An Introduction to Linear Actuators

Linear actuators move a load in a linear motion, either forward and backward or up and down. Linear actuators are found across various industries and applications, from industrial machine tools to transportation, and from disc drives and printers to automatic doors and valve actuators. Selecting the right one for your application is crucial to achieving the performance and output required to ensure that your motion control system operates optimally.

What Is a Linear Actuator?

A linear actuator converts energy into a pushing or pulling force along a single axis. In electric linear actuators, this usually involves the conversion of a rotational force from a motor to a linear action. Since hydraulics and pneumatics use cylinders, the motion produced by those systems is inherently linear.

How Does a Linear Actuator Work?

Linear actuators work by converting rotational motion, typically from an electrical motor, into linear motion through a lead screw. The rotation of the motor causes the nut to move along a screw’s threads, either pulling or pushing the connected object in a straight line. 

Different Types of Linear Actuator

Now that you know what a linear actuator is and how a linear actuator works, we need to understand the different types of linear actuators. There are three main types of linear actuators, each operating in different ways and applying to various applications.

Belt Driven Linear Actuators

In belt-driven actuators, an electric motor drives a shaft and wheel, which is engaged with a toothed belt drive. As the motor rotates the shaft, this moves the belt, converting the rotation to a linear motion, which moves the carriage of the actuator forwards or backward along a single axis. 

Belt-driven linear actuators combine high speed with both accuracy and repeatability. They perform better than screw actuators for high-speed/long-stroke applications, especially in vertical applications where screw-driven systems may be prone to noise and resonance.

Ballscrew Driven Linear Actuators

A ballscrew-driven linear actuator converts rotational motion from an electric motor to linear motion by using a helical screw which contains ball bearings. As the shaft is rotated, the nut is driven, and the ball bearings are cycled. 

Ballscrews have high mechanical efficiency, requiring less torque than other linear actuator options. They are well suited to applications requiring high precision and robustness, such as high-performance machine tools, or very delicate and sensitive applications, including medical devices.

Rod Type Ballscrew Actuators

These are ballscrew-driven linear actuators that extend a shaft from the housing (like a hydraulic cylinder) instead of moving a nut or carriage within the length of the assembly. The rod-type ballscrew actuators would be used in place of pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders and are ideal for transfer handling operations requiring high acceleration or for demanding environments due to their sealed body construction.

Linear Actuators Available From Matara

At Matara, our in-house machining capability allows us to design and manufacture actuators for various applications. Our linear actuators can be purchased either as an off-the-shelf unit or as a fully assembled module or gantry. We can provide your actuator complete with motors and controls or without, as preferred.

Belt driven linear actuators

Our belt-driven linear actuator range includes:

• MTB internally guided linear actuator
• MTS externally and internally guided actuator
• MTE externally and internally guided actuator
• MTZ internally guided actuator with PMI rail
• MTF42 belt-driven linear actuator
• CTJ belt-driven linear actuator

Ballscrew Driven Linear Actuators

Our ballscrew-driven linear actuator range includes:

• CTV internally guided ballscrew actuators
• MTV internally guided ballscrew actuators
• KM space-saving ballscrew-driven actuator

Rod Type Ballscrew Actuators

Our rod-type ballscrew actuators range includes:

• PNCE electric ballscrew-driven actuator

Find Linear Actuator Solutions Here at Matara

For more information on the range of linear actuators available from Matara, contact us. Our team can help you find the perfect linear actuator solution for your application. To learn more about our products and services at Matara, check out our technical articles and case studies.