The permanent magnetic is a quiet, unobtrusive work horse in so many applications that it, like many things that are mechatronics related, is mind bogglingly (is that a word?) pervasive.  Magnets are the key material technology to enable high efficiency and power dense electric motors.  And electric motors are everywhere. The particular magentic material that […]

Recently I had occaision to discuss the merits of wind power with a colleague.  In particular there is a controversy between horizontal axis wind turbines, the giant propeller driven systems you see in advertisements, and vertical wind, which does not have much presence in the marketplace.  The premise is that horizontal systems can take advantage […]

For seventy years what was good for Detroit was good for America.  The major auto makers could sell as many cars as they could make.  And Americans were enthusiastic about the freedom offered by relatively inexpensive personal transportation.  Since Henry Ford’s introduction of the mass produced Model T and John D. Rockefeller’s agreement to provide […]

A friend of mine finally got delivery of a Tesla Roadster.  This prompted discussion of the drive train and the fact that Tesla has had to go from two speed transmissions which were failing to a transmissionless drive train.  The ultimate mechatronic challenge, the electric car, is also a challenger in terms of the precise  […]

Another aspect of applying electric motors to power mechanical systems is the relationship between peak power and continuous power.  In mechanical systems the forces required to start a load may have no relationship to the power required to keep the system running.  Further, the  ideal demand for mechanical power may occur at a speed that […]

High energy costs, an unprecedented level of government mandates for green building, heightened demand for green construction, and improvements and better pricing for environmentally sustainable materials have many building owners, architects, and facility managers considering significant updates to save cash. Sec. 179D of the IRS Code provides a significant deduction for the cost of energy-efficient […]

McClarin Plastics has coordinated a cooperative lean certification session for their employees, customers, and suppliers. “Each segment of the supply chain must understand the others’ needs. One kink in the chain can throw off the entire process causing waste and expense as well as excessive use of energy and raw materials,” says Roger Kipp, vice […]

In the past, we engineers were charged with considerations such as Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, cost targets, production targets, margin targets, tooling considerations, lead-time and other factors. Now, the new consideration is Design for Disassembly, sometimes referred to as Design for Destruction.  Just as manufacturing or assembling is a process to be optimized, […]