Master's track Mechatronic Systems Design

As a Mechanical Engineering student specializing in Mechatronic Systems Design you learn to design multidisciplinary systems and devices. Consider, for instance, precision surgical robots and parts of complex machines such as wafer scanners or electron microscopes. Designing off-shore wind energy systems also requires  multidisciplinary systems thinking. If you can appreciate this interaction between related disciplinary fields, the Master’s track Mechatronic Systems Design (MSD) at the TU/e enables you to find solutions to a range of mechanical engineering challenges.

Over the past few decades, the field of mechatronics has developed significantly, particularly in the Netherlands. In areas like optical storage and semiconductor equipment, the need for better performance at reduced cost has led to the further integration of several adjacent engineering subdisciplines. Think about branches of physics such as optics and acoustics, or heat and flow, tribology, materials science, mathematics, and software, for example. Complexity is increasing,  from machine to component level. Synergistic combination of precision mechanical engineering, control systems, and system thinking, is paving the way for new innovative machines, instruments, and consumer electronics. And the bustling industrial activity in Brainport Eindhoven makes our region a compelling high-tech leader in these disciplines.

What’s in it for me?
In this master’s track you learn how to apply system thinking to develop high-tech solutions for complex problems. The coursework offers you the data-based and model-based tools needed for design, process optimization, and control of mechanical dynamical systems. Design principles teach you how to assess uncertainties and variations in process, operation and environment for decision making reasons. You also learn to incorporate key aspects such as operator support for maintenance of high-tech equipment. Or detect and identify failures, safety, and optimized performance, as well as material design, material properties in the design of high-tech systems, and robotics.

What’s the track all about?
Together with industry, the Master’s track Mechatronic Systems Design is exploring new concepts and architectures for boosting performance in future (opto-)mechanical engineering systems, both in terms of accuracy and productivity. A recent project involved the design and development of active wafer tables and deformable mirrors for lithographic applications. Other initiatives include robotic systems for interventional X-ray radiology, precision surgery instruments, and an active vibration isolation system for a gravitational wave observatory. But automotive power trains and offshore installations are also relevant user examples within the larger mechanical engineering applications.

Why would this master’s track be a good fit for me?
If you are interested in the design of mechanical engineering systems and want to prepare for a career in the high-tech industry, this is the track to do! This master’s track requires a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, or in a field closely related to mechanical engineering, such as applied physics, aerospace engineering, or similar. You should have prior knowledge of subjects such as mechanics and dynamics. Affinity with physics and mathematics in general would be an advantage.

Why should I follow this master’s track at the TU/e?
For decades, the Netherlands has been at the forefront of mechatronics education and research. The TU/e trains its students to become highly skilled systems engineers and researchers for high-tech industries. In Eindhoven – the heart of the Brainport region of the Netherlands – mechatronics expertise has found its way to sustainable energy organizations, printing technology companies, the semiconductor sector, and many more. Broad adoption of design principles in the region, invented here at our university, creates a unique learning environment, focused on fundamental understanding and application in the context of state-of-the-art technologies. As an MSD graduate, you have the knowledge and skills at your disposal to help tackle complex and urgent societal issues related to mechanical systems. In view of the societal and industrial relevance of high-tech systems, demand for engineers who have graduated in MSD is extremely high.