The Institute of Mechatronics including the Department of Machine Tools and the newly established Robert Bosch Department of Mechatronics started up on 1 July 2005 within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Miskolc. The main objective of the Institute is the dissemination of the latest technologies and know-how covering the fields of research, professional educational programs and widespread application of mechatronics in terms of machining centres. This article presents brief summaries of some problems worked out by the Institute for partners from the industry

Ballscrew drive mechanisms are widely used in the transmitting system of precision machine tools. The profile of the ball nut is a gothic curve combined by two equal radius arcs with offset centers. Most of gothic arc ball nuts are manufactured by form grinding, where the grinding wheel is shaped into the desired profile and the tool axis is tilted at the lead angle of the ball nut thread. In case of the internal ball nut grinding the high lead angle and long thread limits the manufacturing process. To avoid the collision between the internal surface of the workpiece and outer surface of the quill the optimal tilt angle is modified. The modified tilt angle affects to the profile of the formed grinding wheel. This paper presents a method for the generation of modified grinding wheel profile independently the tilt angle. The desired profile points are generated by solid boolean operations with programming of a parametric CAD system.

The new generative design process that has emerged in recent years has become available in more and more software. With the classic rapid prototyping procedures, it was not possible to test the designed products during long-term operation. However, the advent of metal powder printing and additive technology already allows for the long-term testing of designed prototypes, and even, if the deviation from the required properties of the product is negligible, the production of the final products. As a result, with the generative design process, design engineers also can create products that seemed unthinkable so far.