Technology

Actuators are the unsung heroes of the manufacturing industry to provide essential linear motion in fabrication processes. Thanks to their low cost and simple technology, pneumatic actuators have remained the industry standard since 1920’s. But, like other archaic technologies, pneumatic actuators lack flexibility, must be adjusted often, have a short lifetime, and they consume a great deal of energy.

 

To put this in perspective, every single pneumatic actuator on the planet is responsible for producing more CO2 emissions than a passenger car (between 1.3 and 15 Tons per year)! In the world, there are over 40 million actuators (estimated) running 24 hours a day.

 

In the domain of assembling, packaging and conditioning machines, linear fast movements are required, mainly realized by pneumatic devices with low efficiency and poor flexibility.

Today tubular linear motor technologies are the best candidates for pneumatic replacements; however, they are commercialized only by very few suppliers worldwide and are offered at very high price with respect to pneumatics, limiting the widespread transition to a fully electric machinery industry.

Our Solution

KOMP-ACT has developed a patented solution proving better performances in terms of speed-cycling rate & efficiency than pneumatic devices and other electric solutions.

The solution comprises an enhanced electromagnetic design technology (more compact), proprietary electronics and software control which allows machines programmability & data monitoring system to prevent inadvertent downtime; KOMP-ACT products are produced with novel manufacturing and assembly technologies developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic of Lausanne (The EPFL).

Unlike any other

KOMP-ACT uses electromagnetic technology which does not require mechanical transmission elements like ball screws, toothed belts, or gearboxes to move the shaft, unlike other traditional electromechanical actuators.

 

Our main innovation consists in the use of tubular linear motion technology with an iron core 3-phase stator which provides higher continuous force density and better heat dissipation with respect to ironless technology, thus enabling higher dynamic performance.

In addition, the use of iron core technology reduces the amount of copper needed to produce force, resulting in lower ohmic resistance and high energy efficiency due to low power losses (copper losses).

As an integral part of our “Pneumatic Zero” initiative, KOMP-ACT aims to replace expensive electric and poor pneumatic performance with clean, lean and green technology.

MORE COMPACT

Thanks to their independence from external compressed air tanks or integrated motors, our actuator’s small footprints can fit the most space-restrained applications.

MORE PERFORMANT

Our actuators reach peak force between 1 and 2,5 milliseconds and have been implemented on machine applications running at 170 cycles/min at full stroke.

MORE RELIABLE

Our intelligent embedded sensors guarantee that motion profiles stay constant throughout their entire lifespan, resulting in virtually no maintenance required.

MORE COST EFFICIENT

Our solution can slash up to 95% in direct and indirect energy costs.

Plug & Play

Thanks to their complete built-in design, KOMP-ACT actuators do not require any additional accessories like other similar electric solutions, which enable customers to achieve significant space and assembly time savings.

 

KOMP-ACT electric actuators have two cables: power and command which are connected to the electronic controllers.

Two electric actuators can be connected and manage to one single controller. The actuators settings can be done through the web server interface, accessible by connecting a Windows laptop to the controller with a USB cable or directly with field bus (require Controller with Field Bus).

FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers

Pneumatic linear actuators use compressed air from an external compressor to move the piston inside the cylinder. As the pressure increases, the cylinder moves along the axis of the piston, creating a linear force. 

 

While the main advantage of pneumatic actuators is their high force density and small footprint, below are some disadvantages related to the use of pneumatic actuators:

 

  • Pneumatic actuators must be selected and calibrated for each specific application and require additional controllers and valves, increasing implementation costs and complexity.
  • Pneumatic actuators require external air compressors that take up a lot of space.
  • Pneumatic actuators require specialised labour to manually maintain constant pressure and avoid performance degradation or machine downtime due to temperature, pressure, dust, and humidity fluctuations.
  • Air compressors must constantly run at operating pressure, even when nothing is moving.
  • The limited supply of compressed air causes work to be performed at lower pressure with less force and slower speed. 
  • Compressed air is susceptible to contamination from oil or lubricants, resulting in downtime and maintenance. 
  • Compressed air is a consumable, and the compressor and lines require frequent maintenance, which increases costs.

Hydraulic linear actuators work similarly to pneumatic actuators, but instead of compressed air, an incompressible fluid from a pump moves the piston inside the cylinder.

Although they are much more efficient than pneumatic and traditional electric actuators, hydraulic actuators leak, resulting in lower efficiency and cleanliness issues, which in turn can cause damage to surrounding components and areas.

In addition, hydraulic actuators require many complementary parts, including a fluid reservoir, motor, pump, drain valves, and heat exchangers, as well as noise reduction devices that significantly increase the cost of their implementation.

Electric linear actuators use a mechanically connected electric motor to turn a threaded spindle. A threaded nut or ball nut with corresponding threads to those of the screw is prevented from rotating with the screw. As the spindle rotates, the nut is carried along the thread. The direction in which the nut moves depends on the direction in which the spindle rotates, and also returns the actuator to its original position.

 

Here are some disadvantages related to the sue of traditional electric actuators:

 

  • Due to the rotating to linear mechanism, the movement is rather slow and is in the range of 10 to 100 mm/s.
  • Lifespan limitation due to wearing of the lead screw and nut.
  • Frequent lubrication of the gears is required.
  • A constantly running motor will overheat, increasing wear on the reduction gear. The motor can also be large and cause installation problems.
  • The selected motor fixes the force, thrust and speed limits of the drive to a fixed setting. If other values of force, thrust and speed are desired, the motor must be replaced.

 

In contrast, KOMP-ACT direct drive actuators and linear motors’ movement is provided by an electromagnetic interaction between the iron core stator containing the coils and the rotor containing the permanent magnets. 

 

Here are some of their main advantages:

 

  • Fast speed 2 m/sec., high cycle rate from 300 to 1,500 cycles/min depending on stroke. 
  • Superior positioning accuracy (better than pneumatics).
  • The iron core stator is a 24 or 48 V three-phase stator to allow easy conversion to machines already using a 24 or 48 V power supply. In addition, 24 or 48 V is a low voltage that poses little risk to operators.
  • Compared to ironless technology, the tubular stator with iron core allows higher power density and better heat dissipation, which translates into higher motion dynamics (speed and number of cycles).
  • The product footprint is also smaller and more efficient thanks to the lower ohmic resistance of the coils.
  • To modulate the electromagnetic interactions between the 3-phase stator and the rotor, a controller is required to control the current induced in the 3-phases according to the position detected by the integrated magnetic encoder.
  • To save space and cost, each electronic controller can operate 2 actuators simultaneously and independently via an end-user software interface that can be accessed by any Windows-based computer by simply entering the IP address. 
  • Fast setup within minutes, with no additional accessories or complex coding required.



Unlike most grippers that use electromechanical force, KOMP-ACT grippers use integrated linear motors that provide greater force and faster maneuverability. In addition, the absence of mechanics makes the fingers particularly small and light, similar to a pneumatic gripper.

No, our actuators are linear motors.

Linear motors are often classified as ironless or iron-cored, referring to the type of construction of their primary parts. In ironless linear motors, the primary consists of windings embedded in epoxy resin. In iron-cored linear motors, the windings are mounted in an iron laminated core.

To test KOMP-ACT products, you might eligible for a free test product, contact us mentioning “FREE TEST PROGRAM”,  someone of our team will contact you to ask you details about your application requirements and than we will suggest the right product for your needs.

KOMP-ACT products are sold through a network of authorized distributors worldwide. To find an authorized distributor near you, visit www.komp-act.com/distributors.

 

If you don’t find yet a distributor near you, please contact us at sales@komp-act.com

Pricing for KOMP-ACT products is not listed online. To obtain a price list, please contact an authorised distributor near you at www.komp-act.com/distributors

 

If you don’t find yet a distributor near you, please contact us at sales@komp-act.com.

KOMP-ACT products can be shipped worldwide.

All KOMP-ACT products are precision-designed, engineered and manufactured in Switzerland.

KOMP-ACT electric actuators can reduce up to 95% of energy expenses related to the op traditional pneumatic actuators.

Aside from replacement at the end of their lifespan, KOMP-ACT actuators require virtually no maintenance throughout their lifespan.

Our actuators work best for applications requiring displacing objects horizontally or vertically at given speeds and cycling rates. However, is also possible to use them for applying a certain level of pressure within certain duty cycles. Contact our team to verify your application.

Any machine equipped with a PLC with digital input/outputs can be retrofitted with our actuators. While our actuators are compact in size and generally fit on almost any machine, it is best to contact us at the beginning of your project prior to designing the machine.

KOMP-ACT actuators can be installed on your machine in minutes. All actuator settings are programmable via an end-user software interface that can be accessed by any Windows-based computer by simply entering the IP address.

While factors such as temperature, speed and applied mass influence the lifespan of different applications, our actuators get over 20 million cycles in typical load condition, which means 40 million strokes with load.

Contact us and discovery our partnership program for specialized distributor in industrial automation, machinery suppliers and design engineering companies.

Technical documentation and CAD files for KOMP-ACT products are available on product pages as well as the Download section in the top navigation menu. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to contact us, we will make our best to contact you in the least amount of time to support your application.

 

A Windows PC and any compatible internet browser.

On demand, we support our customer application with custom design

To view current job openings, please visit our LinkedIn page. If there are no current openings but would like to send us your resume for future consideration, email us any time at hr@komp-act.com.

PRODUCTS

AS SEEN ON

Copyright © KOMP-ACT SA | 2022