Applications and Tasks in Simscape Multibody

Simscape™ Multibody™ is used in a wide range of applications. A production system with a robotic pick-and-place mechanism shows how simulation can help engineers select motors and drives, design control logic, and optimize robotic trajectories. The mechanical model of the robot was imported from CAD software, including geometry, mass, inertia, and joints. The robot is able to pick up objects from one conveyor belt and move them to another. The robotic system is integrated with a state machine modeled in Stateflow^® and with electric motor models from Simscape Electrical™. Hydraulic systems are connected to Simscape Multibody models in a backhoe example, which shows how engineers can use simulation to identify integration issues early in the design process. Three hydraulic actuators modeled in Simscape Fluids™ are connected in a hydraulic network. The model integrates the mechanical and hydraulic designs in a single simulation environment. A tower crane example shows that complex cable-driven mechanisms can be modeled in Simscape Multibody. Cables are used to raise and lower a load, and to move a trolley along the crane. Pulley constraints synchronize the rotation of the pulleys and spools in the physical system, enabling the calculation of torques required to move the load. The model of the crane was imported from CAD software.