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Acme and Lead Screw Products, Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Industries, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Paper, Screw Driven Modular Actuators, Steel, Transportation

CC Actuators 101

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CC Actuators are a combination of an electric motor and an acme screw or a high efficiency ball screw. They are designed to be ready to install directly into any industrial or commercial application. They are ideally suited for any OEM application where linear motion is needed. These high-quality actuators feature:

  • Durable construction
  • Dependable performance
  • Long-life operation
  • High repeatability
  • Operation in either compression or tension loading applications
  • Adjustable limit switches
  • Lifetime lubrication
  • Mechanical overload protection
  • Corrosion resistant exterior surfaces

The most common applications are;

  • Telecommunications
  • Architectural Automation
  • Medical and Hospital Equipment
  • Semiconductor
  • Food Processing
  • Farm Equipment
  • Satellite Dish and Antenna Positioning

These rugged solutions come in standard travels of 4”, 12”, 18”, 24” or 36” with duty cycles typically around 30% max “on-time” of 5 minutes at rated load. Further versatility is provided by temperature ratings ranging from -30 to +160 F. Here’s a brief list of typical components, and what to look for when specifying;

Clutch – Should be heavy duty, in order to properly protect gears and components in the event of overload or overtravel.

Load Sensitive Brake – Should safely maintain the actuator’s position when at rest, without consuming power.

Boot – An optional accessory, but important in applications where you will want to protect the actuator tube from contaminants.

Limit Switch – Screw type limit switches offer precise positioning for travel up to 36”. Their design should allow for easily setting limits at both ends of travel. Optionally, Precision Limit Switches are typically available for shorter travel (under 24”) and will provide higher resolution adjustment.

Ball Screw – Look for precision ball screws made of high grade materials for greater efficiency & longer life

Sensors – There are a wide variety of sensor options for stroke control. Application needs should be the primary consideration when selecting, so look for a provider who offers a range.

Keyed – CC Linear Actuators may be ordered with a feature that allows the actuator tube to extend (retract) without being connected to the load. This key also reduces torque in clevises.

cc actuators

Bevel Gear Jacks, Industries, Linear Motion Design Considerations

Advantages to Using Bevel Gear Jack Systems

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Considering factors such as load, speed, torque and space, there’s no debate that bevel gear jack systems offer unique benefits to worm gear jack systems. The system’s long-duty cycle capabilities and multiple configurations make it a diverse product that suits a variety of applications.

Although worm gear jacks are sufficient for large loads that are infrequently moved, bevel gear jacks offer more flexibility and programmable options  for a wider range of applications.

Bevel gear jack systems don’t come with standardized travel lengths, so each one can be built to specification. Bevel screw jacks come available in machine and ball screw models. Machine screw jacks use a trapezoidal acme screw that offers a low backlash between the nut and screw. Ball screw jacks use hardened bearing balls that allow for smooth and efficient movement of the load. Bevel gear jacks have the capability to run continuously at 100-percent efficiency without overheating. Because of the greater efficiency and rolling action, the ball screw can operate at higher speeds or increased duty cycle when compared with the machine screw jack. 

Available in three jack configurations, bevel gear screws can move along the lift shaft in a variety of ways to meet customer expectations:

Translating- The translating configuration has a lifting shaft that moves through the gear box. A nut is integrated with the bevel gear such that the bevel gear and nut rotate together. When the lift shaft is held to prevent rotation, the lift shaft will move linearly through the gear box to move the load.

Rotating- A rotating jack has a lift shaft that moves a nut as it turns. The lift shaft is fixed to the bevel gear. This causes the load, which is
attached to the travel nut, to move along the lift shaft.

Keyed- The lift shaft of a translating style jack must be attached to something which prevents the lift shaft from rotating. If it is not, the lift shaft (and the load) will turn and not translate. A feature can be added to a machine screw jack to prevent lift shaft rotation. This type of jack is referred to as a “keyed jack” and is available in translating models.  Anti-rotation is accomplished by a square guide attached to the screw translating inside a square stem cover attached to the jack. The square stem tube is supplied with lube fittings.

Want to learn more about bevel gear screw jacks? Here’s a great video

bevel

 

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Steel, Transportation, Uncategorized

Industry Insights at Arm’s Reach

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With so many markets, products and changes happening  within the industry, it can be a challenge for designers to know where to find reliable and helpful information . Luckily, we’ve provided two companies who work hard in delivering topnotch, insightful content to help broaden your knowledge of the industry.

You might know Rockwell Automation as the world’s largest company for industrial automation and information, but did you know the company delivers a wide array of white papers, tools and other industrial automation methods, trends and technologies? The Journal from Rockwell  and Our PartnerNetwork™ recently published “The Basics of Ball Screws,” which teaches the key terms, preloading methods and calculations for understanding ball screws.

Rockwell also provides beneficial tools, such as its “Motion Analyzer,” which offers an inertia calculator and compatibility browser for a variety of different products, including linear motion products & systems.

Design World provides daily news in the industry, videos, tech tutorials, webinars and trending topics.According to its website, “Design World is written for engineers by engineers with an emphasis on applying the engineering fundamentals to real world machine design applications across industries including medical, packaging, semiconductor, material handling, and off-highway.” From pneumatics to robotics, the magazine and its digital brand stand as invaluable resources for designers and engineers who wish to be ahead of the curve in the latest industry happenings.

 

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Linear Motion in the Packaging Industry

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Water. Food. Pharmaceuticals. Retail. No matter what is getting packaged or processed, they all have one common issue; customers constantly want it faster, cheaper and more reliable.

The upcoming PackExpo show in Las Vegas is the preeminent industry gathering, with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees looking for the newest and most proven solutions to the everyday challenges they face. And for years, the packaging industry has looked to linear motion industry to constantly innovate and offer new solutions that will offer a competitive edge.

As examples;

– A company making 5 gallon buckets needed to rapidly pick product from the unload station of an injection molding machine. By pairing a modular actuator capable of moving at 4 meters per second with accurate grippers, they increased speed and productivity.

– New thinner bottles for water are a bonus from a costs and environmental standpoint, but present new issues with handling and packaging the more varied and fragile product. One producer installed a three-axis gantry and realized a 20% increase in production over a previous robotic arm, with less breakage than with conveyor detectors.

– Looking to increase the safety of a cylindrical mixer weighing 1700lbs, and mounted on a moveable cart, a leading food service producer integrated an inverted ball screw jack, raising safety, productivity and mobility.

– By switching from an expensive, complicated and energy-consuming linkage system and gearbox to a ball screw assembly a dough press was upgraded to save money and down-time, with no loss in productivity.

Interested in attending PackExpo? Use this link to register, and get FREE admission
packaging

Aerospace, Automotive, Chemical, Communications, Electronics, Factory Automation, Food & Beverage, Industries, Linear Bearings and Pillow Blocks, Linear Motion Design Considerations, Linear Slide Systems, Medical, Military & Defense, MRO, Packaging, Paper, Steel, Transportation

Getting the Most out of Your Linear Bearings (Part 2)

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In order to get the best performance and life out of your linear bearings, proper lubrication is key.

A lubricant formulated for rolling friction should be used with linear bearings. In applications where operating speeds are low and loads are light,  linear bearings can be used without lubrication at a greatly reduced life. However, it is never recommended to operate linear bearings without lubrication. To protect the highly polished bearing surfaces from corrosion and wear, a lubricant is required.

Where linear speeds are high, a light oil should be used and provision for re-lubrication should be made to avoid operating the bearings dry. For typical applications, a medium-to- heavy oil has good surface adhesion and affords greater bearing protection. Linear bearings 2 inches in diameter and above may use high pressure lithium grease such as Shell Alvania #2 for moderate speed applications. Lubricants containing additives such as molydisulfide or graphite should not be used.

lubrication