394 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 50, NO. 2, APRIL 2003 Letters to the Editor________________________________________________________________ Development of a Mechatronics Laboratory—Eliminating Barriers to Manufacturing Instrumentation and Control Mrudula Ghone, Mark Schubert, and John R. Wagner Abstract—The integration of electronics, sensors, actuators, and micro- processor technology into manufacturing processes and consumer products is requiring engineers to possess greater mechatronics knowledge. Students must be encouraged to embrace a mechatronics perspective through com- bined classroom and “hands-on” laboratory activities to develop critical systems skills for multidisciplinary teams. In this letter, laboratory experi- ments and their accompanying learning objectives are introduced and dis- cussed which highlight key industrial technologies and establish a founda- tion for skill achievement. Index Terms—Actuators, data acquisition, hydraulic equipment, lighting, materials handling, pneumatic systems, programmable control, sensors. I. INTRODUCTION The traditional lines between engineering disciplines are fading as manufacturers require their technical staffs to gain visibility of, and insight into, the activities being performed by multidisciplinary team members. Today’s engineer is being challenged to cross traditional ed- ucational lines which further elevates the technical skills needed in the workplace. The term mechatronics [1] embodies the synergistic com- bination of mechanical, electrical, and electronic components with in- telligent control using a systems perspective for product design and manufacturing systems (Fig. 1). Multidomain processes require sen- sors and actuators to interface with an embedded real-time computing capability for control architectures. The growing sophistication and functionality of mechatronic sys- tems is demanding a team approach where individual members cham- pion their own expertise, yet contribute to the team effort [2]. To be successful in the evolving global workplace, graduating and seasoned engineers need a “tool box” of mechatronic skills. The catalyst for the integration of sensors, actuators, and microprocessors into products and processes is the realization of greater functionality, reliability, and com- patibility with intelligent devices [3]. Mechatronics allow industrial manufacturers greater flexibility in the customization and diversity of products. What are some of the key technical skills that mechatronics engineers should master? First is a solid understanding of multido- main dynamic systems with accompanying modeling and analysis techniques [4]. Second are basic control concepts. Third is a general knowledge of computer systems to permit data acquisition and control. Fourth is familiarity with the operation of assorted sensors and actuators. Although this list may be deemed satisfactory, the absence of “hands-on” skills achieved through laboratory and practical Manuscript received July 24, 2001; revised June 4, 2002. Abstract published on the Internet February 4, 2003. M. Ghone is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA. M. Schubert and J. R. Wagner are with the Department of Mechan- ical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634 USA (e-mail: jwagner@clemson.edu). Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIE.2003.809410 experience is a critical issue. The creation of multidisciplinary teams, so vital to the success of mechatronic systems, requires engineers with “hands-on” skills [5]. Engineering students need a focused laboratory environment to apply and absorb mechatronic concepts. The emergence of “distance learning” venues may be adequate for lectures, but cannot readily replace the laboratory environment where theory is put into practice. This letter is organized as follows. Section II presents the funda- mental engineering “hands-on” skills. A series of experiments is intro- duced in Section III with accompanying objectives. Section IV contains the summary. II. INVENTORY OF REQUIRED “HANDS-ON” MECHATRONIC SKILLS A practicing mechatronics engineer requires fundamental sensor/ac- tuator, hardware interfacing, and data acquisition/control skills to thrive in both manufacturing and research environments. From a design and test perspective, a strong familiarity with the system’s electrical operation is critical. Engineers should be able to create and execute mechanization diagrams which reflect the complete mecha- tronics system. Finally, the integration of computer hardware for data acquisition and control requires knowledge of signal processing, microprocessors, and control. A mechatronics laboratory should be designed to assist students (seasoned engineers) in the development (refinement) of “hands-on” skills with an emphasis on hardware architectures and multidisciplinary systems [6]. III. LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES In the laboratory, classroom topics are reinforced through a sequence of progressively more complex investigations into the components, configuration, and control of dynamic systems. The experimental activities may be partitioned into three units: electrical/electronic fundamentals, programmable logic controller (PLC) experiments, and PC control applications. The experimental systems include breadboards with electronic components, light stacks, conveyor belts, servo-motors, pneumatic and hydraulic actuators, and assorted sensors and actuators. The teams design and implement various architectures to meet the stated goals. A. PLC Experiments Two experiments introduce students to ladder logic programming, control architectures, and Allen-Bradley PLCs with application to man- ufacturing equipment. To initiate the PLC unit, fundamental ladder logic protocol and programming is covered in the classroom. In the laboratory, dedicated PCs host Allen-Bradley RSLogix SLC500 PLC software which is interfaced to an Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1000 mi- crocontroller. 1 Direct PC to PLC connectivity is achieved through an RS-232 port which allows for remote programming. Furthermore, a peer-to-peer DH485 network capability exists for multiple MicroLogix units to function in an integrated fashion. The 16-bit resolution I/O unit features a 1-K user memory capacity. The RSLogix software permits ladder logic programming. 1 RSLogix and MicroLogix are registered trademarks of Allen-Bradley, Mil- waukee, WI. 0278-0046/03$17.00 © 2003 IEEE