The term “industrial actuator” is a vague description for an actuator designed for heavy-duty use in specific industries. It can be linear or rotary and powered by electric motors, compressed air, or oil. The definition varies by industry, with some heavy-duty actuators being mid-range in others. They share operational characteristics with lighter weight types and use similar power sources and internal mechanisms. Heavy-duty linear actuators are usually ball screw, rack and pinion, or piston types, while rotary types are scotch yoke or gear mechanisms. Hydraulic models are the most powerful.
The term “industrial actuator” is a somewhat generic description for any actuator designed for use in a specific heavy-duty role in industrial applications. The exact definition of an industrial actuator is therefore difficult to quantify as a heavy duty example in one industry may be hopelessly too light in another. In general terms, however, the term can be applied to any actuator called upon to do the heaviest work of a specific industry. Variants generally associated with the term industrial actuator can be linear or rotary output types powered by electric motors and compressed air or oil. Linear types include rack-and-pinion, ball screw, and piston varieties, while rotary types are usually driven by scotch yoke and gear mechanisms.
Actuators are an integral part of many industries, with the industrial actuator being the heavyweight of the family. However, it is difficult to give an accurate description of exactly what an industrial actuator is in terms of size and output capability. The big guy in one particular industry may be considered a weakling outclass in another, so the definition has to be made on an industry-relevant basis to be of any value. For example, an industrial actuator used to move the bucket on a construction equipment may generate 5,000 lbs (2,267 kg) of force output and be considered mid-range in that application, while a 500 lbs (227 kg) actuator in an precision engineering shop might be the biggest they have on their floor.
In general, the term can be used to define the actuators in any industry capable of performing the heaviest tasks of that industry. These devices will typically share many, if not all, of their operational characteristics with their lightweight peers. They will use the same power sources such as electric motors or compressed fluids or gases such as air and oil and produce similar rotary or linear motion outputs. Both of these industrial actuator configurations will also feature internal mechanisms common to the lighter weight, low output types.
In the case of industrial rotary actuator types, these mechanisms will typically be of high output types such as scotch yoke and gear trains. Heavy duty linear actuators are usually of the positive displacement ball screw, rack and pinion or piston type. The latter are the real powerhouses of the heavy-actuation world, with hydraulic models delivering more horsepower, pound-for-pound, than any other type. This applies to both rotary and linear configuration.
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