Mechatronic digital prototyping close to release
SolidWorks mechatronic digital prototyping software revealed in March 2008 has now been used in anger in a number of critical applications and according to National Instruments product marketing manager, Christian Fritz. He said: “We are now pretty close to releasing this product [into the mainstream].”
Applications that he described at SolidWorks World in February 2009 included the development of an electrical connector tinning machine developed by Design and Assembly Concepts in the US. He described it as a, ‘one of a kind machine’, which was built without a single physical prototype.
Even more critical is the use of software for robotic path planning of surgery. It is being developed at the department of innovation in mechanics and management at the University of Padua in Italy and uses a system called LANS, standing for Linear Actuator for Neurosurgery.
The use of the software allows robot paths to be tried in virtual reality instead of on a patient.
Other applications mentioned involved using the software to correctly size motors for door automation and the development of a pick and place machine by the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.
