Electricity + Control June 2017

COVER ARTICLE

OEMs and end users − Can you afford not to GO ELECTRIC?

FEATURES: • Pressure+ levelmeasurement • Cables+ accessories

• Control systems+ automation • Electrical protection+ safety • Plantmaintenance, test+measurement

SMC Pneumatics looks into the benefits of specifying electric actuators

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I t is generally accepted that electric actuators provide flexibility plus precise control in terms of position control, speed control, torque control and variable acceleration and deceleration, when compared to the use of standard pneumatic actuators.Whilst falling energy charges have helped address some of the cost issues when using compressed air, high maintenance and operating expenses still remain a major factor. Electric actuators are particularly suitable when used in medium sized applications. Their flexibility of performance, coupled with their excellent energy efficiency and lower maintenance and replacements costs can be enjoyed, without the high generation and maintenance costs associated with compressed air systems. In reality, the power draw of the motor is largely responsible for the operating costs as the low voltage circuitry in the amplifier and the controller consume minimal amounts of energy.The largest costs in manufacturing applications today are usually down to changes or adaptions to an assembly line to accommodate a different product – manual changeovers. These can be incredibly expensive in terms of lost production and engineering time to make these changes. However, because electric actuators are programmable, changeover costs can be dramatically reduced. When you consider the efficiency gained during changeover activi- ties, plus the added energy efficiency when using electric actuators, the higher initial component costs are soon negated. SMC, which is traditionally recognised as the world leaders in pneumatic technol- ogy, has embraced the development of electric actuators and now has one of the most impressive ranges of electric drive and control ranges around.

SMC’s latest catalogue of electric actuators and controllers has over 900 pages of product information to help you select the right solution. Today it can offer customers simple, easy to programme and easy to use controllers for the majority of the electric actuator range or technically advanced high performance Series LEY, LEYG, LEF and LEJ options for use in more demanding applications. Additionally, if you have a well-established motor and control philosophy then why not take advantage of SMC’s motor-less option? As standard, these actuators can be specified to match a comprehensive list of over 14 motor manufacturers. “Today, we have a range of electric actuators to meet virtually any need and our controller range has expanded accordingly,” confirmed Ernst Smith, Product Manager at SMC Pneumatics SouthAfrica. “Over the past fewmonths we have been promoting the fact the SMC ismore than just pneumatics and when customers see our new electric actua- tor catalogue they will find everything they will need to go electric.”

Enquiries SMC South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 11 100 5866 Email: sales@smcpneumatics.co.za

June ‘17 Electricity+Control

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