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Students have access to a wide range of engineering degrees today. Sometimes it appears difficult to decide what to go for because most of these programs appear similar on the surface. But if we take a closer look, there are still a lot of differences.
You’re probably the ideal candidate for either a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering or Mechatronics if you enjoy disassembling various machinery components, fixing them, and reassembling the pieces.
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People often inquire as to what distinguishes mechanical engineering from Mechatronics engineering. Let’s examine these two engineering professions.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering revolves around mechanics, kinematics, and dynamics and it also deals with the laws of motion, force, and energy. It will help you lay a foundation for understanding the world around you and how it functions.
Innovations and technologies made possible by mechanical engineering show people how to work more productively and effectively. There are many moving elements in our fast-developing world. Mechanical engineering makes everything possible, from the minute hand of the clock on your wall to the wheels rolling on the axle of your car.
Mechatronics Engineering
Mechatronics is a mix of the words mechanical and electronics, as its name suggests. Mechatronics engineering incorporates the science of mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, electrical engineering, robotic engineering, and more.
Although it also involves electrical and electronic engineering, it is largely a field of mechanical engineering.
An illustration of mechanical components in a mechatronics system would be gears and pulleys, while electrical and electronic components would be the motor operations and the sensors required to precisely control the motor’s speed and direction.
Every mechanical system or machine is now transformed into a more user-friendly system using various microcontrollers, programming, sensors, feedback, and control systems as the world is moving toward automation at an unimaginable speed. These systems can be set up to operate manually under user control or automatically without making any mistakes and with no room for human error.
Mechanics versus Mechatronics
Understanding mechanical systems require knowledge of designs, materials, thermodynamics, heat transfer, control, instrumentation, and fluid mechanics, all of which are covered in mechanical engineering courses.
On the other hand, Mechatronics teaches you how to combine and operate mechanical components utilizing electronic sensors and programmable hardware like microcontrollers and microprocessors in a single project.
In general, 70% of mechatronics is mechanical, and 30% is electronic engineering. A mechatronics specialist will know everything involved in designing that same system. In contrast, a mechanical engineer will be familiar with everything relating to the core mechanical features of a piece of machinery, equipment, or gadget. Though the two fields do partially overlap, mechatronics largely integrates information from mechanical engineering.
Additional Note: Rarely will a mechatronics engineer have all of the knowledge and abilities of a mechanical engineer. Although mechatronics is a bit more difficult, both mechanical engineering and mechatronics have the same objective, which is to be one step ahead of other fields in terms of technological development.