Tolomatic's ERD electric cylinders are now available in six body sizes, expanding the force range from 500 lbf (2.22 kN) to 4,500 lbf (20.03 kN). The ERD is an economical rod-style electric actuator family designed as an alternative to pneumatic cylinders and an option for automating manual processes. The products are suitable for a variety of motion control applications, including washdown environments, product changeovers, diverting/sorting, pressing and heat-staking/sonic welding. The ERD25 and ERD30 hygienic designs are USDA certified for meat (livestock), poultry and dairy processing applications.

"With the expanded force range, the ERD electric cylinder can handle much more demanding jobs and replace most pneumatic cylinders," said Aaron Dietrich, marketing manager, Tolomatic. "As an economical electric actuator platform, the ERD provides excellent efficiency and operating flexibility over its pneumatic counterparts."

The ERD electric cylinder family is available in stroke lengths up to 40 inches (1,016 mm), speeds up to 57.5 inches/sec. (1,460.5 mm/sec.), and forces up to 4,500 lbf (20.03 kN), depending on the size and screw choice. The product family is available with ball screws, roller screws and acme screws for a variety of cost, force, speed and life options to fit most applications. The ERD is also compatible with most third-party servo and stepper motors (NEMA and metric), creating a flexible, powerful electric actuator solution. The motors can be mounted inline with the actuator or in a reverse-parallel motor mount that makes a more compact package with belt reduction options that offer flexibility in sizing the motor.

"All six sizes of the ERD are available in 300-series stainless steel and with IP67 or IP69k options, making it the only catalog stainless-steel electric actuator product family of its kind," said Dietrich. "This product is an ideal solution for the food and beverage industry or other extreme environments that involve washdown with harsh or corrosive liquids."

ERD products are round bodied, following the design of most pneumatic actuators in this performance class. The rear head of the actuator features an oversized main bearing to accommodate high thrust loads and provide long life. The main tube and thrust tube are made of stainless steel for high rigidity and corrosion resistance, while the metric-threaded nose mount accepts a jam nut that provides convenient mounting for many applications. Mounting options include a rear clevis, rear trunnion mount, foot mounts or a front flange mount.

The ERD actuators can accommodate six different sensing or switching choices: reed, solid state PNP (sourcing) or solid state NPN (sinking), normally open, flying leads or quick-disconnect. The switches are activated by a standard internal magnet located inside the thrust tube. Commonly used for end-of-stroke positioning, these switches allow clamp-on installation anywhere along the actuator tube. All switches are CE rated and are RoHS compliant for environmental compatibility.