Engineering - Mechanical (56) This CCLI Type 1 project is developing a sequence of ten lecture and eight laboratory modules to incorporate industrial motion control into a senior level mechanical engineering course in automation. Motion control is defined as a subfield of automation in which the position and/or velocity of multiple axes in a machine are controlled in a synchronized fashion. The motivation for this effort comes from the extensive use of motion control in the packaging, assembly, textile, paper, printing, food processing and semiconductor manufacturing industries that employ many mechanical engineering graduates. The ten modules are path generation, transmission elements, feedback devices and motors, motion controllers, basic and advanced feedback control, tuning, motion controller programming, programmable logic controllers, and applications of motion control, and the last eight modules have corresponding laboratory modules. The materials development plan is being informed and reviewed by an industrial advisory board. The lecture modules are being developed using advanced pedagogies including collaborative learning and just-in-time teaching. The modular format of the materials enables other institutions to adopt only materials appropriate for their curriculum. The project is also developing a "Where is Math?" outreach workshop for middle and high school students and teachers that is designed to illustrate the importance of mathematics in everyday life and to stimulate interest in STEM education. The project includes formative and summative evaluation plans for all aspects of the project coordinated by an independent evaluator.
Motion control is a sub-field of automation in which multiple axes in a machine are controlled in a synchronized fashion. Motion control is widely used in all types of industries including packaging, assembly, textile, paper, printing, food processing and semiconductor manufacturing. It is in the heart of just about any automated machinery and process. Over the past decade, engineering programs have made significant advances in developing educational materials and laboratory exercises in controls and mechatronics. However, there is an important gap remaining between the academic programs and the needs of the graduates and industry. The academic programs are heavily oriented towards control theory. Industrial applications require engineers to design machines with multiple axes that execute complex, high speed, high precision coordinated motion using sophisticated motion controllers. In this project, we developed curriculum modules to provide the fundamental background for motion control systems. Complex subjects, which are often taught in separate courses, were integrated to improve students’ ability to grasp the interconnectivity between them. Laboratory machines have been designed and built to provide hands-on experience for the students. The machines are miniaturized versions of the real industrial machines. Industrial grade components such as sensors, motors, bearings, cabling, etc. were used in the designs. Each workstation contains the same industrial control panel that would be found in industry but interfaced to a miniaturized industrial machine. A laboratory book has been written. Each chapter allows the students to individually work through a series of exercises to gradually develop their practical skills with the equipment. A short video explaining how math is used in controlling motion of robots and machines has been developed. The video is intended for students in grades 6-10. It involves two activities: (1) Building a simple working motor using a piece of wire, battery and a magnet, and (2) Filling out a worksheet related to basic concepts of machine motion including speed, acceleration, lines and slopes. A workshop was held for 75 middle school students, their teachers, volunteers and parents using the video. Two conference papers were published with project details and assessment results from the first offering of a senior-level Automation course with the new content. One master thesis has been written. More than ten undergraduate students have been involved in the design and building of the new laboratory machines. Students gained significant project management and technical experience.
