How does a Linear Actuator work?

Linear actuators work by moving an object or piece of equipment in a straight line, moving an object extremely accurately and repeatably if required. The first reason for designing a linear actuator right into a system is for the need to move a payload in a linear fashion slightly than a rotary one. As most typical electrical motors are rotary, a linear actuator is used to convert rotary motion to linear motion.

The electrical motor is generally related to the linear actuator by a versatile coupling or a belt, enabling the motor to be mounted either axially or perpendicular to the linear actuator. Quite a lot of motor sizes will be mounted to these actuators relying on requirements.

Linear actuators have incorporated linear bearings that help the moving payload, as well as rotary bearings that help either the lead screw, ball screw or belt pulleys. This then permits them to operate as ‘stand-alone’ gadgets, making them straightforward to mount into present machines and eliminating the need to design/manufacture very expensive custom parts. To increase the load capacity and stability of a linear actuator system, they are often paired up with the payload carried between them, reminiscent of in an XY gantry type stage. In this case, a shaft or belt is usually used to keep the 2 actuators in sync with every other.

Options of Linear Actuators

Linear Actuators have the next options:

High repeatability

Positioning accuracy

Clean operation

Long life

Easy maintenance or upkeep free

Protection ratings available for some models

Suitable for harsh environments

Compact design

Rugged and reliable

Safe operation

Versatile

Industries and applications for Linear Actuators

Linear Actuators can be utilized in various applications that require a load to either be lifted, lowered, pushed, pulled, rotated or positioned. Linear Actuators are used in industries including:

Packaging

Meals processing

Industrial vehicles

Factory automation

Material dealing with

Clean energy

Printing

Automotive

Machine software

Marine

Aerospace

Defence

Pharmaceutical

Types of Linear Actuators

Picking the right type of linear actuator in your motion application may help you achieve one of the best results. Lead Screw Actuators, Ball Screw Actuators and Belt Actuators are three types of linear actuators that can be utilized in various applications to produce motion.

A Lead Screw Actuator uses a plain screw/nut arrangement to translate the rotary motion from a motor to linear motion. A manually driven screw or an AC induction motor are essentially the most commonly used strategies to supply the rotary motion, as they’re generally utilized in low price and low precision applications. The ability of the actuator to ‘back drive’ is reduced over ball screw actuators due to the low effectivity of the screw/nut. In some applications, this may be an advantage as it helps to keep the payload stationary whilst not in motion. Applications include agricultural equipment and guide lift systems, where safety and reliability are more critical than precision and performance.

A Ball Screw Actuator uses a high precision nut with recirculating ball bearings that rotate round a ground screw thread. In precept this is similar to a typical ball race with the load being transmitted by the rolling balls. The significant advantages of this system are high-precision and low friction, giving a very environment friendly technique of converting rotary motion to linear motion. Stepper or servo motors are generally used to provide the rotary motion. Ball screw actuators are well suited to repeatable indexing and quick cyclic applications such as machine tools, scientific instruments and medical systems.

Belt actuators work the place a belt is carried between pulleys and hooked up to the moving carriage, then as the belt rotates the carriage is pulled along the actuator. One of the pulleys is pushed by a motor which is generally mounted perpendicular to the actuator and coupled utilizing a versatile coupling. They offer a comparatively low-price alternative, as they inherently have a lower degree of precision. Belt pushed linear actuators are very good for long journey and high linear pace applications corresponding to packaging and automatic material handling systems.