On june 20th, Marcel Pla Prat, obtained the double degree in Mechatronics Engineering and Industrial Electronics Engineering and Automatization at UVic-UCC after defending his final degree project, developed in the MECAMAT Research Group in collaboration with TR2Lab Research Group. Marcel Pla TFG obtained the maximum qualification.

Congratulations to Marcel, on his successful degree thesis defense!

Marcel has designed, constructed and validated a low cost universal mechatronic machine (less than 1000€) for a tensile or compression test. The universal machine needed to be suitable for testing biologic tissues and also testing polymers, with the strength enough for achieving ultimate tensile strength (rupture). This machine will be also used for educational purposes in subjects as Technology and Materials Science, that are taught at engineering degrees and will be used for research purposes by TR2Lab (biomedical area) and MECAMAT(mechatronics area).

The universal test machine is based in a structure made of extruded aluminium, conveying formed by a ball screw, a synchro belt-pulley reduction and operated by a stepping motor, more than 500 mm of lineal work space, a load cell of a maximum 1000 N, a driver for data acquisition, analogue or digital data and a pc program done with MATLAB.

Tutors of Marcel Pla TFG: Pau Català and Judit Molera (members of MECAMAT Group)

Acknowledgments: Jordi Serra (Responsable of Engineering Laboratories of UVIC-UCC, Marta Otero(Director of The Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory), Elisabet Sarri (Member of the Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory and Tutor of TFG of Jorge Garcia) and Jorge Garcia (student of Biotechnology who prepare decellularizated pig arteries to be tested).