Most of the world is powered by electricity and gears. These electromechanical assemblies are seen in vehicles, washing machines, and medical equipment. For that reason, electromechanics is one of the most important subjects in the modern world. Electromechanics involves the combination of electrical and mechanical components to perform a certain task. Professionally speaking, it involves the work of an electrical engineer as well as a mechanical engineer.
The History of Electromechanical Assemblies
Some of the earliest electromechanical devices were telegraph machines. Relays that combined mechanical and electrical components were used to recreate telegraph signals after they had been inputted by the controller. The field continued to become popular with the rise of telephones and the telephone exchange system. There were even electromechanical televisions that saw some very limited use during the 1800’s.
More Modern Electromechanical Assemblies
We may not rely on telephone exchanges and telegraph devices today, but we still use a great number of electromechanical devices. The mass production of cheap integrated electronic components has made it easier than ever to combine these two fields. However, the difference today is that the mechanical components are primarily only used when the machine needs to make some kind of movement.
Various chips, logic controllers, and circuits have replaced most of the machines in the past that were used to perform calculations. Overall, this has greatly simplified the design, testing, and manufacturing of electromechanical assemblies. For example, the circuitry can often be built and tested independently without the mechanical components and then later integrated.
A Growing Profession
There’s no denying that electromechanical devices aren’t going anywhere soon. As a matter of fact, we’re likely to see many more of these devices appear in the future as engineers find new ways to combine electricity and moving parts. Whether it’s in the automobile field, the medical field, or something else entirely.