ACTUATORS ELECTRIC ACTUATORS DEFINITION An electric linear actuator is a device that converts the rotational motion of a low voltage

DC motor into linear motion that is push and pull movements. This way it is possible to lift, adjust, tilt, push or pull heavy or hard-to-reach objects simply by pushing a button. Additionally, actuators provide a safe, quiet and clean movement with accurate motion control. They are energy efficient and have a long lifetime with little or no maintenance. Installing an actuator is very easy compared to e.g. hydraulic systems and it takes up much less space, as it has no pumps or hoses. The ability of the actuators to adapt to specific needs ensures well-functioning solutions that are applied in many different aspects for a wide range of applications and products. ADVANTAGES Electric linear actuators are the perfect solution when you need simple, safe and clean movement with accurate and smooth motion control. You may choose actuator systems for adjustments, tilting, pushing, pulling and lifting with thrusts up to 10,000 N. Actuators can be integrated into sophisticated control systems using data bus communication. You get precise position feedback and accurate variable control over acceleration and velocity. Compared to both hydraulic and pneumatic systems an actuator solution is a lot easier to install. It takes up less space as there are no hoses and pumps that require routine maintenance to avoid safety hazards and messy oil leaks. A linear actuator has a long lifetime with little or no maintenance at all. This ensures a very low total operating cost compared to other systems. Electric actuator systems are quiet, clean, non-toxic and energy efficient. They fulfill the ever increasing demands and legislation concerning environmentally sound equipment. Why electric actuation? Electric actuators are more cost-effective than their hydraulic and pneumatic counterparts. Electric actuators benefit from cleaner, simpler, and more energyefficient power transmission. Electric actuator integration is easier with programmable controls, and maintenance is minimized with no parts replacement or lubrication needed except in extreme conditions.

APPLICATIONS MEDLINE & CARELINE delivers actuator solutions for the hospital and healthcare sector, DESKLINE delivers lifting columns for height adjustable furniture, HOMELINE actuators are used in comfort beds, TECHLINE actuators are used in industrial work applications and NETLINE actuators are used in switchgear automation. MEDLINE & CARELINE focuses on increasing the comfort for both patients and caregivers by providing actuator solutions for hospital and healthcare equipment. The actuators will help improve the equipment with safe, reliable and innovative movement and lifting capacity. Furthermore, they lighten the strain that caregivers or other hospital employees may face every day doing heavy lifting or moving around patients. Among other things, LINAK actuators are used for hospital beds, patient lifts, dental chairs, bath lifts and wheelchairs. DESKLINE provides actuator systems for height adjustable furniture that is able to adapt to its user. This adaptability in e.g. office desks ensures the user a greater ergonomic comfort and improves working conditions. DESKLINE also offers actuator solutions for industrial workstations, kitchens and other applications. HOMELINE actuators are designed for providing comfort through electrical adjustment of beds used in private homes. Smooth and silent adjustment will add to the feel of the bed and help differentiate it from other beds. HOMELINE works closely together with its customers to turn new ideas into solutions that will improve their beds, increase quality and give a competitive advantage. TECHLINE actuator solutions are designed to ensure reliable and precise movement in heavy-duty industrial work applications e.g. agricultural machinery. This means that TECHLINE actuators are able to withstand hostile conditions such as rough weather while providing a very accurate motion. They are, among other things, designed for construction and machinery, ventilation and farming solutions, marine applications and they help improve the efficiency of solar tracking systems. In order to create individual solutions TECHLINE also works closely together with their customers so that diverse needs and specifications are met. This way TECHLINE actuators help improve customer products and give them a competitive advantage. The NETLINE switchgear automation system is designed to improve efficiency and quality for electrical networks. It can help turn a manual electricity distribution network into a modern smart grid. The iSwitch system is a retrofit solution designed to be easy to install without modifying the existing switchgear. PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS DEFINITION A pneumatic actuator is a device that is capable of converting energy from a pressurized gas into motion. There are several different types of pneumatic actuators and each of them are designed in a slightly different way. Pneumatic actuators can be used to produce both rotary and linear motion and are usually powered by an electric compressor. While motion can be created through other means, such as a hydraulic or electric motor, pneumatic actuators are safer, cheaper, more reliable, and often provide more power.

How Pneumatic Actuators Work Pneumatic actuators are generally relatively simplistic and depend on their own ability to convert potential energy into kinetic energy. Pneumatic actuators usually consist of a cylinder or chamber in which regular air, a pressurized gas, or a mixture of the two, is contained and allowed to expand. As the gas expands, a pressure difference between the inside of the chamber and the natural atmospheric pressure causes the gas to build up energy. The gas is then allowed to leave the chamber in a controlled manner so that it is directed toward a piston, gear, or some other mechanical device. The pison is then used to perform the actual work to be done. Depending on how the gas is directed toward the piston and how the actuator is designed, the piston can be driven in a straight line or in a circle.

APPLICATIONS

Pneumatic actuators are used in a wide variety of applications, the most notable being the combustible engine that is used in all conventional automobiles. In a combustible engine, a pneumatic actuator can be observed as the entire system that allows liquid gasoline to be mixed with air and ignited to cause the gas to expand. While this is slightly different than most pneumatic actuators, as most do not include ignition, it works in a very similar manner. Other applications of pneumatic actuators include air compressors, pumps, switches, sensors, pneumatic nail guns, pneumatic mail tubes, and countless industrial purposes. ADVANTAGES

Pneumatic actuators are easy to both produce and control because they are so simplistic. Pneumatic actuators are safer than other means of producing motion because their gases are not likely to catch on fire unless specifically contained and ignited in a manner to do so. As pneumatic actuators only contain compressed gases, the gas can be stored even while no electricity is supplied to the actuator. These properties make pneumatic actuators highly durable and allow them to remain operational for a very long time. HYDRAULIC ACTUATORS DEFINITION Hydraulic Actuators, as used in industrial process control, employ hydraulic pressure to drive an output member. These are used where high speed and large forces are required. The fluid used in hydraulic actuator is highly incompressible so that pressure applied can be transmitted instantaneously to the member attached to it.

th

It was not, however, until the 17 century that the branch of hydraulics with which we are to be concerned first came into use. Based upon a principle discovered by the French scientist Pascal, it relates to the use of confined fluids in transmitting power, multiplying force and modifying motions. Then, in the early stages of the industrial revolution, a British mechanic named Joseph Bramah utilized Pascals discovery in developing a hydraulic press. Bramah decided that, if a small force on a small area would create a proportionally larger force on a larger area, the only limit to the force a machine can exert is the area to which the pressure is applied. ADVANTAGES Hydraulics refers to the means and mechanisms of transmitting power through liquids. The original power source for the hydraulic system is a prime mover such as an electric motor or an engine which drives the pump. However, the mechanical equipment cannot be coupled directly to the prime mover because the required control over the motion, necessary for industrial operations cannot be achieved. In terms of these Hydraulic Actuation Systems offer unique advantages, as given below. Variable Speed and Direction: Most large electric motors run at adjustable, but constant speeds. It is also the case for engines. The actuator (linear or rotary) of a hydraulic system, however, can be driven at speeds that vary by large amounts and fast, by varying the pump delivery or using a flow control valve. In addition, a hydraulic actuator can be reversed instantly while in full motion without damage. This is not possible for most other prime movers. Power-to-weight ratio: Hydraulic components, because of their high speed and pressure capabilities, can provide high power output with vary small weight and size, say, in comparison to electric system components. Note that in electric components, the size of equipment is mostly limited by the magnetic saturation limit of the iron. It is one of the reasons that hydraulic equipment finds wide usage in aircrafts, where dead-weight must be reduced to a minimum. Stall Condition and Overload Protection: A hydraulic actuator can be stalled without damage when overloaded, and will start up immediately when the load is reduced. The pressure relief valve in a hydraulic system protects it from overload damage. During stall, or when the load pressure exceeds the valve setting, pump delivery is directed to tank with definite limits to torque or force output. The only loss encountered is in terms of pump energy. On the contrary, stalling an electric motor is likely to cause damage. Likewise, engines cannot be stalled without the necessity for restarting. APPLICATIONS Car brakes can operate with a hydraulic system. When the driver steps on the brake, a master cylinder moves. This activates the hydraulic brake actuator, which presses the brake pad against the wheel, which in turn slows the car down. Rotary hydraulic actuators contain motors and a gear box to control a rotary force. The design of this type of actuator enables it to function without needing too much volume and energy. The motor in the rotary hydraulic actuator achieves this by attaching to two pistons at the same time. When the motor turns, is causes both pistons to move.

Advantages and disadvantages Actuator Type Advantages Disadvantages

Mechanical

Cheap. Repeatable. No power source Manual operation only. No required. Self contained. Identical automation. behaviour extending or retracting. Cheap. Repeatable. Operation can be automated. Self-contained. Identical behaviour extending or retracting. Many moving parts prone to wear. DC or stepping motors. Position feedback possible. Simple design. Minimum of moving parts. High speeds possible. SelfLow force. contained. Identical behaviour extending or retracting. Requires position feedback to be repeatable. Short travel. Low speed. High voltages required. Expensive. Good in compression only, not in tension. Can leak. Requires position feedback for repeatability. External hydraulic pump required. Some designs good in compression only. Precise position control impossible except at full stops Not as reliable as other methods. Both linear and rotary motion.

Electromechanical

Linear motor

Piezoelectric

Very small motions possible.

Hydraulic

Very high forces possible.

Pneumatic Wax motor Segmented spindle

Strong, light, simple, fast. Smooth operation. Very compact. Range of motion greater than length of actuator.

Moving coil

Force, position and speed are controllable and repeatable. Capable Requires position feedback to be of high speeds and precise repeatable. positioning. Linear, rotary, and linear + rotary actions possible. High force and controllable. Higher Stroke limited to several millimeters,

MICA (moving

iron controllable force and less losses than moving less linearity than moving coils [3] actuator) coils. Losses easy to dissipate. Electronic driver easy to design and set up.

Control classification Classification by controller Classification by power supply electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic Classification by level of technology low level, medium level, high level Classification by design- 1st generation, 1.5 generation, 2nd generation, 2.5 generation, 3rd generation Cartesian Robot Cartesian robot is form by 3 prismatic joints, whose axes are coincident with the X, Y and Z planes.

Cylindrical Robot Cylindrical robot is able to rotate along his main axes forming a cylindrical shape.

Parallel Robot Parallel robot constitutes two or more kinematics chains between the base and the platform where the end-effectors are located. Parallel robot is a complex mechanism which is constituted by two or more kinematics chains between, the base and the platform where the endeffectors are located. Good examples are the flying simulator and 4-D attractions at Univ. Studios.

Robotic Programming Cartesian coordinate robots with the horizontal member supported at both ends are sometimes called Gantry robots.

SCARA Robot SCARA robot is built with 2 parallel rotary joints to provide compliance in a plane.

Spherical Robot It is still in the research laboratory, the Spherical robot is actually a spherical shape robot, which has an internal driving source.

Polar Robot Polar robot is able to rotate in two different directions along his main axes and the third joint moves in translation forming a hemisphere or polar coordinate system.

Articulated Robot Articulated robots are mechanic manipulator that looks like an arm with at least three rotary joints.

Simple Comparison Configuration Advantages Cartesian coordinates 3 linear axes, easy to visualize, rigid structure, easy to program 2 linear axes +1 rotating, can reach all around itself, reach and height axes rigid, rotational axis easy to seal Disadvantages Can only reach front of itself, requires large floor space, axes hard to seal Cant reach above itself, base rotation axis as less rigid, linear axes is hard to seal, wont reach around obstacles

Cylindrical coordinates

SCARA coordinates

1 linear + 2 rotating axes, 2 ways to reach point, height axis is rigid, large work difficult to program off-line, area for floor space highly complex arm 1 linear + 2 rotating axes, long horizontal reach Cant reach around obstacles, short vertical reach Difficult to program offline, 2 or 4 ways to reach a point, most complex manipulator

Spherical coordinates

Revolute coordinates

3 rotating axes can reach above or below obstacles, largest work area for least floor space