In my previous articles, I have gone over the role of Mechatronics Engineering in general and looked at what the work-life of the engineers in Milrem Robotics looks like. The posts detailing our process descriptions and how we work can be read from the last posts, links below. In this article, I’ll cover the different disciplines in our department and see what type of people work in these teams.
In general, the department handles all the hardware-related engineering topics – electrical and mechanical engineering. There are many competencies that are needed for the design of vehicles and unmanned land systems. The following are the main ones:
- Electrical engineering – the focus is on creating electrical architecture, e.g., how to accomplish the electrical functions, selecting all the components (from power converters to fuses), drawing the schematics, creating the detailed drawings of cable harnesses, and doing lab and field tests with prototypes.
- Electronics engineering – in some cases the functionality that is needed cannot be fulfilled by an off-the-shelf component and it is more reasonable to make a custom electronics device. Electronics engineers work on defining the architecture and designing all the smallest details of the PCB. In some cases, soldering parts of the first prototypes themselves and of course extensively testing the units. Military use sets very high standards for performance and quality. So, for example, compared to commercial applications special attention must be paid to Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and high vibration levels occurring in tracked vehicles.
- Powertrain engineering – a powertrain design starts with analysing the performance requirements and creating the architectural view. Computer models of the vehicles and their sub-systems are created together with simulation specialists in order to get information about the system's behaviour and requirements. For example, to find out the power required for the given drive profile. Based on this the main components can be selected (or in some cases designed together with our partners).
- Driveline mechanics – driveline engineers look more closely at the suspension, track and other driveline components. From architecture and 3D modelling and analysis to completed production drawings and selected off-the-shelf components. Again, together with the simulations team, different sections of the system are simulated for input on component selection and design.
- Structural mechanics – mechanical engineers work with the structure and layout of the vehicles. From simple brackets to very complex welded vehicle hulls and linkage mechanisms. Design starts with a simple conceptual model and ends with production drawings. Different types of simulations and analyses are made to find the best solutions, for example, strength calculations and kinematic analysis.
- Simulations – some of the engineers have specialized in simulations such as FEM analysis or simulating and developing algorithms for power management. They are working closely together with other engineers and support some of the most complex development topics.
The people working in these teams have unique backgrounds, personalities and skill sets. But we all share some values and interests – everyone has the drive to work with complex engineering challenges and work as a team. Without each of those specialities, it is not possible to create such great products as the THeMIS or TypeX.?
Previous Inside Milrem Robotics posts:
