Rotary & Indexing Actuators

Ditton supplies Rotomation pneumatic rotary actuators for angular positioning, part transfer and indexing. Rotomation has built rack-and-pinion actuators since 1967, and roughly 40 per cent of what they ship is a custom configuration — useful where a catalogue unit does not fit the motion or envelope.

Selecting a rotary actuator

• Torque — must exceed load torque plus acceleration and friction. Rack-and-pinion torque is roughly constant across rotation, unlike a vane design.
• Rotation — standard 90, 180 and 360 degrees. Check whether adjustable stops are required, and the repeatability those stops hold.
• Inertia, not just mass — a light load on a long radius can exceed the actuator energy capacity. Deceleration at end of travel usually needs cushions or shock absorbers.
• Shaft loading — side and thrust loads on the output shaft may require a bearing support.
• Dual-rack versus single-rack — dual-rack roughly doubles torque in the same envelope.

Send the load, radius, rotation and cycle time, and we will size a unit or refer a custom configuration to Rotomation.