Many European companies in high end OEM business are questioning their design in order to stay competitive on their markets
In the past, most machines were equipped with off-the-shelf components and design was mainly driven by the mechanical engineering staff. Since the majority of applications are using more electronics and ICT, just putting these products in the mechanical framework will result in suboptimal design.
A new engineering approach is needed in which all synergetical effects are identified and optimised at each step of the design process.
Mechatronic machine design synchronises all mechanical, electronic and software engineering activities in order to offer machines showing superior characteristics compared to conventional design.
Multi production runs
Modern manufacturing plants are able to schedule multiple production runs based on the same equipment and therefore require flexibility in their machines, ie machines that can be easily reconfigured.
Modern machines therefore rely on dynamical actuators working in a wide operating range without loosing accuracy. If the drive concept is based on market available products then customisation restricts itself to tuning the existing parameters in the system.
Since these standard drives are offered to a wide variety of customers, the parameter set does not deal with the specific requirements of high end applications. In this case the designer has to accept the limits of the standard actuator which inherently leads to suboptimal machine performance.
On the other hand the designer may be lucky to find the necessary flexibility in a standard drive by purchasing option modules, but often one parameter will force the designer the select a more expensive product in the product range ie there is an unwanted investment in functional overhead.
These oversized drive concepts are weighing in the overall machine cost and reduce profit margins while vending these machines in global competitive markets.
Switched reluctance motors
To get maximum performance out of electromechanical actuators, the design must be tailored to the requirements of the application.
Because of its superior characteristics, the SR Motor allows to optimise machine design up to a level previously not realised by conventional motor technologies.
At PsiControl Mechatronics nv, which specialises in offering mechatronical solutions, they engineered many SR technologies for different applications. To date, more than 250000 SR Motors are operating successfully 24/7 around the world. Some salient characteristics of SR Motors are:
– Tailored Design: anti-copy concepts easily realised.
– Highly Efficient: maintains high efficiency over large speed range.
– Speed Characteristics: up to 100000rpm possible.
– High Dynamics: fast response and accelerations, low inertia.
– Good Overload Behaviour: ratio (Peak Torque)/(Nominal Torque) >10.
– No demagnetisation effects: temperature stable, no derating over time.
PsiControl mechatronics nv has optimised its Switched Reluctance concept which also reduces noise and vibrations down to a level allowing the SR Motor to be considered in almost every application.
Enter 86 or at www.engineerlive.com/ede
PsiControl Mechatronics nv, Ieper, Belgium. <a href="http://www.psicontrol.com"target=_blank>www.psicontrol.com</a>
