Within industry groups as varied as manufacturing, transportation and national defense, you&#;re sure to find actuators filling an important role. Actuators are critical in controlling and facilitating practically every mechanized process.
As such, actuators play a prominent part in the world&#;s economy. Market evaluation statistics suggest that the actuator and valve sector will generate over $127 billion by . The actuator business is currently expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 5.23%. This economic activity involves the three main actuator types &#; hydraulic, pneumatic and electric.
Actuators are mechanical devices that convert energy into motion. This involves a control command that signals a change in a physical system which then generates force to accomplish a task. The commanding signal can be human-operated or automatically controlled while the energy source varies.
The primary function of actuators is to control machines and allow parts to move. This motion can be any one of hundreds of operations such as lifting, clamping, blocking and ejecting. Typically, actuators are key parts in industrial and manufacturing operations where they activate valves, pumps, motors and switches.
Actuators usually control and direct mechanized motion. Movements can be linear, rotary or oscillatory. In other terms, that motion can be in one direction, circular or back and forth in regular intervals. No matter what end motion a mechanized system desires, it would impossible to achieve without actuator assistance.
Practically every industry uses actuators in some manner. Operations in oil and gas processing, aviation and aerospace, military and defense, marine, mining, forestry and road building require actuators. Actuators are also used in manufacturing equipment like presses, cranes, drill rigs, coal crushers, man lifts, missile launchers and material handling equipment. Name an industry or service, and you&#;ll see them using actuators somewhere down the line.
As noted above, there are three different actuator types &#; hydraulic, pneumatic and electric. We will get into more detail about each style and its advantages and disadvantages below.
Actuators classify first by the type of motion they produce. While rotary actuators generate rotation, linear actuators move in a straight path. Either type can also take the designation of oscillating if the movement cycles regularly.
Actuator types are next characterized by what energy form the actuator employs to convert the source from a potential state into physical motion. Potential energy is stored energy with the ability to do work. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. The most common energy sources are compressed fluids, compressed gas and electricity.
Hydraulic actuators operate with compressed fluid and control movement by managing the amount of fluid inside. Adding fluid increases pressure while reducing it lessens the force. These actuators are ideal for applications that need more significant power, but you can also commonly find them in products like exercise equipment.
The primary advantage of pneumatic systems is that they run on compressed air or gas instead of fluid. As a result, they are involatile and require no electricity to perform. Pneumatic actuators are versatile and affordable, making them popular for braking systems and pressure sensors.
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The function of an electric actuator is to generate mechanical power from electricity input. Since the power source is consistent and continuous, these actuator types offer easy maintenance and are ideal for high-precision work. Electric actuators are common in manufacturing, robotics and electric vehicles.
You&#;ll find a lot of debate over actuators, but which actuator type is the best depends on your application. In some situations, electric and pneumatic actuators are the best choice. However, in many applications today, hydraulic actuators give you superior performance. Read on to discover more about the benefits, drawbacks and popular applications of each actuator type.
Choosing between electric actuators and other varieties can be difficult. Each type of actuator has its own advantages and disadvantages. Even more, one type of actuation is seldom a replacement for another. Generally, applications will greatly benefit from one type of actuation over all the others.
To make this choice a bit easier for you, this blog post will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using electric actuators especially in terms of safety and energy savings.
Electric actuators provide extremely accurate control and positioning. In addition, this type of actuator helps adapt machines to flexible processes and has a low operating cost. This means that an electric system is energy efficient and can provide you with cost savings in many cases.
Electric actuation is the most efficient option when it comes to applications where multiple points of positioning are required. This is due to the fact that pneumatic cylinders need to be coupled with many accessories to perform these same types of motion. This leads to a higher cost and less accuracy and efficiency in the long run.
Another way in which electric actuators beat pneumatic or hydraulic actuators is in their ability to start and stop almost immediately on command. There is no delay and lag.
Pneumatic cylinders require that your compressor runs constantly to maintain pressure. Electric actuators, on the other hand, only need to run when work is required. This means saved electric costs for your business.
Electric actuation tends to be your best choice when your application requires speed, accuracy, flexibility, and control. Below are a few more key advantages of electric actuators.
It seems like electric actuation has many benefits. However, there have to be some disadvantages, right? Turns out that there are. One prominent disadvantage can be a higher initial equipment cost. Below, we listed a few more disadvantages for your knowledge.
Electric actuation has many advantages over hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. However, electric actuators have their own disadvantages. For help determining the right actuator for your application needs and requirements, we recommend contacting a specialist for help.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Electro Pneumatic Valve. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.