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Industrial Automation and Motion Control Blog | The Knotts Company

New Food Grade Electric Actuators from American Actuators

Posted by Mark Guida

Mar 5, 2013 9:00:00 AM

American Actuators, Inc. (part of the Precision Technology Group) is pleased to extend the range the VICTORY Series of actuators with versions specifically designed to meet the requirements of industries including food and beverage production, food packaging, and pharmaceutical equipment. These industry applications are harsh on general purpose actuators due to the caustic cleaning agents and high pressure washdown regiments. 

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Topics: manufacturing, robotics, automation control, electric cylinder, motion, engineered solutions

Electro-Mechanical Solutions Offer OEM and End-User Benefits

Posted by Mark Guida

Jan 23, 2013 7:19:00 AM

Editor's Note: This post was provided by Precision Technology.

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Topics: industrial automation nj/ny, automation solutions, robotics, technology, electric cylinder, motion control

Reduction of Costs Using Electric Actuators

Posted by Mark Guida

Jul 30, 2012 9:54:00 AM

In today's high-paced, tight-fisted economy, cost savings and efficiency are keys to a company's success.  This is particularly true in manufacturing.  For many years pneumatic cylinders have been the staple of motion axes in machines; they are cheap, quick, and are capable of high force outputs.  

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Topics: cost savings, automation solutions, robotics, improvement, electric cylinder, automation

Understanding Machine Automation Terminology

Posted by Mark Guida

Mar 1, 2012 3:09:00 PM

With the technology today in motion control and machine automation, there can be a large number of terms used that are unfamiliar.  This can lead to miscommunication or in the worst case, a machine that does not work.  Here's a short list of common components and terms that are commonly used with respect to machine automation that will hopefully help to reduce some confusion.

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Topics: industrial automation nj/ny, robotics, technology, electric cylinder, motion, motion control, assembly, automation, sensor, controls, vision, automated inspection, ethercat, industrial vision

Automation 101 - Programming Robots Made Easy

Posted by Mark Guida

Sep 6, 2011 10:43:00 AM

Welcome to Automation 101, a weekly "tips and tricks" post where we will discuss technologies and programming of today's top automation products.

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Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, industrial automation nj/ny, technology, automation control, electric cylinder, motion control

Air or Electric Cylinder. How Do You Choose?

Posted by Mark Howe

Jul 12, 2011 2:44:00 PM

It is becoming an increasing important question when building automated machines. What is best for my application? Pneumatic or Electric actuator.  Both actuators have their pros and cons.  When it comes down to it, there are a handful of reasons why to use one over another.

While they are different as night and day, the way you size them is very similar.  You just need to know some basic information to start the decision process.
  • Load
  • Speed or cycle time
  • Stroke
Once you know this information you can size your cylinder as needed.  Beyond that information, air and electric start to differ.

Air will never be replaced.  No matter what anyone says, air does have its place and it has some key features that eclectic just can’t match up to.
  • Speed
  • Power
  • Size
  • Simplicity
To get an air cylinder to move faster, the air flow needs to be increase.  The size of the unit versus the power it puts out can’t even be matched by an electric cylinder.  If all you need is two points then air is the way to go and simple compared to electric.

Like air, electric cylinders do have their merits.
  • Multiple Positions
  • Overall Cost
  • Acceleration and deceleration
  • Accuracy and Repeatability
These are just a few aspects that air can’t match electric.  With an electric cylinder, you have complete control over the acceleration and deceleration. An application example for acceleration and deceleration is handling of liquids or fragile materials.  Electric cylinders give you the ability to program and control multiple positions with high accuracy and repeatability.  And last, there is the ‘Green’ factor.  The overall operating cost of electric can be anywhere from 1/3 to 1/10 the cost of air.  

So overall they both have their benefits over each other and it really comes down to if it fits the application.  If they both fit the application, then it really just comes down to what the user prefers as well as the application.  Air or electric?
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Topics: cost savings, manufacturing, cost effective, industrial automation nj/ny, technology, electric cylinder, air cylinder, knotts company

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