Mini actuators are small devices that transform power into motion, such as opening or closing switches or valves. They can be linear, rotational, or piezoelectric and are used in compact machines. They differ from microactuators, which are microscopic and used in circuitry.
A mini actuator is a somewhat ambiguous term to describe any type of very small actuator, a device that transforms some type of power into motion. Actuators typically run on electric, hydraulic, or compressed air and use simple mechanical devices or electric motors to create some type of motion, such as opening or closing switches or valves. Actuators, regardless of size, are grouped into two broad categories: rotational and linear. Linear actuators provide motion in one direction, like an automated arm to open a window shutter, and rotary actuators convert power into some type of rotary or orbital motion like the rotation of a ball valve. A mini actuator is any very small actuator specifically designed to do its job in the minimum space required.
Actuators are an extremely diverse class of devices and are used for thousands of applications and machines. They open doors, valves, remote locks, power windows in automobiles, and trays on DVD players and computer CD-ROM drives. Some actuators can be large and powerful, such as those used to open the gates of canal locks or dam spillways. Most actuators use electric motors, compressed air, or hydraulic cylinders to convert power into motion, and while a mini actuator can use any of these power sources, most are electric.
When a device or machine is designed with an emphasis on compactness or its size is limited by space considerations, engineers may rely on mini actuators, some of which can provide significant mechanical force. A mini actuator is an actuator designed to convert power into some sort of motion while taking up as little space as possible. They can be linear, rotational or piezoelectric, a type of actuator that relies on the tendency of certain types of crystals to change shape when subjected to an electric current.
The classes of actuators in terms of dimensions are not defined by any type of convention or hard and fast rule. The term mini actuator is used by manufacturers as a sort of buzzword to indicate that a particular product is compact in size. They differ specifically from microactuators, however, in that a microactuator is a type of microscopic actuator that is often employed in circuitry.
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