Marotta Engineering Services

Marotta has the infrastructure and know-how to solve the most difficult fluid control problems – and to quickly deliver the right solutions.

Marotta uses the latest engineering tools available. We have chosen Pro/ENGINEER as our CAD tool due to its extensive features that allow us to be highly responsive to the majority of our customers, who require custom designs to solve unique fluid control problems. We strive to be high-end users of this software suite, also using it as the framework for our single model philosophy.

Pro/ENGINEER enables us to organize our products into Product Platforms. These platforms are simply core products organized to serve as a central repository for all like products – past, present and future. The building blocks of the Product Platform are family tables.

Family Tables

Family tables are similar to the File Manager in the Windows operating system. In this case, each level contains a genetic parent that contains all the possible combinations of objects. Pertinent attributes are assigned at each level to fully describe the range of possibilities at that level.

With the Family Tables in place, a Skeleton Framework can be built that controls parent-child relationships, describes the functionality and location of the part, and controls the interaction between parts.

Skeletal Structure

This skeleton, although initially labor intensive and relatively complex, provides a structure from which similar future products can be framed. Changes can be made by exchanging parts among product families, and interrelated parts are automatically re-dimensioned according to set rules. New products can be designed in minutes or hours instead of days or weeks.

Despite the initial work of developing the skeleton, the design of the end product (shown above) took less then four weeks. In addition, the 3D solid model contains intelligence from other software analysis tools (Pro/MECHANICA, MATHCAD, MATLAB, ANSYS) that can help customers "play what if" with the design.

The model can be shared electronically with customers for review, mark-up and collaboration. Any change required can be made simply and quickly. This approach and Marotta’s investment in the necessary tools and training has significantly shortened our time-to-market for information, proposals, design iterations and manufactured products.

Specialty Solenoid Coil Design

Marotta Engineering Capabilities

More Engineering &
Design Capabilities

Specialty Solenoid
Coil Design

Dynamic
Simulation

Finite Element
Analysis

Extensive Component
Test Capabilities

Circuit and Electronic
Controls Design
and Testing

Marotta has the capability to completely design and analyze solenoid coils for valve or actuator applications. Our proprietary design program enables Marotta to quickly estimate the required coil parameters for any application. ANSYS software is used to create a finite element model if more in-depth analysis is required.

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Dynamic Simulation

The Engineering Department at Marotta has made dynamic simulation an integral part of its design process. New designs are modeled during the conceptual and prototype phases of development. The Development Cell laboratory plays an important role by providing the feedback to verify the results from the dynamic simulations. Our persistence to match predicted results and real results has lead to a better understanding of the behavior of our products at the component level and the system level.

A dynamic analysis can be performed on any system that can be modeled by equations. Combining these mathematical equations enables our engineers to analyze the overall system response. Marotta is using MATLAB. MATLAB is a PC based program that creates the math models of the components and then combines them in the familiar block diagram style.

The basic components are generated with computer code. These components are then used as the building blocks to create higher level systems. During the creation of the dynamic model, ACSL supports a hierarchy structure that allows block diagrams to be imbedded in other block diagrams.

A computer model developed with MATLAB can include all the multi-systemic state equations that represent the behavior and interaction between mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and fluid systems. Once a component has been modeled it can be connected to other components to represent the entire system. Marotta has performed numerous dynamic simulations that have included Marotta Valve/Controllers integrated into a model of the customer’s system. The dynamic computer model provides a powerful parametric design tool to rapidly optimize the Valve/Controller to meet varying system requirements.

The use of dynamic simulation and other analytical tools at Marotta has greatly reduced the time needed to take a design from the conceptual stage to the production stage. This benefit can also be passed along to our customers by including aspects of their system in our dynamic model.

Marotta has generated a large computer library of proven modeling components. These components are now used as the building blocks for the computer models. The more complex computer models include the system components in the same model as the Marotta valve. Marotta has performed dynamic simulations for many different customers in several different industries including Aerospace, Military, Energy, and Commercial.

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Finite Element Analysis
 

Marotta uses ANSYS and Pro/MECHANICA for all finite element analysis.

These capabilities include component weight optimization; thermal transient effects; solenoid magnetic flux distribution; and flow pressure drop calculation.

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Component - System Test Capabilities

Testing is an extremely important tool in developing "best-in-class" fluid control components and systems. Marotta has some of the best facilities available for its line of products.

Environment

• Temperature: -300º F to +500º F
• Humidity: 20% to 98%
• Vacuum: 29.5 in. Hg

Pneumatic

• Pressures up to 15,000 psig
• Flow up to 20,000 SCFM @ 6000 psig

Hydraulic

• Up to 10,000 psig
• Flow up to 250 GPM @ 3000 psig

Noise Testing

• Airborne
• Structureborne

Hydrostatic Testing

• Up to 50,000 psig
• Nondestructive Testing
• Liquid Penetrant
• Fluoroluminescent (Black Light)

These in-house capabilities are augmented by our extensive experience with outside test houses specializing in shock, vibration, cryogenic, and other qualification tests often required by our customers.

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Circuit Design and Electronic Controls
 

In addition to developing the electronics to support our fluid control systems, Marotta has the capability to develop controllers for a variety of applications including Pumps, Motors, Fans, etc.

Our “Smart Valve” product offering includes intelligent control systems to provide designers with a high degree of input and output flexibility and provides end users with significantly reduced life cycle costs.

This in-house electronics capability ensures that Marotta can provide our customers with a single-source for all fluid control solutions.
 

Analog design of PID controllers

The engineers at Marotta have designed and fielded a number of full proportional-, integrating-, and derivative-controllers for use with our solenoid and motor actuated valves. These systems have been used on applications from submarines to spacecraft. We are currently supplying controllers for the International Space Station.

Digital design

Logic Circuits - Marotta can design basic combinatorial logic circuitry. These circuits can be realized in discrete components, small and medium scale integrated circuits, or in programmable logic arrays.

Embedded Microprocessor Systems - Marotta has the facilities to design, develop, and debug embedded microprocessor systems based on a number of chip families. Microprocessor based controllers provide the capability of highly complex control transfer functions with text based operator interfaces, built in test functions, data logging, data bus interfaces, and autonomous communication with other controllers for distributed control functions.

Assembly, Visual Basic and C Language Programming

Supporting the embedded microprocessor development is Marotta’s capability of programming in assembly language or C. Assembly language allows the creation of fast executing programs that require little RAM space in the controller. C code requires more machine level instructions for a given function but is faster to write and easier to maintain. PC based cross-compilers translate the code modules into the "hex" code necessary for loading into the microprocessor’s nonvolatile memory.

Closed loop systems simulation

Systems analysis can be performed using analog behavior analysis. This feature can "bead string" a number of functional blocks and perform the closed loop control simulation for defined input stimulus. Both electrical and mechanical functions can be modeled to simulate their interactions.

Complete Electronic Test Suite

A complete suite of test equipment is available in our development lab, including oscilloscopes, function generators, logic analyzers, and in-circuit emulators. The Electronics Department also provides and maintains a number of PC based, automated test systems used in production testing. These units provide the dynamic test environment and measure the unit-under-test responses.

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For More Information . . .

Our extensive on-site capabilities and efficient methods yield very competitive rates. For more information about Marotta's Engineering Services, please contact us for help with your specific requirements.

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Copyright 2007, Marotta Controls, Inc., all rights reserved.
78 Boonton Avenue, Montville, New Jersey 07045-0427
Phone: 1 (888) -MAROTTA,  Fax: (973) 334-1219.
Please direct comments or questions about the website to tcastorina@marotta.com.