Past Projects

Tension Control System delivered 20 gauge wire to an ultrasonic wire imbedding system. Wire had to be delivered, on demand, at constant tension from a ten pound spool with varying rates of velocity and acceleration. The sensor was a strain gage load cell, the actuator a DC motor.

Linear Motion Stage positioned a 300 pound load to ą .002 inch over a 60 inch range of motion. Position was sensed with a two phase optical encoder. The actuator was a high-performance DC motor.

Torque Motor Actuator controlled either the pressure or the position of an ultrasonic imbedding tool. The tool was required to follow work piece contours at high speed with constant force. This placed very tight restrictions on friction and inertia of the mechanism. In some cases the actuator was required to retract to a precise position above the work piece for purposes of wire feeding, cutting or slewing, The position sensor was a Hall effect device, the actuator a limited-rotation torque motor.

A Family of Optical Sensors and signal processors for measuring and controlling the lateral registration of moving webs. Sensors were designed to detect either the web edge, printed markings or surface features for many different processes such as - slitting, printing, film casting, sheet extrusion, calendaring, laminating and coating. Materials included plastic film, carpeting, vinyl flooring, textiles and metals. Signal processors conditioned signals, provided operator adjustments, and interfaced to a hydraulic servo valve. Many optical techniques were used, such as cylindrical lenses, reflex optics, polarizing filters and reflex reflectors.

Magnetostrictive Transducer and Power Supply for an ultrasonic wire imbedding system. This required the design of an ultrasonic transducer, mechanical transformer (horn), imbedding tip, oscillator and power amplifier. The components are part of a system used to produce high-performance circuit boards.

Infrasonic Microphone System to measure the intensity and spectrum of sound produced by an insect killer. A special microphone was developed to measure air particle motion below the range of human hearing. Signals from three of these, positioned around the product, were brought into a signal processor, amplified, filtered, digitized and then passed onto a laptop computer for detailed analysis using Fast Fourier Transforms.

Phase-locked Optical Scanner for inspection high-quality printing on a moving printed sheet. A rotating mirror assembly was coupled electronically to the printing press drive so the operator could view a stationary image of the sheet. The sensor was an optical encoder coupled to a printing cylinder on the press, the actuator a DC motor.

Ionizing Radiation Sensor and Isotope Source Holder used with a beta radiating isotope to measure thickness of a continuous moving sheet. New source-detector geometries were developed to improve spatial resolution and time response. Selected new ion chambers and isotope sources. Supervised housing designs and obtained NRC licensing and intrinsically safe circuit approval.

Mechanism for Supporting Arcuate Motion on Multiple Linear Bearings used for supporting pivoting rollers in the web handling industry. This was a highly-original concept. It used only linear bearings (simple sleeve bearings or ball bushings). But, it provided the pivoting motion required of a lateral web guide. The mechanism was patented and described in Machine Design magazine "Ideas for Design".

Ultraviolet Sensor for sensing fluorescent markings in a registration control system. Employed a long-wave UV source to excite blue-white fluorescence of an optical brightening agent used in a textile knitting process.

Microprocessor-based Data Acquisition and Control System used for measuring and controlling the thickness of moving webs. This was the first microprocessor-based thickness gauging system in the U.S. The system measured the mass per unit area of web-processed materials such as plastic film, carpeting, vinyl flooring and asphalt roofing. Thickness ranged from .005 to .250 inches. In addition to thickness, systems measured other related parameters. Among these were temperature, line speed and moisture. Systems used their measurements to control thickness by adjusting process components such as reverse-roll coaters, knife-over-roll coaters and extruders.

Ultrasonic Wire Imbedding System used to imbed insulated magnet wire into a polymer substrate to create interconnection circuits.

Thermoelectric Cooler Control System used in an optical attenuator product. This required the testing and dynamic analysis of a Peltier-effect cooler.