The benefits of electric actuators
Electric Actuators offer numerous advantages over Hydraulic and Pneumatic cylinders. With no Oil, pipes or cooling, these compact electro-mechanical systems can offer 5x the product lifespan of Hydraulic systems and require minimal maintenance.
Meanwhile, the product’s dynamic, servo-driven programmability make it far superior to the unreliable, manual positioning methods of pneumatic systems. And with no noisy pressurised air, electro-mechanical solutions are significantly quieter in operation.
While the benefits of electric are undeniable, it is also true that not all electric actuators are created equal. Traditional ball-screw designs may be superior to Hydraulic and Pneumatic in many ways, but due to their flawed load bearing design, the ball bearings are prone to premature wearing that often requires replacement of the whole unit.
Roller-Screw Actuators by Exlar represent the next generation in actuator design. Made up of planetary roller screw mechanisms and high torque servo-motors, these self- contained electro-mechanical solutions offer 15x the travel life and load bearing capacity of ball screw designs, while their efficient design dramatically reduces energy costs (10x less than Pneumatic, 4.4x less than Hydraulic).
What is an ATEX certification?
ATEX refers to the name given to the two European Directives for controlling explosive atmospheres. ATEX Directive 94/9/EC relates to equipment and protective systems. In order to comply with its regulations, manufacturers/suppliers must ensure that their products meet essential health and safety requirements regarding safe operation within a potentially hazardous explosive environment. They must also undergo appropriate conformity procedures, along with rigorous third party testing before they can be officially certified. Very few working environments facilitate a self- certification from the manufacturer, however this is accepted in less hazardous work spaces.
5 reasons to choose an ATEX-Certified Exlar actuator…
Control – ATEX compliant Exlar electric actuators are robust enough to function in almost any harsh environment. With more accurate positioning, faster modulation and reliable combustion control, Exlar actuators avoid the stick/slip response, excessive dead time and performance degradation that weakens most Pneumatic systems.
Compatibility – Their inbuilt ability to integrate with a wide range of resolver-based servo amplifiers makes Exlar ATEX certified actuators a more accurate and repeatable alternative to Hydraulic and Pneumatic systems.
Flexibility – Exlar ATEX Actuators offer additional motion modes that are designed to accommodate the widest possible range of motion-control applications. Designed for analogue control, the EXP-24 also includes an isolated RS485 Modbus serial interface for easy integration into factory-wide process systems.
Adaptability – Exlar actuators offer several diagnostics features including: Real time monitoring, following error, position error, input and output status, communication diagnostics, a multi-channel oscilloscope and data logger. The free windows-based software used to set up Exlar ATEX actuators provides the means to select all aspects of configuration and control required for operation.
Reliability – ATEX actuators by Exlar provide consistent and precise operation over thousands of hours, whilst delivering similar force to hydraulic actuators (to a maximum of 907 Kilograms) at much higher speeds (635mm/s).
Olsen Actuation
Olsen Actuation are market leaders in the integration and customisation of electro-mechanical systems and are experts in the design, testing and installation of Drives, Motors, Subsea Applications, Motion Platforms and Electric Actuators.
With decades of experience, our Engineers are specialists in project management and offer a completely bespoke service to clients. From planning and preparation right through to testing, installation and continued support, we ensure that everything is taken care of.
Trading since 2008, Olsen are highly regarded within the industry and are exclusive suppliers of Exlar Roller-Screw Actuators. To find out more about the company, our clients, or any of the products and services that we offer please contact us here
Or call – 01925 906 490
Email – emily.j@olsenactuation.com
