1.	Education of 45-55 students per year in a 2-year Fluid Power/Manufacturing Engineering Technology program.
2.	Provide JIT automation and motion control training to employees of manufacturing partners.

They cover all topics from hydraulics to computer-based automation. The first year of the formal program is devoted to electricity, electronics, hydraulics, pneumatics and 3D solid modeling. Year two covers advanced circuit design, statics, instrumentation, PLCs, stepper/servo control and advanced computer-based automation. In both endeavors they leverage a state of the art NT-based lab to control manufacturing automation cells via Ethernet.

They model multiple device-level bus systems; several PLC systems; and computer based discrete logic and motion control. In addition, they teach single- and multi-axis stepper/servo control, currently teaching four different motion control paradigms including SERCOS.

CMAC is committed to development and support of open standards in the controls industry and is an active participant in the OMAC Packaging Working Group.

Contact:
Dr. Kenneth J. Ryan
Alexandria Technical College
Center for Automation & Motion Control
1601 Jefferson Ct.
Alexandria, MN 56308
Phone: 320-762-4461
Fax: 320-762-4480
Web Site: http://www.camc-online.org

SERCOS interface Competency Center at the University of Akron -- Akron, Ohio, Department of Electrical Engineering

Areas of training and technical assistance include control system modeling, simulation and design -- especially open-architecture control, real-time control and SERCOS interface.

Comments:
The University of Akron is taking the steps necessary to develop the North American SERCOS interface Competency Center, a competency center for open-architecture drive control using SERCOS, PCs and real-time operating systems for industrial applications. The center will be a non-partisan organization providing fee-based application support to anyone seeking technical support. The center will reside in the Department of Electrical Engineering in the College of Engineering. 

Over the last several years, the Electrical Engineering Department has accumulated substantial SERCOS interface experience and competency through several industrial projects. The department offers an Industrial Controls course in which, for the real-time portion, SERCOS interface is a major component. The faculty has extensive experience in organizing and conducting on-site/off-site training courses in controls and power electronics and drives, among others. The department has been involved in PC-based physical and software implementation of advanced real-time control algorithms for industrial applications using the SERCOS interface. This included the complete design process, from the physical implementation of the open-architecture control to the software (real-time application program) and hardware implementations. The department has completed two major projects. One is an up to 40-axis continuous web handling system of industrial conveyors and processing equipment. The second is an open-PC controller for a 5-axis industrial precision high-speed gantry system using a QNX-based Real Time Operating System (RTOS) and an NT-based Human Machine Interface (HMI).

The North American SERCOS interface Competency Center will provide general servo drive training and knowledge-based problem solving phone support for PC-based SERCOS interface, applications of the SERCOS interface standard on a PC, and PC-based physical and software implementations of advanced real-time control algorithms for industrial applications using SERCOS interface. It is expected that the center will serve as:

	A consultant resource to answer SERCOS interface-related questions
	A training center for open-PC drive control applications and basic drive technology
	A research center to develop applications and new products

Contact:
Dr. J. Alex De Abreu-Garcia -- Center Director
Auburn Science & Engineering Center 454-A
Akron, OH 44325-3904
Phone: 330-972-6709
Fax: 330-972-6487
Email: alexis4@uakron.edu 
Website: http://www.uakron.edu