Thomson Industries, Inc., has enhanced its Linear MOTIONEERING® product sizing and selection tool for linear motion systems, reducing the time for component selection from hours to typically less than 15 minutes. The tool retains the powerful Thomson engineering calculations that have proven so effective for design engineers and has added new product families, interactive navigation, […]
Linear Actuators Archive
Get the latest product news, technical info, and FAQs about linear actuators.
High-speed linear actuators: What qualifies them as high speed?
Like many terms used in the linear motion industry, such as “heavy duty,” “miniature,” and “corrosion-resistant,” to name a few, there is no industry standard that specifies what constitutes a “high-speed” linear actuator. Nevertheless, there are some general guidelines that manufacturers follow when classifying and marketing their actuators as high speed. These guidelines are typically […]
ITT Compact Automation expands motion offerings to include electric actuators
ITT Inc. and its Compact Automation brand now sell electric actuators, screw jacks, bevel gearboxes, rodless cylinders and more in addition to the manufacturer’s traditional hydraulic and pneumatic product lineup. These new product lines are available exclusively in North America through Compact’s new partnership with NIASA. Compact Automation has an extensive engineering capability with more than 50 product lines, composed […]
New mid-size, compact linear actuator from LINAK U.S.
LINAK has launched a powerful new actuator, the LA33. The electric linear actuator is a mid-range powerhouse built upon 35 years of specialized knowledge accumulated at LINAK. The LA33 shares the same advantageous features of all the actuators in the LINAK family including the LINAK Integrated Controller, Hall sensors for relative and absolute feedback, proportional […]
Force-controlled actuator from ETEL for semiconductor applications
ETEL’s new ZAO Force-Controlled Actuator adds to its broad range of advanced motion systems. Among other applications, ZAO is suited for semiconductor pick and place, die bonding and probing machines. Coupled with ETEL’s AccurET controller, the ZAO Force-Controlled Actuator is a state-of-the-art solution that reduces machine cost of ownership while taking up the next force […]
Oriental Motor linear actuators: Now with battery-free absolute feedback and AZ Series performance
Oriental Motor USA now offers AZ Series technology with absolute mechanical encoders across: The Oriental Motor EZS Series of electric linear slides The Oriental Motor EAC family of electric cylinders AZ Series offerings work in advanced positioning applications because of their closed-loop control. Linear-motion designs of the AZ Series also substantially reduce heat generation from […]
Defining the compliance of electromechanical linear actuators
Modern motion controllers with built-in frequency analyzers allow direct identification of electromechanical actuators … under load … subject to real-word conditions. That in turn may help designers improve stiffness and actuator performance — even to the point of getting higher servo bandwidth. By Leonid Gannel, Ph.D. • Servo engineer • Jabil Shemer Motion Frequency analyzers […]
Lexium MDrive linear actuators: Mechanicals integrated with motors and electronics
Schneider Electric announces the release of Lexium MDrive (LMD) linear actuators, delivering clean, quiet linear motion to a wide range of applications from medical to packaging. These compact motion products integrate robust motor, electronics and linear mechanicals, providing machine builders with solutions that can reduce their system cost, design and assembly time. For more LMD linear product […]
Roller screw actuators: Design and applications
Electromechanical actuators come in many varieties, with common drive mechanisms being lead screws, ball screws, and roller screws. When a designer or user wants to transition from hydraulics or pneumatics to electromechanical motion, roller screw actuators are usually the best choice. They provide comparable performance characteristics to hydraulics (high force) and pneumatics (high speed), in […]
Can-stack linear actuators: How the motor and screw components work
Can-stack linear actuators are one type of stepper-motor design that converts rotary to linear motion with a built-in leadscrew. The linear actuators incorporate can-stack motors — sometimes called claw-tooth step motors, tin-can stepper motors, or claw-pole motors — leverage low-cost construction with punched sheet-metal parts that form toothed (or clawed) cups surrounding bobbin coils. Common […]