Electromechanical or Fluid Power - Which Linear Actuation Option is Best for Your Industrial System?

Linear actuation plays a critical role in a wide range of products and processes in factory automation, packaging, medical devices, and many other fields.

Linear actuators are commonly divided into two main types: fluid power actuators that operate on differential pressure and electromechanical actuators driven by an electric motor. The type of actuator used plays a critical role in the machine's performance, initial cost and operating costs.

This article provides an honest look at the pros and cons of each of the main types of linear actuators, with the goal of providing a general guide for their selection and application.

PROBLEM: What might cause premature ball screw failure?

SOLUTION: Premature failure is most often caused by one of the following:

• Misalignment - Misalignment of the ball nut to screw which results in side loading or eccentric loading. This may cause the bearing balls to split or get "flats"¯ on them, and the bearing may even break out of the tube.
• Debris - Metal chips or dirt in the ball nut will not allow the bearings free circulation, and the bearing balls may get "flats"¯ on them because of skidding and spalling.
• Lack of lubrication - Proper lubrication will help dissipate heat and reduce metal-to-metal component wear.
• Excessive speed - Exceeding the ball nut critical speed can break pickup fingers off, causing the balls to come out of the nut. Exceeding the screw critical speed will cause the screw to whip or vibrate and cause misalignment. Shaft speeds resulting in screw surface speeds above 8,000 IPM will reduce rated life.

UPCOMING  WEBINAR:
NEW! The Thomson Max Jac^® - Heavy Duty IP69K Electric Linear Actuator for the Toughest Conditions

The new Thomson Max Jac linear actuator is one of the most rugged and tough you can find today resulting from the experience Thomson gathered from making linear actuators for the mobile-off-higway market for decades. It is built to work in environments where it has to deal with fertilizers, mud, sand, high pressure water jets, slush, salt water, snow, heat or heavy vibrations.

Be the first to know about the outstanding technical performance of the Max Jac actuator and learn about highly demanding application examples in which it can be used.

New Brochure on 400 Series Profile Rail Linear Guides Released!

Thomson's 400 Series Profile Rail Linear Guides is a cost-effective solution engineered to deliver accurate, reliable, and compliant linear motion in automation applications.

The 400 Series:

• Is available in 4 meter lengths, in sizes from 15 - 55 mm (except of 40 and 50 mm) in 5 mm increments, for extended joint-free rail transfer, even in smaller-sized applications.
• Uses double-faced ball track bearing arrangements to allow for compliance to simplify installation, and enable equal load carrying capacity in all directions.
• Is available with standard or ball cage carriages that use the same rail design.

The 8 pages brochure now features all sizes of our 400 series profile rail linear guides in one handy resource.