Mechatronics

• Introduction• Mechatronics in manufacturing• Mechatronics in Products• Scope

Introduction

• The word "mechatronics" was first coined by Mr. Tetsuro Moria, a senior engineer of a Japanese company, Yaskawa, in 1969.

• Mechatronics may alternatively be referred to as "electromechanical systems," or as "smart products.“

• Mechatronics is centered on mechanics, electronics and computing which, combined, make possible the generation of simpler, more economical, reliable and versatile systems.

Definition

• Mechatronics is “the synergistic integration of Mechanical Engineering with Electronics and intelligent control algorithms in the design and manufacture of products process”.

• The Prime Example – Industrial Robots.• Mechatronics can also be termed as

replacement of mechanics with electronics or enhance mechanics with electronics. Eg- Fuel Injection Systems

Evolution of Mechatronics

• Primary Level : Integrates electrical signaling with mechanical action at the basic control level for e.g.fluid valves and relay switches

• Secondary Level : Integrates microelectronics into electrically controlled devices for e.g. cassette tape player.

Evolution of Mechatronics

• Tertiary Level : Incorporates advanced control strategy using microelectronics, microprocessors and other application specific integrated circuits for e.g. microprocessor based electrical motor used for actuation purpose in robots.

• Quaternary Level : This level attempts to improve smartness a step ahead by introducing intelligence ( artificial neural network and fuzzy logic ) and fault detection and isolation ( F.D.I.) capability into the system.

Constituents of a mechatronics system

Examples

Scope

• Marketing: Signifies market research, identification of user needs, information analysis and formulation of product specification.

• Manufacturing: Looks into process development, production planning, material handling and quality control.

• Design: The concentration is on studying fundamental aspects of sensors, actuators, control and integration methods. Broadly the core of a mechatronics system incorporates Mechanical,Electronics, Control and Information system engineering.

Scope

Water Fall Model

Mechatronics: products and systems in manufacturing

• Computer numerical control (CNC) machines• Tool monitoring systems • Advanced manufacturing systems– a) Flexible manufacturing system (FMS)– b) Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM)

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines

• CNC machine is the best and basic example of application of Mechatronics in manufacturing automation.

• Mechatronics based automation in these machine tools has greatly reduced the human intervention in manufacturing operation and improved the process efficiency and product quality.

• CNC is the operation of a machine tool by a series of coded instructions consisting of numbers, letters of the alphabets, and symbols which the machine control unit can understand.

Tool monitoring systems

• Tool wear is a critical factor in productivity of a machining operation.

Flexible Manufacturing Systems

• Nowadays customers are demanding a wide variety of products.

• To satisfy this demand, the manufacturers’ “production” concept has moved away from “mass” to small “batch” type of production.

• Batch production offers more flexibility in product manufacturing.

• FMS is a manufacturing cell or system consisting of one or more CNC machines, connected by automated material handling system, and all operated under the control of a central computer.

Benefits of an FMS

• Flexibility to change part variety • Higher productivity • Higher machine utilization • Less rejections • High product quality • Better control over production • Just-in-time manufacturing • Minimally manned operation• Easier to expand

Just-in-time manufacturing

• Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing is a production model in which items are created to meet demand, not created in surplus or in advance of need. The purpose of JIT production is to avoid the waste associated with overproduction.

Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)

• Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) is the manufacturing approach of using computers to control the entire production process.