From Production Line to Finish Line
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Former Yaskawa intern uses knowledge of variable frequency drives
to give university's racing team leg up
When Jake Hertenstein, a senior majoring in computer engineering at Missouri S&T learned about a summer internship at Yaskawa Electric America's Waukegan, Ill. facility, he jumped at the opportunity. Little did he know that what he was about to learn would literally put him on a fast track to success.
Hertenstein is not your average computer engineering student. He has been a member of the FSAE Racing Team at Missouri S&T for the last five years. His job is to coordinate the electronics for the team's car.
"Last year I worked on the power distribution box," said Hertenstein. "It houses the fuses and relays and (acts) as some of the brains of the car."
But when Hertenstein began his internship at Yaskawa, a world leader in the manufacture of AC drives, servomotors, motion controllers and robotics, he started to look at things differently.
Giving back to the community
While Yaskawa is best known for their expertise in AC drives, servomotors, motion controller and robotics, there's also a philanthropic side to the multinational company.
"At Yaskawa we are always eager to help engineering students get real hands-on experience," said Mike Massie, director of product marketing. "That's why we offer programs for university students to come here and learn from the top professionals in the world. We do much more than manufacture drives; we also give back to the community."
During Hertenstein's internship he studied the dynamometer, which is a machine used to measure torque and rotational speed (rpm) from which power produced by an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover can be calculated.
As he learned more about the dynamometer, however, Hertenstein had an epiphany.
"It was (at Yaskawa) where I got the idea of making an electric-dynamometer for our racing team," he said.
Yaskawa assisted Hertenstein in creating a dynamometer system, but unlike other similar systems that use drives, Hertenstein's had a secret weapon: Yaskawa's powerful and intelligent F7 drive.
"Basically, Yaskawa's F7 drive allows us to vary the load on the motor without ever having to put undo wear and tear on our car," said Hertenstein.
In other words, the F7 helps simulate all the physical demands of the car as it accelerates, slows down, or turns - but all without ever leaving the lab.
"It's costly and time consuming to maintain a car and keep it running," said Hertenstein.
Normally, to get car performance feedback, a racing team has to put a car through the loops, driving aggressively as if it were in an actual race. But this takes significant money and time - money that Hertenstein's new course of action is helping his team save.
"All we have to do is walk into the lab and fire up the engine to get the data we need," said Hertenstein.
What's more, Yaskawa also donated a regenerative system to the team. A regenerative system takes excess energy from the drive motor and returns it to the incoming AC power source, allowing the energy to be put back on the power grid.
As a result, the university's racing team now boasts technology that puts them ahead of even some Formula One teams, said Hertenstein.
"None of this would have been possible were it not for Yaskawa's generous support to the university's racing team," said Hertenstein. "Their material donation was $43,000," said Hertenstein. "Without that support there is no way we could have done this."
To show their appreciation, the team awarded Yaskawa eight years of platinum-level sponsorship.
"It's just nice to hear about the fascinating things our interns are doing with the knowledge they learn here, said Mike Knapek, senior vice president at Yaskawa. "We're glad we could help and are looking forward to the next racing year."
As for Hertenstein and his team, they are thankful to Yaskawa, but now they're a bit more focused on winning some upcoming races. For further information, visit the Missouri S&T Formula SAE Racing web site at http://fsae.mst.edu/.
Yaskawa Electric America, Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of AC Drives, Servomotors, Motion Controllers and Robotics. For further information, visit the Yaskawa web site at www.yaskawa.com, or contact the company at
2121 Norman Drive South, Waukegan, IL 60085, Tel: (800) YASKAWA,
Fax: (847) 785-2730.
