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Can we talk?
The word "set" has more meanings than any other word in the English
language — see for yourself — yet most people use it in
precise context every day without the slightest difficulty. When we
endeavor to talk about "mechatronics," on the other hand, though it's
much more limited in scope, we often end up on different wavelengths
fighting to be understood.
Bringing clarity to the subject of mechatronics is one of the goals of
my new blog, PowerOn. In fact, the first few entries will
lay the semantic groundwork from which we launch on a journey deep into
interdisciplinary design space and into the heart of mechatronics
itself. So click on over and be one of the first to read Getting a Grip on Mechatronics.
— Larry
Berardinis
Electricity
gets smart
A NEMA (The Association of Electrical and Medical Imaging Equipment
Manufacturers) task force moved closer to creating an electricity supply
chain that can correlate the ever-changing demand and supply of
electricity nationwide. The concept, called the Smart Grid, would begin
with power generation and end with the ultimate use of the power, such
as the exchange of information from a power plant to a substation to
your home. As part of this process, the task force defined five levels
of intelligence in the electricity supply chain.
Mechatronics
Design Faces Two Challenges—And Two Solutions
To compete on a global scale and meet the growing demands for
increased throughput, higher quality, and greater yield, the way the
machine industry builds machines has evolved. The industry is enhancing
purely mechanical systems, based on gears and cams, with
electromechanical systems, which combine mechanical elements with
advanced technologies such as electronic controls and motor drives into
a single system. These software-controlled electromechanical machines
offer better accuracy and flexibility for increased throughput and
yield. They also increase energy efficiency, resulting in both
environmental and economical benefits. Yet electromechanical machines
are difficult to design and manufacture.
Would
FEA Have Saved The I-35 Bridge?
Federal investigators recently released a few preliminary findings
about the infamous Minnesota I-35W bridge failure. By chance, the
announcement came as FEA and CAD vendors were converging on SolidWorks
World, a major trade show. FEA experts at the show had plenty to say
about the federal findings. Their conclusion: Had FEA been around when
the bridge was built, it would have caught the errors that seem to have
lead to the bridge's collapse. The I-35 bridge, a truss design,
consisted of steel beams connected to each other at nodes or joints by
so-called gussets, basically steel plates bolted or riveted to hold the
beams together.
Understanding
motion simulation
This course audit reviews simulations vs. other software, design
verification, reverse engineering motion, and modeling velocity and
acceleration. When computer-aided engineering (CAE) methods became
available for design work in the 1980s, finite element analysis (FEA)
was the first to be widely adopted. Over the years, it's helped design
engineers study the structural performance of new products, and replace
costly prototype iterations with inexpensive computer simulations run on
CAD models.
High-torque
servomotors
High-torque MaxPlusPlus MPP230 and MPP270 servomotors offer low
inertia and high power in a small package. It has 162 Nm continuous
stall torque and 513 Nm peak torque with segmented lamination that
yields up to 40% higher torque per unit size than conventionally wound
servomotors. Potted stators improve heat transfer for better thermal
efficiency, resulting in increased torque at the motor shaft while
neodymium magnets offer high acceleration rates. Options include a
resolver, Stegmann single- and multi-turn absolute encoders, 24-V brake
option, and shaft seal.
More Information:
Parker Hannifin Corp., Electromechanical Automation
Div.
Programmable Automation Controller
SNAP-PAC-S2 is a stand-alone, multiserial port, dual Ethernet
interface programmable automation controller (PAC). It features two
10/100 Mbps Ethernet interfaces for host and I/O communication over
Ethernet networks. It has a 32-bit multitasking processor with
floating-point unit, 32-Mbyte RAM, 16-Mbyte Flash memory, and 8-Mbyte
battery-packed RAM. The controller supports multiple communication
protocols including, TCP/IP, SNMP, FTP, Modbus/TCP, and Opto MMP. It
also has free developer toolkits for added support of Data Highway,
Modbus, ASCII, and Modbus RTU. The controller is capable of multitasking
up to 32 PAC control flowcharts simultaneously.
More Information:
Opto 22
Position encoders
Encoders with an EnDat 2.2 transmission component (a digital,
bidirectional interface) provide serial data transfer, (including
diagnostic possibilities, automatic commissioning, and rapid formation
of the position value) in safety-related applications. It has clock
frequency of 16 MHz that's 100% serial and a fully digital interface.
The encoders are useful in high-response applications with direct
drives, like electronics. They have small installation space
requirements and online diagnostics simplify maintenance. The also
feature a data transfer line with EnDat 2.2 communication and cable and
an EnDat 2.2 receiver component with monitoring function (EnDat
master.
More Information:
Heidenhain Corp.
Drebbel institute for
Mechatronics - Modeling and control of a new concept of energy efficient
actuator
December 3, 2008
4:30 - 5:15
Energy efficiency is a critical point for mobile robots design. Most
actuators, typically electrical motors, run outside the opitmal
operation area.
Becaus of this, the Control Engineering Group is now designing
actuators that are able to make intelligent use of available power
sources. The actuators store and reuse energy.
The aim of the seminar is to show how this new concept could be a
breakthrough in the robotic world.
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