Summer school: precision in high-tech systems

This summer school introduces students to the fundamentals of precision engineering within high-tech systems, focusing on how mechanical design, control, thermodynamics and material choices contribute to achieving extreme accuracy and stability. The course blends theoretical foundations with practical insights from industry and research.
Over four weeks, students will explore how precision is achieved in systems such as lithography machines, space instruments, big science infrastructure, robotics, and other mechanical and optical instruments for high-tech. The first three weeks are delivered in a hybrid format, combining interactive online lectures, assignments, and collaborative design challenges. The final week is held on-site, featuring hands-on lab sessions, system demonstrations and company visits.
Students will learn to design high-tech systems, identify sources of error, understand the role of metrology and control systems, and apply basic modeling techniques to analyze precision-critical components. The course emphasizes real-world applications and prepares students for selecting a master program which prepares them for future roles in high-tech industries.
Entrance requirement: obtained 75ECTS when starting the course we have room for 20 TU/e students and 20 EuroTeQ students this edition. First-come-first-serve. There is a waiting list for additional enrollments

Coursedate: 2026-2027 will be between August 2nd and August 27th 2027.

LO1: Explain the fundamental concepts of precision engineering and the physical principles that govern the behavior of high-tech mechatronic systems.
1a. Define and use the core terminology of precision engineering: precision, accuracy, repeatability, resolution and stability.
1b. Explain the physical quantities that determine system behavior: mass, stiffness, damping, transmission ratio and frequency-domain response.
1c. Explain why precision is critical in high-tech systems such as lithography machines, robotics and imaging instruments, using examples from
industry and research.
LO2: Analyze how mechanical design choices and material properties determine the static and dynamic precision of a high-tech system, and advise on design parameters and materials to achieve a required, predictable behavior.
2a. Analyze the effect of mass, stiffness and damping on the static and dynamic behavior of a simple system.
2b. Analyze how the constraining of degrees of freedom, elastic elements, play (backlash) and friction affect repeatability and stability.
2c. Analyze how material properties (E-modulus, density, CTE, thermal conductivity, heat capacity) influence vibration behavior and thermal
stability, and select a suitable material for a high-tech application.
2d. Identify and rank the dominant sources of mechanical and thermal error in a precision system, including thermal fluctuations and air flow, and
propose measures for thermal management and environmental isolation.
LO3: Apply basic modeling and control strategies to predict and improve the accuracy of a precision system.
3a. Build simplified (lumped-parameter) models of high-tech systems and predict their dynamic behavior.
3b. Design basic feedforward and feedback controllers and estimate the performance they achieve.
3c. Interpret sensitivity and process-sensitivity functions to assess closed-loop performance and its limits.
3d. Describe the added value and limitations of advanced control algorithms.
LO4: Select and apply appropriate metrology and actuation concepts for high-tech system.
4a. Explain the working principles of common actuation and metrology techniques used in high-tech systems.
4b. Select an appropriate actuator and sensor for a given precision requirement and justify the choice.
4c. Explain and recognize metrology, force and position loops.
LO5: Design and evaluate a precision-critical subsystem in an international team, and justify the chosen concept against the requirements.
5a. Translate a use case into a prioritized set of requirements (MoSCoW).
5b. Generate several feasible concepts and select the most promising one, using the knowledge from this course as selection criteria.
5c. Detail the selected concept and substantiate the expected performance with simplified models.
5d. Evaluate the resulting design against the requirements, and present and defend it to teachers and expert stakeholders.

Individual written test (60%), Project result (40%)

• Basics of Precision engineering, Leach and Smith

3 weeks hybrid/online and 1 week on-site in Eindhoven. Online lectures, online projects, self-study, exam, project presentations, lab/company visit