Case studies on design of mechatronic products

Two case studies on the design of mechatronic products are presented here. These cases were written by authors of distinct backgrounds. The first case study was developed by Burford Furman, an academician with strong industrial experience. It is related to the design of atomic force microscopes (AFM's) for measuring the topography of surfaces at submicron precision. The case demonstrates the application of the principles of mechanics, e.g., beam theory, use of piezoelectric actuators, high precision motion control, and manufacturing methods which can produce structures that are responsive to minute disturbances yet have sufficiently high resonant frequencies. This case is an example where materials engineering plays a significant role in the design of a mechatronic product. The second case was written by two senior engineers, D. Pinkernell and S. Elgee, from the Hewlett-Packard Company. The ingenuity of integrating mechanical components (motors, gears, belts, shafts, etc.), optoelectronics sensors, microprocessors, power IC's, and computer software to produce this popular mechatronic product is demonstrated.