PT Journal AU Demec, P TI Key areas of research at the Department of Production Technology SO Acta Mechanica Slovaca PY 2018 BP 4 EP 5 VL 22 IS 2 DI 10.21496/ams.2018.010 DE AB Manufacturing machines and devices are involved in creating virtually every product. The main developmental trends in machine tool construction stem from customers' demands to shorten the production process in all its phases. For the machine tools design, this is an increasing demand for machine dynamics while maintaining their high working accuracy, flexibility and machine re-configurability based on modularity principles. Are being sought a new kinematic structures of machines, light and rigid constructions of moving machine nodes. Considerable time savings can be achieved at the development stage of the new machine by eliminating the need to manufacture its prototype, and the properties of the newly engineered machine are verified in its simulation models. This principle of so-called virtual prototyping is supported by the existence of powerful hardware, but also by perfect software products. The development of methods of virtual prototyping of machine tools and the research of non-traditional kinematic structures of machines belongs among the key areas of scientific and research activities of the Department of Production Technology. The following projects have been successfully resolved over the years: ER