ElectroMechanical Linear Actuators

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Electro-Mechanical Linear Actuators

• Vermont Technical College
• 2003 Senior Projects I
• Technical Topic Presentation

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What are they?

• Electro-Mechanical linear actuators provide
  high-precision linear motion via a motor driven
  ball screw, acme screw, rack and pinion, or belt
  driven assembly, often linked to computer control
  equipment.

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Types of Electro-Mechanical Linear Actuators

• Acme Screw Driven
• Ball Screw Driven
• Belt Driven
• Rack and Pinion

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Acme Screw Driven Description

• Similar to a nut and bolt the acme screw
  driven actuator converts angular rotation of the
  screw to linear motion of the nut and carriage
  unit.

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Acme Screw Driven
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Ball Screw Driven Description

• The ball screw driven actuator transmits
  torque to the nut through one or more
  recirculating ball bearing tracks. This is the
  most commonly used mechanical positioning system
  in industry today.

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Ball Screw Driven
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Bell Driven Description

• The belt driven actuator uses a belt of some
  sort to produce thrust force on a carriage. This
  system is used mostly in high speed applications.
  

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Belt Driven
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Rack and Pinion Description

• The rack and pinion actuator converts
  rotational motion into linear motion by us of a
  gearwheel (the pinion) which engages with a flat
  toothed bar (the rack).

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Rack and Pinion
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Pros and Cons Matrix