Electricity + Control February 2017

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Actuator Technical Services (ATS) is situated in Jet Park, Boks-
burg, one of the vibrant manufacturing hubs of Ekurhuleni,
South Africa. Established in 1979 by Fanie Opperman, ATS
locally designs and manufactures Quarter Turn, Linear Pneumatic
and Hydraulic actuators to customer specifications, locally and in
many parts of the world.
A little history
In Fanie Opperman’s words: “After working a number of years for an
international actuator company based in South Africa, I saw the pos-
sibilities of a local Company, which will specialise in manufacturing
Pneumatic valve actuators and various other related products. In May
1979 my wife, Barbara, and I took the bold step, and started Actuator
Technical Services cc. The only finance we had was our Metal Indus-
tries Pension Fund valued at +/- R3 500. In 1992, we moved into our
own premises in Jet Park and set-up a very successful manufacturing
plant”. Casper and Elize Broodryk (the Opperman’s daughter) became
owners of the company in 2010 when Fanie retired.
The ATS actuator range
The ATS actuator range is adaptable, trusted and reliable. A wide
range of valves can be fitted with ATS Actuators, e.g. Butterfly valves,
Knife Gate valves, Ball valves, Plug valves, Gate Valves ,Globe valves,
Diaphragm valves and Pinch valves.
Product identification
The products are identified by the letters BG for Quarter Turn, followed
by another letter, i.e. ‘L’ indicating that the actuator has a linear mo-
tion or ‘BG/H’ indicating that the actuator is Hydraulic powered. The
Pneumatic actuator is designed for the local market and is distributed
worldwide on valves through valve manufacturers in South Africa.
The Scotch yoke, with its unique design, is used to cater for various
valve torque requirements. BG Quarter Turn actuators do not have
side loads within the frame, as the side load is taken up by a slide bar
Inside The Manufacturing HUB
VALVES + ACTUATORS
within the frame which eliminates friction and wear. All single acting
units are fitted with a spring that is encapsulated to prevent death or
serious injury when the actuator is dismantled.
Design
Casper discusses the design: “The BG Quarter Turn design is based
on one type of frame to which different size cylinders can be mounted
which has great advantages when sizing different types of valves.
Cost saving, adaptability, inline maintenance and interchangeability
are some of the benefits. The actuators’ high quality and reliability
make our products a sound investment”.
Spring valves
Asked about Spring valves, Casper responds: “In the past and, unfor-
tunately still today, actuator manufacturers have not, and do not ap-
preciate that Spring Return Actuators or Double Acting Actuators are
very dangerous pieces of equipment”. In ATS actuators the capsulated
design is utilised for many reasons which include (among others):
• The spring capsule can be removed without danger
• By compressing the spring 1mm, the full pre-set thrust is achieved
• The spring cannot flip or jump as all the energy is within the capsule
• The spring coils are not exposed and therefore cannot nip or
amputate fingers
• The spring cannot damage the bore of the cylinder
• The pre-set of the spring cannot be tampered with
The team
A very close-knit enterprise, ATS has retained the values instilled in
the early years. The company comprises a teamof dedicated individu-
als – management and employees – who value each other; therefore
regular training takes place, mentorship is ongoing and ‘wellbeing
for all’ is the order of the day.
Enquiries:Tel. +27 (0) 11 397 4756
or email
ATS Admin staff: Tanita, Casper, Elize, Japie, Magda, Rebecca,
Alishé and Gert.
ATS factory staff: (Back): Japie, Sam, Vuyo, Zolani, Jimmy and
Jacob. (Front): Raymond, Alfred, Stanley and Thimoti.
A visit to an actuators factory
Electricity+Control February ‘17 34