Actuators are essential in daily life for remote activation of devices. They come in various sizes, shapes, and power sources, with solenoids being the most popular. Small actuators are used for light loads and can be powered by electric motors, compressed gas, or oil. They differ little from heavy-duty actuators but have lower output capabilities.
Actuators are a key part of so many areas of daily life that it’s hard to think of any domestic, commercial or industrial process without them. These devices allow an operator or automated system to remotely turn on or off, move, or otherwise activate a secondary device. Actuators come in many sizes, shapes, output capacities and power sources, some of the most common types being the small actuators used for light duty actuation. Perhaps the most popular of these is the simple solenoid, although nearly all actuator types, including electromechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic types, are well represented in any small actuator line.
Where activation of the devices by the operator is unsafe, inconvenient or impractical, one or the other type of actuator is typically used. These devices are characterized by their ability to tap into an input power source and produce a remote working motion used to activate or move the device in question. Typical input power sources include electric motors and compressed gas in pneumatic actuators and oil in hydraulic variants. The output motion of most actuators is linear or rotary with a wide variety of actuation lengths and power ratings. Some of the more common types are the small actuators used to perform actuation tasks with light loads.
It is nearly impossible to pin down an exact set of parameters to describe small actuators, as the smallest actuator of one type will dwarf the largest of another. Most varieties of actuators, however, feature very small models used to activate light loads. Of course, the most common of these are the electromagnetic family, including solenoids and moving coil actuators which rely on the generation of a magnetic field around a coil to attract a moving piston or armature. Most other electric or electromechanical actuators use motors to rotate the lead screw, ball screw, or spur gear mechanisms to provide output motion. These include mini-tracks, tubes and compact rotary types.
Compressed gas and oil are also used as power sources for small actuators. In general, these actuators differ little from their heavy-duty brethren save for their physical size and output capabilities. Both linear piston and rotary vane or scotch yoke types are used to activate machine processes, open valves, and operate ventilation and air conditioning equipment. While not as large as the heavy-duty designs, these small actuators are generally much larger than the electromagnetic types and typically produce much more output torque than any other type of comparable size.
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