Advantages of Electric linear motion systems

Thrust capability – Achieving the extreme forces that hydraulics can produce is entirely possible with electric technology. Actuator and servo component manufacturers provide easy-to-use motion control sizing software, making it easy to specify a system.

Force control – Servo systems using electromechanical actuators constantly monitor torque. This torque correlates to actuator force. It is not uncommon to see force consistency held to within single digit percentage points without the need for any maintenance or system adjustments.

Position control – With closed loop control, multiple positions are easily achievable without the need for external sensors. Settle time for these positions is quick and highly repeatable. Hydraulic cylinders and required components are more complex than electric actuators.

Temperature — Electric actuators are generally unaffected by fluctuations in temperature. Unlike hydraulics which may require the oil to be heated and cooled to maintain a consistent viscosity and performance. These factors all vary based on the environment and application.

Life and maintenance — Electric actuators sized for the life of an application require little to no maintenance. Sometimes periodic additions of grease is necessary but there are no filters or fluids that require changing.

Data collection — Hydraulic cylinders require expensive, complex servo-hydraulic systems and/or additional sensors to track and monitor position, velocity, force and other factors happening at the work point. These factors are all built into an electric actuator's servo system.

Efficiency/utility costs — Electric actuator systems typically operate in the 75-80% efficiency range; hydraulic actuator systems typically operate in the 40-55% efficiency range. Efficiency will impact power consumption and ultimately utility costs.

Environmental concerns — Since electric actuators do not contain fluids they do not pose a contamination hazard unlike hydraulic systems. This requirement is becoming more and more common for automation processes.

Replacing Hydraulic or Pneumatic with Electric Actuators Helps You Save Money

Over the life of the equipment, the electric actuator system will have a lower total cost of ownership.
The factors contributing to this include:

System components – Hydraulic/pneumatic systems require more components to purchase and maintain.

Footprint – Although hydraulic/pneumatic cylinders are compact, the overall footprint of an electric actuator system is typically much smaller when factoring in the footprint of the hydraulic/pneumatic power unit, allowing for a more compact and efficient machine design.

Life – The life of electric actuators can be estimated with an L10 calculation & dynamic load rating while the life of hydraulic/pneumatic cylinders is extremely hard to predict. Electric actuators allow users to better calculate and select an actuator that meets their system life requirements.

Efficiency – Electric actuator system efficiency is typically in the 75-80% range while hydraulic/pneumatic systems typically realize around 40-55% efficiency.

Utility costs – Due to efficiency, hydraulic/pneumatic actuators can consume 2-3 times the amount of electric utility each and every year.

Maintenance – When you replace a hydraulic/pneumatic cylinder system with electric actuators, you have a lot less maintenance to deal with — especially regarding seals. Due to wear, temperature, and other factors, seal integrity will diminish and performance along with it.

Temperature – With high / low temperature grease, electric actuators can operate in temperature extremes with minimal effect on performance.

Leaks and environmental concerns – Only a matter of time before hydraulic systems will leak. Leaks can be safety hazards as well as contribute to many environmental concerns.

Data collection – Servo systems used with electric actuators provide position, velocity, and force/torque data at all times to the control system and better monitor processes.

Determining Appropriate Replacement Equipment

Once the decision has been made to convert from hydraulic/pneumatic cylinder systems to electric actuators, it is important to make careful calculations to implement an effective and cost efficient system.

This video will walk you through the process. Tolomatic also has a Sizing tool that will help… and of course, your experts at All Air are available to help!

Product Selection

All Air and Tolomatic have a wide range of products to help satisfy YOUR specific needs when designing your new system.