efficiency Performance Delivery Quality
You can place your trust in our four core principles. These underpin what you can achieve with us, the extensive product range available to you and how you can expect to be treated throughout your experience with Olsen. Harness our passion, motivation and experience in this industry to push your products and systems forward.
efficiency - You can achieve significant efficiency benefits in switching to the Olsen product range. When choosing electric over hydraulic or pneumatic power, significant energy savings will be achieved, maintenance will be reduced and running costs will come down. Let our passion drive your progress to efficiency.
Performance - You will find a curated range of products that deliver exceptional performance. We don't believe in shortcuts or quick fixes. If you are looking for a range of products that provide industry-leading quality, reliability and excellence, then we can help.
Delivery - Enjoy strong, long-lasting relationships with Olsen. You get the dedication and support you require to make sure your order arrives on time and to the right specification. You can take advantage of our great support throughout the design, buying and installation process and again when you are up and running.
Quality - You deserve the best in class and to work with proven reliable long-life products which will offer +10 years lifetime with no headaches or maintenance. You can find the strongest, fastest, highest possible build quality for commercial off the shelf COTS technology. 2 years warranty as standard, optional extended warranty available.
As the UK's exclusive supplier of Exlar Electric Roller Screw actuators, Anca Motion Linear Motors and Macron Gantry Systems, Olsen Actuators provides you with the best electro-mechanical solutions for a wide range of industry sectors.
You will be in esteemed company as we have supplied solutions to the aerospace, defence and military, marine, submarine, food manufacturing and power generation industries who trust our expertise, product quality and delivery for mission-critical systems.
You can choose to purchase a complete packaged solution or just the components and make the integrations yourselves. You choose. Either way, you will be supported with expert knowledge and the right product for your application.
What is an actuator?
Actuators are the mechanical component of a machine or system which provides movement. They can provide either rotary or linear motion and are typically split into 3 main categories based on the type of power they employ for propulsion.
- Pneumatic
- Hydraulic
- Electric
Pneumatic – Uses compressed air under pressure to drive a shaft to create movement. Typically very durable and suitable for environments where ignition or electricity is a challenge or a danger to use. The accuracy and efficiency can be lower than electric and hydraulics alternatives.
Hydraulic – uses fluid under pressure in a similar way to pneumatics. Typically used in very high force applications or where the compressor or motor is required to be housed far away from the actuator. Also susceptible to leaks and inefficiencies. Hydraulic fluid can damage environmental systems or consumable products.
Electric – An electric actuator is a device that creates smooth motion control by utilising an electrical motor to generate the required force. Electric actuators typically convert the rotations in gears into straight or linear motion for precise repeatability in movements such as lifting/lowering. Electric linear actuators are more accurate and efficient than conventional hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. An electrical actuator is commonly utilised in the operation of highly accurate movement, lifting, sealing, pressing, closing and opening. This means they can be found in applications as diverse as medical devices, manufacturing automation, submarines, food processing, power generation, testing & simulation, control valves and many more. If it needs to be moved accurately, efficiently and dependably, then electric actuators are a great solution.
Electrical actuators may be further subdivided depending on how the electrical power is deployed to create movement.
Ball screw – ball bearings are fed around a thread form with matching grooves to the ball bearing form. These bearings transmit the force which is converted to motion. Ball screws are typically used where the duty cycle, force and speed is low. They can suffer from brinelling and lower life expectancies.
Roller Screw – Multiple roller screws with helical threads are assembled in a planetary system around the screw threaded shaft. The high number of contact points means high torque, power and longevity. This makes roller screw actuators the ideal choice for applications with continuous or heavy load cycles.
Inverted Roller Screw – the shaft and screw are inverted in this design. The nut has a threaded inner diameter and the nut is made to the length of the stroke. The design makes the actuator more compact as the transmission is integrated in the rotor of the servo motor.
Tubular Linear Actuators – Contactless direct-drive motion without any contact between forcer and shaft. Lower force than roller screw but with no wear or need for lubrication or maintenance. Ideal for use in food production and sterile environments.
Linear or rotary actuator?
Rotary actuators rotate from open to closed. The electromagnetic power is generated from the motor, which causes the components within the rotary actuator to rotate. A circular shaft or a table can be used as the rotary element that provides the rotary motion.
In contrast, Linear electric actuators open and close utilising pinch, globe, diaphragm, gate, or angle valves. Linear actuators are often utilised when tight tolerances are required. Linear electric actuators have the load connected to the end of a screw that is either belt or gear driven.
