
Welcome all you engineers on the front lines of applied
interdisciplinary design. If this doesn't describe you, please see the
nearest flight attendant because you've boarded the wrong aircraft.
Before we get airborne, I'd like to direct your attention to the attached PDF in the front of the cabin. It's a talk
I gave on mechatronics sometime in the early 1990s. Though it's 15 years
old, it's still fresher and more advanced than almost anything else
you'll find on the topic today, getting to the root of the
(interdisciplinary) design philosophy itself.
Please note that this was literally a tape-and-scissors production,
so it's not exactly fancy. But what it lacks in outward appearance, it
more than makes up for in substance.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy your Mechatronic Design newsletter from
the original and still most authoritative source of mechatronic
coverage.
Larry
Berardinis
Delving
into the crystal structure of matter
Matter is composed of atoms. But how are the atoms arranged, exactly?
For solids, when inter-atomic attractive forces exceed disruptive
thermal forces, atoms (or groups of atoms) snap into grids to form
frozen, ordered structures. These grids are symmetric to conserve
energy. Systematically dismembering a solid's block of atoms into its
symmetric building blocks makes understanding behaviors easier. Here are
the 14 different Bravais lattice grid unit types, and some of
their characteristics.
GM
puts IT in the driver's seat
The Detroit automaker finds that fewer is better when it comes to CAD
and IT systems. How many IT systems does it take to make a car? In the
case of General Motors Corp., the answer used to be over 7,000, whether
for dealers, finance, manufacturing, or product development. That was
before the automaker got religion about efficiently managing its
computer files. It has now whittled down its IT footprint to a mere
2,400 systems says Global Director of CAD and Visualization Detlef
Bielohawek. His team is part of an internal GM organization called
Information Systems and Services (IS&S) that was started in 1996 by GM's
Group Vice President and Chief Information Officer Ralph J. Szygenda.
Multicore
Processors Revolutionize Real-Time Embedded Systems
The proliferation of multicore processors has done more than provide
a boost in processing power to server applications. Multicore chips also
pose the opportunity to revolutionize how embedded systems are
constructed. Developers now can host real-time operating systems (RTOSs)
and general-purpose operating systems (GPOSs) on separate cores of a
single multicore processor to create systems that once required multiple
hardware platforms. The benefit is a reduction in cost, size, and
complexity.
Visual
servoing tailor made for robotics
As products and components are miniaturized, the cost for automated
systems to handle and assemble them is skyrocketing. But using machine
vision to close position loops can make high-accuracy automated systems
out of lowcost robots. A process called visual servoing increases their
flexibility like never before. Products everywhere have gotten so small
that many necessitate automated systems specifically designed to feed,
align, and fasten small and complex 3D parts. A key tool in these
systems is vision guidance -- using machine vision to locate parts to be
accessed by a robot.
Motion control processor
Magellan motion control chip provides all-motor flexibility and
directly supports multiple motor types in single and multiple axis
applications.
It comes in 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions, supports dc servo, brushless
dc, microstepping, and pulse and direction motors. The processor is
parallel IO, CANBus, serial point-to-point, and serial multi-drop host
communications. It allows for S-curve, trapezoidal, velocity
contouring, and electronic gearing profiles and velocity and position
acceleration changes on-the-fly. It has 6-step (hall based) and
sinusoidal commutation for brushless motors
with high speed (up to 5 M-pulses/sec) pulse and direction output.
Performance Motion Devices Inc.
Offline servodrives
XENUS R10 servodrives feature extended temperature, humidity,
vibration, and shock ranges for military COTS requirements, including
Mil Standard 810. The hardened drives operate in standalone and
networked operating modes, including indexing, point-to-point, PVT, PT,
position, velocity, and torque control, as well as electronic camming
and gearing. The drives are compatible with CANopen, RS422, and RS 485;
and operate on single phase or three-phase 85 to 264 V supplies, and
deliver up to 3 kW drive power. They have ripple frequency of 28 kHz,
current loop bandwidth of 2.5 kHz, and 15 kHz current loop update rate
(67 ìs) and 3 kHz (333 ìs) position and velocity loop update
rate. They are also protected against over-current, over-temperature,
and incorrect operating voltages.
Copley
Controls Corp.
Software converts CAM to
robotic programs
CamPro software converts CAM trimming and milling toolpaths into
six-axis programs for use with the developers robotic, waterjet, and
ultrasonic- knife trimming equipment. The offline software manages large
files through the robot memory, making robotic milling feasible for
foam, wood, and REM board. The software comes in two versions. One works
on Mastercam files and the other supports any CAM program that can be
exported in .apt format.
KMT Robotic
Solutions Inc.
Stellar
MEMS Sensors Gear Up For Industrial Applications
Finding innovative products designed for industrial applications
wasn't difficult this year. Still, two MEMS-based devices were a cut
above the rest--the ADIS16209 dualmode inclinometer from Analog Devices
and the D6F-P gas flow sensor from Omron Electronic Components.
|
|
|
|
