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Mechanical Design
Our expertise. iMEX.A offers consulting services in the area of mechanical design, these services are selected on the basis of the customer requirements: from the whole design of electro-mechanical devices, for the manufacture of machine prototypes to the implementation and optimisation of existing ideas, to conclude with the manufacturing drawing or drafts by using CAD and CAE software.
CAD. Computer aided design 3D and 2D detail drawings, where geometric dimensions are stated according to the current national and international standards, of any degree of complexity with the utilisation of the most suitable CAD software.
Structural analysis. Mechanical design through analytical study, together with, the static or dynamic calculations of structures, both linear and non-linear. Multi-physics analysis by means of Finite Element Method (FEM) are provided, - e.g., fluid-structure interaction, magnetic-structural interaction, thermo-mechanical simulations.
Simulation and optimisation procedures are performed as well, - to reach the required objectives in terms of structural integrity and an increased exploitation of available resources.
Signal elaboration. Support to the experimental practice in order to understand the physical phenomena that are studied, or, the problem that must be solved. The iMEX.A team is supported by consultants who have worked in laboratories where they have developed a strong expertise for the generation, acquisition and elaboration of signals produced by transducers applied to mechanical components.
Prototype manufacturing. Within team iMEX.A are skilled technicians who have worked in the field of mechanical design, manufacturing prototype models in order to study complex physical phenomena.
Applications. Computer Aided Design (CAD) is used in any technical field, e.g., mechanical, aeronautics, space, marine engineering, food industry. iMEX.A can check the feasibility study to manufacture the mechanical component, the type of operations for the manufacturing and the compatibility with bought-out-items (rolling bearings, bolts, gaskets) by means of the iMEX.A database.
Furthermore, the technical drawing, or 3D CAD model can be used as the model for the structural analysis, - in order to validate the strength of the component and for the geometric optimisation to avoid fatigue damage.
The performance of a machine which is already running can change due to the wear of its components. An experimental analysis of the operative status by means of strain gauges allows, for instance, identifying cyclic stress concentrations which can be attenuated with ad hoc procedures.
Our experience. iMEX.A designed the antenna of a radiometer to be installed on an artificial satellite which was designed to orbit the Moon. The concept study was performed within an international project of a team of foreign private companies and an Italian scientific group. Different geometric solutions of the antenna (horn) were studied and compared, the structural interface with the spacecraft and the insulation of the different parts were designed and the dynamic behaviour of the antenna under the influence of the vibration generated by the rocket (the Russian DNEPR) during the first launch phase and the orbit insertion was simulated as well as the deformation due to the large temperature scatter outside the Earth atmosphere and the interference with the other mechanical component surrounding the antenna.
iMEX.A was involved in another study dealing with the attachment of a crystalline structure on a test-rig designed for the study of the optical physics phenomena. The fixture had to maintain the optical structure fixed in the desired position and the constraint had to be as much as uniformly distributed in order to not induce localised deformation. The thickness of the leaf spring keeping the optical structural fixed was designed in order to decouple the dynamics of the fixture from the vibrations generated by the electric motor for the optical focus.
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