Posted to News on 21st Feb 2014, 14:27
PC-Series electric linear actuators can lower energy costs
Thomson Industries, Inc. is introducing the new PC Series, a new generation of precision, electric linear actuators for continuous duty applications. According to Thomson, they offer the highest power density of any actuator in its class. The compact, efficient design provides advantages over traditional pneumatic linear actuators including simpler machine designs, lower maintenance, higher overall performance and substantially lower energy costs.
Traditional pneumatic actuator systems operate continuously, typically at 10-15 per cent efficiency and also carry the high maintenance costs of compressors and air leaks. High-efficiency ball screws employed in the new Thomson PC Series electric linear actuators have efficiencies of over 80 per cent and use energy only on demand. Converting from pneumatic to electric actuation, for many applications, can generate in 1 year energy savings per axis which exceed the cost of the new actuator.
Thomson's PC Series electric linear actuators offer new flexibility to machine designers who frequently need to change set-ups to run different products or processes. Changing end stops or velocity profiles can be done on the fly with electric actuators, maximising productivity and reducing scrap. The PC Series is similarly well suited for food processing and packaging, material handling and factory automation applications where high accuracy and reliability and 100 per cent duty cycle operation is required. They feature an IP65 rating, and smooth exterior profile which makes them suitable for wash-down applications.
This new generation of electric linear actuators from Thomson offers a lot of power in a small package size, which allows machine designers to reduce their machine footprint. PC Series actuators in sizes 25, 32 and 40 have square sizes of only 34mm, 45mm and 55mm, respectively, yet deliver as much as 6000N of thrust force. Stroke lengths of up to 1200mm are available, twice as long as most competitive electric actuators in comparable frame sizes. The Thomson PC Series also conforms to ISO 15552 for mechanical interfaces and adapters, making machine upgrades quick and easy.
The PC-Series actuators allow users to easily mount their own motor using the Thomson RediMount system for quick and reliable installation with guaranteed alignment. Motor mounting for both in line and parallel axis units can be accomplished in less than 5 minutes, ensuring trouble-free installation for over 600 pre-engineered motor configurations. Thomson provides expert support along with online sizing, selection and design tools to simplify the selection process and optimise design.
For more information on PC-Series Precision Linear Actuators, including tools to estimate energy cost savings, please visit www.thomsonlinear.com/conversion. Thomson will be introducing this new actuator series in a live webinar showing how to easily replace pneumatics with electric actuators and profit from optimized machine designs and energy savings. More details of the webinar and how to dial in can be found at goo.gl/wx0td8.
