SMAC Electric Actuators - Serious Competition for Pneumatics


SMAC Inc., Carlsbad, California. SMAC aims to replace 5 percent of pneumatic devices that are used in today's industrial applications within the next 5 years. SMAC electric direct drives utilize moving coil technology, are versatile, long life, robust, and provide high reliability in comparison to conventional pneumatic devices.

The linear movement is generated by a voice coil and high strength neodymium magnets. The coil is mounted on a linear guide which is the only contacting part; increasing the life of an electric actuator to more than 10 times that of a pneumatic actuator. SMAC moving coil actuators have no mechanical backlash which significantly increases position accuracy and speed. Some units can reach acceleration up to 50G.

The position repeatability of +/-2 encoder counts is controlled by a linear encoder with a resolution of 20, 5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 or 0.05 microns. SMAC electric actuators combine high precision and accurate control of force, speed and position. They are utilized for high precision applications such as laser cutting, part feeding and component pick and place. Precise force control eliminates any damage when soft-landing on a surface.

Complete direct drive systems with actuator, controller and cable are priced from 1000 US dollars. This price favorably compares when taking into account the unit's long life, low maintenance costs, and exceptional reliability. The low power consumption of SMAC actuators means that the energy they use is typically less than 5 percent of a comparable pneumatic device.

SMAC Inc. is the world leader in Moving Coil Actuators and associated control systems. Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, USA, SMAC has subsidiaries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. SMAC delivers high tech solutions to industry with single and multi axes linear, linear/rotary actuators, integrated XY and XYZ stages, positioning stages and electronic control solutions.

All Topics