Thomson Industries, Inc has added superior controllability choices to its Electrak LL line of long-life electrical linear actuators.
Along with the 600 km of maintenance-free life and 100% responsibility cycle efficiency inherent to all of the Electrak LL fashions, machine designers can now get absolute place suggestions, CAN bus integration, lowered present movement and better speeds.
“OEM designers utilizing our long-life actuators in functions which may in any other case require hydraulic or pneumatic methods can now additionally get extra management over the place, load and pace. Our new configuration choices allow them to maneuver actuators into place extra easily, know immediately the place they’re and use that knowledge in movement profiles,” says Travis Gilmer, product supervisor – linear actuators at Thomson.
Along with resistance towards environmental hazards resembling daylight UV, Thomson Electrak LL high-duty-cycle electrical actuators now provide extra digital management choices.
Lengthy life fundamentals
Key to the Electrak LL’s long-life structure is a brushless motor, a high-load ball screw meeting, a brake resolution that doesn’t put on, and IP69K (static) and IP66 (dynamic) compliant sealing. This mix permits responsibility cycles of as much as 100%, as much as 600 km of journey life, and as much as a million cycles – greater than ten occasions that of electromechanical actuators with out these options. The brand new configuration choices for the Electrak LL increase its trade main sturdiness with superior management, integration, increased voltage and better pace choices.
Absolute place suggestions
As a substitute of calculating place from sensors and encoders, customers of Electrak LL actuators can get direct absolute place info by programming its embedded microprocessor to depend mechanical turns throughout the gearbox. This allows an instantaneous, precise studying of place for using superior management logic. A design engineer may, for instance, use it to synchronize actions of a number of cylinders to outlined positions at designated speeds
One other benefit of absolute place suggestions is that will probably be calibrated throughout meeting and doesn’t have to be recalibrated. This improves effectivity in functions resembling railway and agricultural controls the place actuators are normally shut down for prolonged durations of time when the automobiles usually are not in use. If the place just isn’t absolute, the actuator will want recalibration on restart. Additionally, the Electrak LL absolute place measurement doesn’t require mechanical contact, which minimizes put on to the system.
CAN bus communication
Superior management sequences want a option to share alternate directions and knowledge, and Thomson long-life actuators present this as nicely. Electrak LL customers can construct functions round both CANopen® or SAE J1939 communications. This gives most flexibility to combine actuators with different parts or productiveness and enterprise functions.
Larger voltage
Excessive-duty-cycle functions, resembling cellular robots, are normally battery powered as low present draw will be a bonus. Electrak LL customers can now meet software energy necessities by configuring their methods with a 48 V energy provide. Compared to the 24 V model, the 48 V will scale back resistive energy losses, which permits thinner, cheaper wiring.
Larger speeds
Thomson additionally has added a 2 kN (450 lbs) load choice to the Electrak LL. This optimizes the actuator to deal with increased speeds with longer service life.
Purposes
The brand new configuration choices of the Electrak LL are for individuals who need each increased responsibility cycles and most management over their functions, resembling the next:
- Sensible railway pantographs and couplers
- Automated guided automobiles (AGVs)
- Materials dealing with logistics trains
- Automated farming robots
- Movable steps and entry lifts for trains and busses
- Gravel bins and hatches
