[MECHATRONICS]

2015Technisys Engineering Pvt Ltd

MECHATRONICS

What is Mechatronics?

The word “Mechatronics”appeared for the first time in Japan in 1969.

Mechatronics= Mechanics+Electronics+ComputingThe term Mechatronics was introduced by the Japanese company “Yaskawa Elektric Corporation” (company founded in 1915.and since 1971 it has protected as a trade name).

Mechatronics is a synergistic combination of precision engineering electronic control and mechanic systems .It is the science that exists at the interface among the other five disciplines:-

MechanicsElectronicsInformationAutomationRobotics

The name Mechatronics stems from mechanical and electronics and is a relatively new approach to product design and development, merging the principles of electrical, mechanical, computer and industrial engineering.

It addresses the four interconnected disciplines used for all complex modern devices. Mechatronic systems are typically composed of traditional mechanical and electrical components but are referred to as "smart" devices or systems because of the incorporation of sensors, actuators and computer control systems.

Mechatronics is an emerging field of engineering that integrates:-

Electrical engineering, Mechanical engineering, Computer science, Control engineering and Information technology.

In layman's terms, mechatronics combines these areas of engineering to allow the design, development and application of "smart devices" in an integrated, cross-disciplinary manner.

2

MECHATRONICS

Why Study Mechatronics?

Mechatronics has been popular in Japan and Europe for many years but has been slow to gain industrial and academic acceptance as a field and practice in Great Britain and the United States. In the past, machine and product design has been the domain of mechanical engineers. After the machine was designed by mechanical engineers, solutions to control and programming problems were added by software and computer engineers. This sequential-engineering approach usually resulted in less-than-optimal designs and is now recognized as less than optimal itself.

Where do Mechatronic Engineers work?

Mechatronic devices or "smart" devices have become common in our technologically advanced society. Mechatronics engineers can work in any company that develops, designs or manufactures and markets "smart" devices. Opportunities exist in manufacturing, sales and as well as research. Mechatronic devices have crept into everyday life.

Examples include:

Robots Anti-lock brakes, a sophisticated control system takes over the braking function when

the sensors recognize one or more wheels are locking up. Photocopiers Computer disk drives

3

MECHATRONICS

Humidity sensitive clothes dryers and windshield wipers .How do these devices "know" if clothes are still damp or drizzle is hitting the windshield? Sensors, that's how.

Mechatronic devices can be found in medicine and surgery, agriculture, buildings, homes, automobiles, the toy and entertainment industry, intelligent aids for the elderly and disabled.

Subjects of mechatronics: -

Mechanical Engineering and materials science Electronic engineeringComputer engineeringComputer science Systems and control engineering Optomechanics Robotics

Further career:-:

Students who have completed their B.Tech degree in Mechatronics can either opt for job or they can go for further studies. Students can enroll themselves for ME or M.Tech degree in Mechatronics. Designations: A B.Tech in Mechatronics can get either of these designations:-

Robotics TechniciansRobotics Test EngineersRobotics Systems EngineerRobotics specialists Analysts Researchers

Top recruiting industries:

Robotics Aerospace Defense Automotive and Manufacturing C Nanotechnology, Automation, Aircraft Engineering, Oceanography, Oil & Gas, Biomedical Systems, Transport and Computer-aided Design. Etc

4

MECHATRONICS

Colleges offer B.Tech in Mechatronics:-

Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil NaduNehru Institute of Engineering and Technology, CoimbatoreSri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Tamil NaduKS Rangaswamy College of Technology, Tamil NaduKongu Engineering college, Tamil Nadu

Some of the universities/institutes that offer M.Tech (Mechatronics) are listed below.

VIT University, Vellore: Central Institute of Tool Design, HyderabadAmity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University, NoidaIndian Institute of Information TechnologyAsia Pacific Institute of Information Technology, Panipat, HaryanaG.H Patel College of Engineering and Technology, Vallabh Vidyanagar, GujaratK.S Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu.Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, KarnatakaBharath Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil NaduI.T.M University, Gurgaon, HaryanaMaharishi Markendeshwar Engineering College, Ambala, HaryanaUniversity College of Engineering, Patiala, PunjabKongu Engineering College, Erode, Tamil NaduCentral Institute of Tool Design, Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu

Job prospects:-

Professionals in Mechatronics can work in areas like :-

Design,R&D,Manufacture, Production, Safety, and Quality.

Some roles they can assume are:-

Systems engineer, Application engineer, Product development engineer, Quality and safety engineer, Research and development engineer,Project supervisor andManagers.

5

MECHATRONICS

Jobs can be found in fields like electronics, electrical, manufacturing, engineering, instrumentation, defence, mining, aerospace, automobile, robotics, tool design and aviation.

Mechatronics is extensively used in design and manufacturing of mechanical and electronic items. Washing machines, dishwashers, microwaves and robots are some examples. Mechatronics can be applied to fields like nanotechnology, automation, aircraft engineering, oceanography, oil and gas, biomedical systems, transport and computer-aided design.

The study of Mechatronics covers subjects like Mathematics, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Circuit System, Electronics and Communication, Mechanical Design and Power Engineering.

Tremendous Opportunities in Mechatronics

A combination of the principles of various fields of engineering (mechanical, electronics, computer and software, system design and control systems), mechatronics engineering deals with internal working of almost all electronic things—from mobile phones to computer processors, from coffee makers and other home appliances to computer hard disks, from medical devices to artificially intelligent systems. A mechatronics engineer basically uses mechanical, computer and controls knowledge to design and create products, researches components of design and tests products for their efficiency and adaptability.

Various fileds that make up Mechatronics

Mechatronics engineering jobs are focussed mainly on creating uncomplicated, more profitable and reliable systems. An industrial robot is a good example of a mechatronics system at work, as it combines mechanics, electronics and computing aspects.

6

MECHATRONICS

Scope“Mechatronics is a study related to the application of mechanical, electronics and computer science engineering, and the future belongs to this blend of engineering,” believes Sudhir Reddy, managing director, Jay Robotix. He says, “When we look at any industry, the advancements in technology are happening at an extremely faster pace and every innovation involves advancements in either software or hardware. There is tremendous scope for automation in industries, which requires research in these combined sciences. There are terrific career opportunities for students who would like to pursue a career in this direction. We cannot predict how advanced the technology will be five years from now, but we can confidently predict that the team that designs it will include computer programmers and electronic embedded systems experts.”

7

MECHATRONICS

“There is a lot of scope in the mechatronics sector,” believes Dr S.K. Saha, Naren Gupta chair professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Delhi. He says, “Today almost everything we use in our daily life, like mobile phone (it has a motor for vibration and of course other electronic items inside to show the display, communicate with other users, etc), washing machine, motor car, etc, is a combination of mechanical and electrical/electronic items. Hence, the knowledge in that area is a must in case somebody wants to work in companies which manufacture them,”. Almost every engineering  college today, including the IITs and NITs, offer mechatronics in their UG/PG programme.

Talking about the scope at his organisation, Sudhir Reddy shares, “Majority of the freshers at Jay Robotix are required to work on areas such as embedded systems engineering roles, mechanical design roles, software programmer roles, design engineers roles and other electronics engineering roles. We recruit interns with practical attitude and offer roles which will help them realise their potential strengths. The student will be given a permanent role based on the performance. We believe in making it interesting for the students/graduates while on the job.”

8

MECHATRONICS

Fig. 1: Top 5 industries hiring mechatronic professionals (Data Courtesy: TimesJobs.com)

Fig. 2: Top 5 geographical locations hiring mechatronic professionals(Data Courtesy: TimesJobs.com)

Fig. 3: Verticals where mechatronic professionals are hired (Data Courtesy: TimesJobs.com)

Fig. 3: Verticals where mechatronic professionals are hired (Data Courtesy: TimesJobs.com)

To design and develop products in the mechatronics domain in India, 27 per cent engineers are hired by the engineering/manufacturing sector as per TimesJobs’ statistics. Thirteen per cent work in the consumer durable/FMCG sector, 12 per cent in the software industry, 11 per cent in the hardware industry and 9 per cent in construction/cement/steel industry. Remaining 28 per cent are scattered amongst the other industries.

Talking about the top functional areas and geographical locations where mechatronics engineers are hired in India, Vivek Madhukar, COO, TBSL (which operates TimesJobs.com) explains, “People with cross-functional engineering skills are highly sought after across industries, particularly in the manufacturing and engineering, FMCG and IT sectors. In terms of the location of these jobs, the three cities, i.e., Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai together account for almost 50 per cent. This is not surprising considering the concentration of electro-mechanical and IT industries in these areas.” Adding to that, Pune and Bhubaneshwar, each share about 10 per cent of the engineers working in the mechatronics sector. And apart from the engineering and IT sectors, 7 per cent of the mechatronics professionals are into the teaching/education domain. A mere 2 per cent of each are into marketing/sales and logistics/supply chain management/procurement sectors.

A good futureSudhir Reddy says, “According to IFR-International Federation of Robotics—robotics will create one million jobs by 2016 in consumer electronics industry, energy industry, automotive, SME and robotics industry itself. Keeping aside the jobs part, I suggest young graduates to take path of their interest. If it is mechatronics, they should be focussed and it will be highly rewarding.” Career opportunities in the domain of mechatronics are ceaseless, as the job requires a broad range of specialist skills that are

9

MECHATRONICS

in demand across many different industry sectors.

Be strong in the fundamental subjects, particularly those covered in the first two years of the engineering course before diving into core mechatronics subjects/projects, notes Dr Saha. He adds, “In addition, take up projects which are interdisciplinary in nature. For example, there is a Robocon India competition every year organised by Doordarshan. Students participating in that or similar competitions are certainly doing mechatronics.”

10