Historically, engineering organizations have been partitioned along mechanical, electrical and other lines of engineering disciplines. Optimal design however requires tight integration of all aspects of engineering understandings. The whole is not the sum of the separate parts; it is a complex interaction between the parts. Since its formation, SDL has excelled at conducting integrated, holistic testing, simulation, analysis and design of systems, considering the mechanical, electromagnetic, fluid, electronic, signal processing and controls dynamics together in a complete, unpartitioned manner to optimize performance. In recent years, this approach has been recognized in a more formal manner in engineering education and, subsequently, in industry and has been dubbed “mechatronics”. SDL has provided mechatronics expertise for a number of applications and customers including Emerson Electric, AK Steel, Procter and Gamble, the US Air Force, the US Army and others. Specific applications include:

• Integrated design of control and structural characteristics for a motion control system to achieve 5 um position control accuracy at 180g acceleration and 7 m/sec velocity.


• Integrating a deep understanding of structural dynamic and electromagnetic characteristics into signal processing and control algorithms for Coriolis mass flow meters.


• Integrating multiple sensing modalities to compensate for structural dynamic effects in a very high bandwidth force measurement system.

Contact us for help with your specific application.