A mechatronic design process and its application

As with conventional engineering design, mechatronic system design is normally considered to be a sequential process in which a design solution to a given design problem is generated, explored and evaluated following a series of prescribed steps. These relatively prescriptive design structures can be found in traditional design process models as found in many classic design text books such as those by French [1] and Pahl & Beitz [2], and have more recently been placed in a wider mechatronic context by Bradley et al. [3] and Bracewell et al. [4]. A new mechatronic design process model is proposed and introduced here and is intended to support a holistic view of the mechatronics system or product design by considering functional as well as life-cycle issues during the design phase. The application of the model is then illustrated through its application to the design of a high-precision mechatronic oil dispensing system with a very low flow rate. The associated life-cycle considerations and associated approaches are then as set out in Borg et al. [5].