2013 Capabilities Brochure
2013 Capabilities Brochure
Engineering Services
For over 20 years Pratt & Miller has used the world’s legendary race tracks as technology
proving grounds to develop many race programs, including Corvette Racing, the most
successful team in the history of the American Le Mans Series.
“The success and the passion that we have for motorsports permeates throughout the
entire building.”
- Gary Pratt, Vice President
As a dominant force in professional motorsports, the team has used a proven formula
of integrating people, processes, and technologies, advancing Pratt & Miller’s world-
renowned motorsports operations, into the innovative, full-service engineering and low
volume manufacturing company it is today. With over 200 employees, Pratt & Miller is
proudly serving a global customer base including those in the Defense, Automotive, and
Powersports industries.
Winning the prestigious “24 Hours of Le Mans” seven times is a testament to the
company’s dedication to being the best in all we do. The most stringent quality
requirements are met, within the most time-compressed deadlines. No project leaves the
facility that is anything less than beyond customers’ expectations – ensuring that Pratt &
Miller will be the creator of tomorrow’s standards.
CAPABILITY NAME
ISO 9001:2008
CERTIFIED
A Michigan Small Business
VALUE
Engineering Services
YEE SATISFACTION
RO
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INNOVATION
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ST
DP
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EN
SE
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ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY
customers.
EM
CU
STO IO N
MER SATISFAC T
“There is a reason we always turn to Pratt & Miller for highly technical projects
and rush projects. We can always rely on Pratt & Miller to complete the project
as fast as possible a nd it is always done right the first time.”
- A satisfied Pratt & Miller customer
Table of Contents
1 Design Engineering
5 Electronics
7 Manufacturing
11 Robotics
13 Software Solutions
15 Program Management
Design Develop Build Race Win
Design Engineering
At Pratt & Miller, we have excellent, proven design resources that can take an
idea from concept to a well-engineered solution. Using the latest Computer Aided
Engineering (CAE) technologies, our designers work alongside our machinists,
fabricators and engineers throughout the development process, ensuring delivery
of the highest quality product.
Industrial Design
Capabilities:
• Concept Creation
Brand development
Sketching
Brainstorming
Styling
• Human Factors
Market research
Ergonomics
Human Machine Interface (HMI)
Safety
• Visualization
Animations
Realistic CAD rendering
Technology:
• ALIAS
• Rhino
• Photoshop
• Showcase
Design Engineering
1
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Capabilities:
• Conceptual design
• Parametric solid and surface modeling
• Class A surfacing
• Packaging/architecture design
• Reverse engineering
• Weight reduction
Technology:
• NX
• SolidWorks
• CATIA
• Pro/ENGINEER
Technology:
• HyperWorks
• ANSYS
• Laminate tools
• Optistruct
• Genesis
• Radioss
Design Engineering
2
Design Develop Build Race Win
Vehicle Dynamics
Capabilities:
Technology:
• A
DAMS, ADAMS/Car and ADAMS/Chassis
• CarSim
• Dymola
• Optimization using HEEDS/MDO
Modeling & Simulation
3
Survivability
Capabilities & Technology:
• S
ystems engineering approach applying
extensive knowledge of all vehicle systems
• E
xpertise in theoretical shock physics analysis
• A
bility to conduct and correlate
appropriate experiments
• P
roprietary explicit software code with
continuous development to improve
prediction of blast events
• A
ccess to one of the largest, privately owned
super-computing systems in the U.S. used to
conduct large-scale full-3D calculations
Applications:
• E
stablished processes to generate
high-quality grids rapidly on complex
configurations
• Proprietary tools to improve overall grid
quality and increase local grid refinement
• Proprietary flow solver software and
post-processing tools to simplify the
analysis of large 3D data sets
• Super-computing system to conduct
Modeling & Simulation
Applications:
Electronics
The foundation of Pratt & Miller’s electronics department has evolved from the
competitive world of motorsports to include many industries with the same
commitment to exactness, functionality, and reliability. Through the latest
technologies and manufacturing strategies, our experienced team is on the
cutting edge of development in Motorsports, Defense, Automotive, Powersports
and Product Innovation. Our electronics group provides comprehensive control
systems, advanced electrical engineering, electronic hardware design, and in-
house manufacturing.
Electrical Engineering
Capabilities:
Technology:
• MATLAB
Simulink
Stateflow
• PSpice
• Eagle PCB design
• Algorithm design
• Human Machine Interfaces (HMI)
• Rapid control system prototyping
• Autonomous vehicle control systems
• C
omplex multi-domain system modeling
and model-based control systems
• Vehicle dynamics control systems
Technology:
Electronics
• MATLAB
Simulink
Stateflow
• Mototron/Motohawk
• Custom solutions
5
EV/HEV Engineering
Capabilities:
Technology:
• MATLAB
Simulink
Stateflow
• Mototron/Motohawk
• Eagle PCB Design
Electrical Manufacturing
Capabilities:
• A
nalog and digital electronics design
and testing of circuit boards, electronic
devices and mechatronics
• D
esign and engineering of custom
MIL-SPEC/motorsport wire harnesses
and cable assemblies
• E
mbedded micro-controller PCB layout
and assembly
• H
igh-voltage/hybrid electric wiring
assemblies
Technology:
• MIL-SPEC hardware
• Autosport
• Production intent
Electronics
6
Design Develop Build Race Win
Manufacturing
Pratt & Miller specializes in low-volume, prototype manufacturing with
capabilities that include rapid prototyping, CNC machining, metal fabrication,
composite tooling, and precision assembly. Under one roof, we offer
seamless integration of manufacturing with design, engineering, testing and
development, and quality assurance. This integrated process ensures the
highest quality products are delivered within an accelerated time frame.
Machining
Machining Processes:
• 3D CNC milling
• CNC turning
• ID/OD grinding
• Jig grinding
• E
lectrical Discharge Machining
(EDM)
• Splining
• Shot peening
• Honing
Machined Materials:
• Tooling board
• Aluminum
• Steel
• Stainless steel
• Titanium
• Magnesium
• Brass
• Plastics
• Tungsten
Fabrication
Capabilities:
7
Composites
Capabilities:
Assembly
Capabilities:
Quality Assurance
Pratt & Miller’s quality management system
is certified to the ISO 9001:2008 standard.
• Z
eiss CONTURA G2 10/12/6 CNC CMM
with a VAST XT active scanning sensor
running CALYPSO
• F
aro Edge 12’ portable CMM arm with
a Laser Line Probe for 3D scanning of
complex surfaces
• F
aro Quantum 6’ portable CMM arm
running CAM2 Q, and a FARO Gage
portable CMM arm running CAM2 Gage
• Rockwell digital hardness tester
• N
on-destructive testing and inspection
methods including magnetic particle
inspection and fluorescent dye 8
penetrant inspection
Design Develop Build Race Win
and time
• A ccess to all major testing sites
• T ransporters and mobile testing
headquarters
9
Specialized Testing Support:
• C omplete program for tire test planning, execution and model generation
• E xperience with test machinery worldwide
• C ustom software development for testing, data visualization, data analysis and
model fitting
• T ire model fitting capability including Magic Formula, Pacejka or 3rd party
black box models
• C ustom tire model creation for specific vehicle dynamics applications
• L ibrary of existing tire data
• T ire model integration to 3rd party simulation packages such as ADAMS,
Carsim, Dymola
Testing & Development
10
Design Develop Build Race Win
Robotics
Pratt & Miller understands the value of robust, reliable systems, and robotics
applications are no exception. The Pratt & Miller robotics team consists of
highly technical and trained engineers from an array of engineering disciplines
and technical specialties. This vertical integration of departments, combined
with a multidisciplinary approach, provides us the unique ability to offer
solutions that consider all aspects of complex electromechanical systems. Our
team of engineers is dedicated to providing high-end performance mobility
solutions capable of exceptional vehicle stability in the harshest terrain.
Applications:
• System integration
Pratt & Miller’s electronics and robotics teams are uniquely suited to integrate
existing sensors and cameras into any intelligent transportation system
• Autonomous controls
Experts in developing high performance vehicle mobility controllers
• U
nmanned platforms
Design and development of ground robotic mobility platforms that are low
cost, lightweight, tough, and modular
Robotics
11
Technology:
• C
ustom software/firmware
development using:
C/C++
Python
Java
Verilog
Linux
OpenCV Image Processing
Robotics
12
Design Develop Build Race Win
Software Solutions
Pratt & Miller’s software development team provides professional-grade software
development services to support internal engineering and data management
initiatives. By utilizing robust design, documentation, development, and quality
assurance processes, we can rapidly develop enterprise-level software solutions
that are highly effective and configurable for a wide range of clients. Pratt &
Miller’s software solutions group strives to take the cutting-edge engineering
technology developed by our race programs and package it into easily deployable
applications in a variety of industries.
• A comprehensive parts database to store and manage the various components used
by the vehicle fleet during the development process
• Ability to create part types, with each part type having an unlimited number of
user-defined attributes
• Time-varying part attributes allow users to track changes in part attributes as they
degrade or are modified
• Allows tracking of part wear, as well as inspection and rebuild activities
• D
evelopment and testing activities organized as a series of events, sessions
and outings
• D
iscrete vehicle tests organized by time to assemble full development and
configuration history of vehicle
• Ability to recall complete vehicle configuration at any point in the development cycle
• 13 DOF (Degrees of Freedom) vehicle model that can be used to predict lap times
• Fully dynamic solver capturing true dynamics of sprung and unsprung masses
• Support for both open loop and closed loop events
• Support for Pacejka tire models - 94, 94, 2002
• Asymmetric chassis, non-linear kinematics, compliance, non-linear spring dampers,
Software Solutions
13
PM-DOE (Pratt & Miller - Design of Experiments)
Analysis:
• A
bility to import DOE response surface results and organize them into unlimited
experiment sets
• U
nlimited configuration sets allow users to study different factor settings
• U
nlimited chart option to plot responses
• A
bility to cascade responses of one experiment as factors to another
• E
xport option to export analyzed data to other applications
Charting:
• 9
different chart types including:
Paretos
Polynomial
Surface
Trends
• V
iew data in both two and three dimensional formats
• W
ork on single or multiple chart views
Optimization:
• Q
uick determination of the optimum design criteria
• R
esponse optimization while varying a few or all the factors
• S
imple constraints allow user to specify ranges the factors must fall within
• C
omplex constraints allow user to constrain factors together so that they are linked
together
• M
ultiple DOE support such that they can be optimized at the same time with the
results of one simulation being input to a different simulation
• S ingle, integrated toolset that combines essential basic vehicle engineering activities
• F ull-vehicle suspension geometry assembly from component geometry
• K inematic analysis
• S teady-state load transfer analysis
CAPABILITY
• Provides
both a simple, grid-based view of geometry and setup parameters for easy
Software NAME
Program Management
Pratt & Miller program management engineers provide project planning,
estimation, implementation, execution, and ongoing support. Translating user,
customer, and stakeholder needs into programmatic requirements, the Pratt &
Miller program managers usher projects through design, development, testing
and production on-time and within budget.
As the primary liaison between the various internal departments, the Pratt &
Miller program manager draws upon our strengths to maximize efficiency and
effectiveness between disciplines. Our program managers also direct external
functions to achieve program and customer objectives, from inception to
completion.
15
Pratt & Miller Contact
Pratt & Miller Engineering
29600 W. K. Smith Drive
New Hudson, MI 48165