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White Paper: Defense

Engineering Electric Actuators for Extreme Environments

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Modern industrial applications demand electric actuators that can thrive in unforgiving conditions. This technical brief outlines critical design considerations for extreme environments, including corrosion resistance with 316 stainless steel, ingress protection via welded seams and managing thermal expansion. Discover why roller screw designs are superior for high shock loads and how holistic protective design ensures long-term reliability in mining, marine, and defense applications.

Topics:
Aerospace Defense Machinery Mechanics

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Overview

This white paper from Tolomatic discusses engineering electric actuators designed for extreme and harsh environments, emphasizing the need for specialized features beyond standard off-the-shelf models. Electric actuators are increasingly favored over hydraulics for performance and efficiency advantages, but many commercial actuators aren't built to withstand corrosive agents, temperature extremes, particulate ingress, high shock loads, vibration, and electromagnetic interference (EMI).

Key environmental challenges addressed include:

  1. Corrosion and Particulate Ingress: Actuators operating in corrosive settings—such as food and beverage, mining, packaging, agriculture, and marine industries—require corrosion-resistant materials like 316 stainless steel. Use of protective paint coatings, including chemical agent resistant coatings (CARC), extends outdoor durability against weather and chemical damage. Well-sealed actuator housings with welded seams and high-quality, corrosion-resistant seals (often custom-extruded) prevent particulate and moisture ingress that can wear components or short electrical parts. Easily replaceable seal cartridges promote long-term protection.

  2. Extreme Temperatures: High or low temperature conditions affect lubricant performance, with cold increasing grease viscosity and heat potentially degrading it. Thermal expansion differences among materials can create gaps, compromising seals and ingress protection. Selecting materials with compatible thermal expansion properties is critical for reliability in these environments.

  3. Shock Loads and Vibration: Roller screw actuators are preferred over ball screw designs in applications involving shock or vibration due to better load distribution and stiffness. Tolomatic enhances actuator durability by increasing thrust bearing hardness and rigidity, helping withstand shock and vibration without deformation or performance loss.

  4. Electromagnetic Interference (EMI): Protecting motors and sensors from EMI is vital, especially in applications like resistance spot welding. Integrated servo actuators with force feedback sensors need adequate EMI shielding to maintain performance. When using third-party motors, ensure they are shielded from EMI. Tolomatic advises customers on selecting shielded motors and designing for EMI resilience.

Tolomatic offers a variety of ruggedized actuators, such as the RSH hygienic actuator with stainless steel construction, IP69K rating, and custom seals, suitable for corrosive and harsh environments. Additional options, like the HT version of RSA roller screw actuators, enhance thrust capacity and shock resistance. The company can also customize actuators to meet demanding standards such as MIL-STD-810H for military-grade durability.

Overall, the paper emphasizes a holistic design approach considering all detrimental environmental factors, working closely with experienced suppliers to maximize actuator performance and lifespan in extreme conditions.