NPTEL online certification course on
Automation in Manufacturing
Dr. Shrikrishna N. Joshi
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati
Guwahati PIN 781 039
Assam, India
Week 2
Lecture 1
Mechatronics based systems
Outline
❖ Definition of a system
❖ Example of a system – a mechanical spring
❖ Mechatronics based automated system
❖ Building blocks of a mechatronics based system
❖ Development of an equivalent mechatronics based system
A system
❖ A system: a box or a bounded whole
which has input and output elements,
and a set of relationships between
these elements.
❖ The set of relationships between input
and output elements represents the
behaviour of a real system.
❖ The process of representation the
relationship in a mathematical form is
called “modelling of the system”.
A typical mechanical system
❖ Typical spring system: It
has ‘force’ as an input
which produces an
‘extension’
❖ Follows the Hooke’s law
❖ F = kx,
where F is the force in N, x
is the distance in m and k is
the stiffness of the spring.
A spring system
Mechatronics based automated system
❖ A Mechatronics based automated system has following
building blocks:
➢ Measurement systems: sensors, signal
conditioners, display units
➢ Drives and actuation systems
➢ Microprocessor systems
➢ Software
Building blocks
Equivalent mechatronics based automated
spring system
❖ A hydraulic piston-cylinder device
❖ Sensors and a measurement system
❖ Microprocessor or microcontroller
❖ Generation of signals of appropriate level and of suitable
type
❖ Actuation: extension or contraction of the cylinder
❖ Development of a computer program to mimic the
principle of Hookes’ Law
Equivalent mechatronics system
Microprocessor based hydraulic piston-
cylinder arrangement
Summary
❖ Meaning of the term “system”
❖ Mechanical spring as an example of the system
❖ Mechatronics based automated system
❖ Various building blocks of a typical mechatronics based system
❖ How to develop an equivalent mechatronics based system?
Week 2: Lecture 2
❖ Flexible manufacturing system
➢ Definition
➢ Automated equipment used
❖ CNC technology in manufacturing
❖ Vertical milling process: an example
