Electric actuator overpowers pneumatic cylinders

Hoerbiger-Origa has extending its portfolio of linear actuation products with the launch of the OSP-E SBR extending rod electric actuator.

Hoerbiger-Origa has extending its portfolio of linear actuation products with the launch of the OSP-E SBR extending rod electric actuator.

The new unit resembles a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder in that the driving force is exerted via a rod, which moves in and out of the end of the main housing.

However its power and positional accuracy far exceeds that of a pneumatic cylinder, while the unit price is a fraction that of hydraulic solutions.

"Electric drives are easily fitted, unlike fluid power cylinders which require all the support engineering of a compressed air system or hydraulic power pack", explains Ian Jones of Hoerbiger-Origa.

"They can be fitted in just about any applications and will be particularly useful where the low number of axes make it difficult to justify a compressor or power pack".

Being based on a ballscrew rather than a lead screw, the SBR is suitable for both continuous duty and high-speed operation.

The rod is in fact a hollow tube that extends from a ballscrew fixed within the housing, maximum stroke being 500mm.

The SBR is available in three bore diameters, 25, 32 and 50mm.

The two smaller sizes are available with 5mm thread pitches; the larger with a choice of 10mm or 25mm, the latter being able to produce stroking speeds of 1.2m/s at 3000rev/min.

Maximum thrust is 1680N and repeatability is 0.05mm.

The prime mover can be virtually any type of electric motor: DC, induction, stepper, or, for the ultimate performance, servo.

It could even be an air motor for applications in nonsparking environments and for marine deployment.

A range of gearboxes allows the speed to be stepped down to exactly meet the requirements of every application.

Potential application areas are virtually unlimited: volumetric filling stations, push/pull positioning, animatronics, hinged movements of all types, conveyor alignment etc.

Says Jones: "This configuration of actuator represents a previously under developed technology".

"To date users have really only had a choice between pneumatic and hydraulic, but a huge percentage of applications fell between the optimum performance bands of the two technologies".

"So we believe that there will prove to be a ready market for the SBR".

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