Actuators are the general name given to the elements that control and move a system. Actuators are used in many areas of industry with their functionality and variety. As ILX Engineering, we will give information about actuators in the blog post we prepared this week. We hope that the blog post where we will answer questions such as "What does the actuator mean?", "Where is the actuator used?" And "What is the actuator for?"
What is an actuator?
Actuators frequently used in industrial areas; It is the operator mechanisms that are extremely important for automation systems to close or change the direction of the flow of any fluid such as liquid and gas. Actuators for opening or closing a valve are mounted on the valve and connected to the valve body. There are many types of actuators among themselves. Accordingly, the usage areas are extremely wide elements.
What are the Types of Actuators?
After we define the actuator, we will discuss the types of actuators in this section. Main types of actuators include pneumatic actuators, electric actuators and hydraulic actuators.
Pneumatic Actuators: Pneumatic actuators are types of actuators operated by compressed air. Pneumatic actuators, which are divided into 2 different types as diaphragm type and piston-cylinder type, are generally effective and reliable elements in terms of cost.
Electric Actuators: Electric actuators are mechanisms that use the electric motor to open and close the valve. These actuators, which work extremely quietly and efficiently, make the valve opening and closing operations slower than pneumatic and hydraulic actuators due to their gear systems.
Hydraulic Actuators: Hydraulic actuators are suitable for use in both linear and rotary type valves, just like pneumatic actuators. Hydraulic actuators offer a great advantage to their users, especially when the required power to operate the valve cannot be provided. In these devices, hydraulic pressure can be provided both by an independent pump and by the process fluid.
How Does an Actuator Work? What Does It Do?
After giving information about what the actuator is and what it does, we can also provide information about the actuator's working principle and functions. These devices, which are operator mechanisms used to open or close a valve, help large valves to work faster. These operator mechanisms, which are activated by electrical energy, allow intermediate positions as well as opening and closing of valves. The open or closed status of the valve is displayed on the limit switch boxes, i-p converters and positioners on the actuators and the information about this is transmitted to the automation system. They allow to increase control systems such as a printer driver, robot control driver or a mechanical stationary system depending on the environment. If we summarize in general; Actuators are devices used for the purposes of increasing movement in engineering fields, restricting the movement of an object by tightening an object and their usage areas are quite wide.
Where Is The Actuator Used?
As we mentioned before, the usage areas of actuators are very diverse. We can list the main places where actuators are used as follows:
Shaping operations such as rolling, bending and drawing
Automation systems
Electronic industry
Robot technologies
Material transportation
Machine tools and hand tools
Paint, spray and varnish processes
Textile industry
Food, chemical and pharmaceutical industry
Mining industry
Marine and aviation industries
Automotive industry
Business Machines
Agricultural machinery
Ship control systems
Actuator Prices
Actuator prices vary according to the brand to be purchased, actuator type and actuator performance. At this point, those who want to buy actuators should pay attention to considering which actuator type will be more compatible. After determining which actuator type is more suitable for the field of work to be applied, a comparison should be made between different models and features of the relevant actuator type. Therefore, we can say that the prices of actuators vary depending on many factors.
As ILX Engineering, we have come to the end of the blog post where we give information about actuators. Throughout the article, we gave answers to questions such as "What is an electric actuator?", "What are the types of actuators?" And "Where are actuators used?". If you wish, you can view our Siko brand actuator range, which we offer for you, on the link. For more detailed information on the subject, you can contact us on 0216 499 11 06.
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