National Competence Centre of Mechatronics and Smart Technologies for Mechanical Engineering

The National Center of Competence for Mechatronics and Smart Technologies for Mechanical Engineering was established to focus the capacities of individual research organizations and technology-oriented companies on the implementation of a joint research agenda in the areas of Advanced Materials, Additive Technologies, Mechatronics, Transport Phenomena and Energy, Tribology and Surfaces, Energy-Saving Technologies and Materials for Sustainable Development.

The focus of the center combines multidisciplinary research specializations (construction, mechanics, electrical engineering, chemistry, biology, sensors, materials engineering, virtual design, etc.), which are directed towards three interconnected technological areas of new materials, virtual design and prototyping, mechatronics and control, the application of which is primarily aimed at mechanical engineering production for the 21st century. In the period 2019-2022, the center consisted of workplaces of 6 research organizations and 19 companies. The center successfully fulfilled its research agenda and was extended for the period 2023-2028. The center currently consists of 5 research organizations and 25 companies. Activities were always organized as partial research projects between a research organization and an industrial enterprise.
The main beneficiary of the project is BUT Brno, CTU is in the position of another participant. The researcher is the FME Department of Mechanics, Biomechanics and Mechatronics and the Department of Materials Engineering.

CTU participated in the field of advanced materials, specifically functional materials. The functional materials projects represented a combination of three different approaches to new and at the same time practically applicable materials and their processing methods. The individual topics are aimed at the use of renewable resources, increasing efficiency, material utilization and extending its functionality. Specifically, these were electrically conductive plastics, biomaterials and semi-intelligent composite containers.

CTU also participated in the field of mechatronics. There were two groups of projects here. One group of projects was dedicated to mechatronic vibration control, both effective vibration extraction for vibration tests and effective vibration damping to accelerate the production cycle (Fig. 1). The second group of projects was dedicated to various uses of artificial intelligence in 21st century industry. One use is monitoring the flawless course of the production process and the second use is the use of artificial intelligence for recognition, classification and reuse of production documentation from the archives of industrial companies.

Fig. 1 Robot manipulating with end-effector frame with undesired residual vibration to be suppressed
 

Contact:

prof. Ing. Michael Valášek, DrSc.

Department of Mechanics, Biomechanics and Mechatronics FME CTU in Prague

E-mail: michael.valasek@fs.cvut.cz

Phone: +420 224 357 361