Optimization of the mechatronic design of multi-axis drive systems

Mechatronic drive systems in machine tools and production machines have to meet ever increasing requirements in terms of positioning accuracy, maximum process forces, robustness and dynamics. This makes cost-effective design a time-consuming and knowledge-intensive process. Until now, it has been common practice to design mechanics that are as rigid as possible and to optimize each drive axis individually. This simplifies the drive design considerably, but has the decisive disadvantage that interactions between one axis and the other are not taken into account. In addition, the axis with the lowest frequency oscillation is usually the axis that has the most influence on the overall control design and thus decisively determines the overall dynamics.