Mechanical engineering

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

Expertise in Action

We excel in electrical and mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electronics packaging, systems integration, and multiscale modeling.

Proficient in CAD tools like Creo Parametric, SolidWorks, and Altium Designer, we support various applications, including mechanical and electromechanical systems, optics, radio frequency systems, embedded systems, directed energy, microfluidics, and uncrewed aerial vehicles.

Our analyses cover structures, thermal effects, optimizations, explicit dynamics, computational fluid dynamics, molecular dynamics, and density functional theory, utilizing tools such as Ansys, Abaqus, Nastran, COMSOL, LS-DYNA, Impetus, and others.

Our team comprises electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, computational physicists, computational chemists, mathematicians, and materials scientists. With an interdisciplinary approach, we deliver unique and efficient solutions to critical challenges.

Two engineers use VR headsets

Capabilities

Mechanical Engineering

Our CAD expertise has a far-reaching impact, being utilized across diverse mission areas for tasks such as reverse engineering, additive manufacturing design, animations, augmented reality/virtual reality, model-based definition, part drawings, interface control drawings, wiring diagrams, harness drawings, and tolerance analyses.

Mechatronics

We combine traditional mechanical engineering with software and electronics to work with computer-controlled electromechanical systems and mechanisms. Areas of expertise include electromechanical design, harnessing, data collection, simple electromechanical system integration, and mechanism and machine design.

Electronics Packaging

We design and analyze custom enclosures and other equipment to ensure the hardware can complete its mission in the most stressing environments, from the bottom of the sea to deep space. Package development incorporates thermal analysis, structural analysis, mechanical design, and testing.

Electrical Engineering

Our diverse engineering skills encompass electronics design, systems engineering, radio frequency/optical/directed energy systems, remote sensors, control systems, specialized imaging, and material characterization, and we possess unique abilities in embedded systems with customized printed circuit board, field-programmable gate array, and firmware designs for application-specific needs.

Multiscale Modeling

We perform modeling that spans quantum to continuum scales, simulating everything from subatomic particles to submarines. We use commercial and government codes in addition to developing custom software in languages such as Python, MATLAB, and C++. Our services include finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), molecular dynamics, and density functional theory.

Systems Integration and Analysis

We are a team of dynamic, multidisciplinary engineers driving end-to-end product development from early research concepts to thoroughly fielded products for all domains (space, air, ground, and sea).

Researcher looks through a microscope
Electrical and mechanical engineers

There are a lot of people here who are easy to work with and who listen to each other. Collaboratively, we look at things and then we decide, ‘Will it work? Will it improve the system? Is it necessary? Will it add value?’

Bliss Carkhuff, Electrical Engineer and Master Inventor*
Bliss Carkhuff

*APL’s Master Inventor Award honors staff members who have demonstrated a career of innovation with 10 or more patents based on APL intellectual property.

Contact Us

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Inquiries

Michael Boyle and Emily Crane
research@jhuapl.edu
Learn More
This image illustrates the selective laser melting of the powder bed in an APL logo.

Design, Engineering, and Fabrication →

At APL, our culture of taking bold risks, brought to life through inventive prototyping and informed by deep technical expertise, is the basis for our efforts to not merely anticipate the future, but create it.


Learn more about Design, Engineering, and Fabrication

Mission Area