Selecting Linear Actuators for the Food and Beverage Industry

Select the Right Linear Actuator: Making Sense of Manufacturer Specifications
In the world of electromechanical linear actuators, a product that has the "highest" output rating, whether it is loads, moments, or thrust can be a distinct competitive advantage. When selecting the proper actuator for an application, the product that has the "highest" rating is often determined to be the superior, robust choice. However, how long the actuator performs is what really counts. How do you compare manufacturer's published specification ratings so you can make a meaningful comparison? It's all about life and load. This paper will give concrete examples that compare specifications and explain how to interpret the results.

Evaluating Actuators for Washdown in Food & Beverage Applications: Materials, Design, Fabrication and Maintenance Affect Actuator Performance and Compliance With Food Safety Guidelines
Actuators used in the food and beverage industry must be manufactured from appropriate materials and designed in a way that eliminates collection points where bacteria can flourish. Suitable actuators must also be capable of withstanding frequent washdowns with water, detergents, steam, caustic soda, citric acid or other types of sanitary cleaning solutions. This paper will examine how actuators need to be designed and built in order to perform in this challenging environment so that process and automation engineers can select the most appropriate actuators for their food and beverage applications.

Rules of Actuator and Guide Alignment in Linear Motion Systems
Many automated machines rely upon linear guidance components, such as profiled rail, round rail or other rolling or sliding bearing structures, to guide and support the moving elements of the equipment. Often these moving elements are driven by some type of linear actuator device. This paper will discuss ways to enhance overall system performance by optimizing the "alignment" of the linear guide and actuator.

Tolomatic high-performance drilling choke valve actuator improves process for managed pressure drilling
Designed for performance drilling applications in the oil and gas industry, such as managed pressure drilling, Tolomatic's new ServoChoke® SVC choke valve actuator can replace conventional hydraulic or electric jackscrew-type choke valve operators.

Tolomatic integrated servo motor and drive now with PROFINET Industrial Ethernet easily automates simple axis of motion
Space-saving integrated design, optimized for linear or rotary setup, includes built-in configurations for all of Tolomatic's electric actuators and creates linear motion quickly and easily in the required linear units.