Posted to News on 21st May 2009, 11:15
Cost-effective electric cylinder delivers high performance
SMAC is launching the CAL36 high-performance and cost-effective electric cylinder; this type of actuator was originally designed to replace cams on a high-speed cam indexer. The CAL36 series has a 36mm diameter body and stroke lengths of 15, 25 and 50mm. With its round-centred coil and guide, the cylinder is said to have no internal moment, and low friction enables very light forces to be applied.
Due to the innovative design and construction, the unit can achieve up to 50 'g' acceleration and offers a long life expectancy due to over-guiding and permanent internal lubrication.
As with all SMAC actuators, the CAL36 series of electric cylinders has independent control of position, speed and force. Further to this, the SMAC-patented Soft-Land capability is incorporated to enable the actuator to land on parts gently and then apply required forces. This is useful for handling fragile or expensive components and materials. The actuator is also able to do work and simultaneously provide feedback about the success or failure of the operation.
This series of electric cylinders is based on proprietary SMAC moving coil actuator (MCA) technology, which is covered by multiple patent applications. These cylinders are offered with a choice of encoder resolutions from 5 microns down to 50nm to satisfy a variety of industrial, scientific, motion control and quality inspection applications. Vacuum for pick-and-place applications, return springs, and pneumatic cylinder type mounting options are available upon request.
