How does a Linear Actuator work?

Linear actuators work by moving an object or piece of equipment in a straight line, moving an object extraordinarily accurately and repeatably if required. The primary reason for designing a linear actuator right into a system is for the necessity to move a payload in a linear fashion relatively than a rotary one. As most standard electric motors are rotary, a linear actuator is used to transform rotary motion to linear motion.

The electrical motor is generally related to the linear actuator by a flexible coupling or a belt, enabling the motor to be mounted either axially or perpendicular to the linear actuator. A variety of motor sizes may be mounted to those actuators relying on requirements.

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

Options of Linear Actuators

Linear Actuators have the next options:

High repeatability

Positioning accuracy

Easy operation

Long life

Easy maintenance or maintenance free

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

Packaging

Food processing

Industrial vehicles

Factory automation

Material handling

Clean energy

Printing

Automotive

Machine software

Marine

Aerospace

Defence

Pharmaceutical

Types of Linear Actuators

Picking the correct type of linear actuator for your motion application may also help you achieve the perfect results. Lead Screw Actuators, Ball Screw Actuators and Belt Actuators are three types of linear actuators that can be utilized in varied 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 the most commonly used strategies to supply the rotary motion, as they’re generally used in low value and low precision applications. The ability of the actuator to ‘back drive’ is reduced over ball screw actuators because of the low effectivity of the screw/nut. In some applications, this will be an advantage as it helps to keep the payload stationary whilst not in motion. Applications include agricultural equipment and manual lift systems, the place safety and reliability are more critical than precision and performance.

A Ball Screw Actuator makes use of a high precision nut with recirculating ball bearings that rotate around a ground screw thread. In precept this is similar to an ordinary 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 really environment friendly methodology of converting rotary motion to linear motion. Stepper or servo motors are generally used to supply the rotary motion. Ball screw actuators are well suited to repeatable indexing and fast cyclic applications resembling machine tools, scientific instruments and medical systems.

Belt actuators work the place a belt is carried between pulleys and connected to the moving carriage, then because the belt rotates the carriage is pulled along the actuator. One of the pulleys is driven by a motor which is generally mounted perpendicular to the actuator and paired utilizing a versatile coupling. They provide a comparatively low-value different, as they inherently have a lower stage of precision. Belt pushed linear actuators are excellent for long journey and high linear speed applications comparable to packaging and automatic material handling systems.