sponsoredLinear technology Electromechanical cylinders – Standard component or trendsetter?

They are among the hidden champions in factory automation: Electromechanical cylinders are impressively simple in design, versatile in application, and energy-efficient. Five trends characterize the current development of actuators.

Electromechanical cylinders are indispensable in production. They position, pivot, lift, press, join, punch, crimp, and rivet. Because they convert motor torque directly into motion, they operate very energy-efficiently and play an important role in climate protection as part of electrification. Of course, process quality and overall costs must also be in line. The continuation of this success story is ensured by the following five points:

1. Potential for standardization is increasing

Climate-friendly operation, stable processes, long lifespan, and high standardization potential – these characteristics advocate for the widespread use of electromechanical actuators. Thanks to continuous development by leading manufacturers like Bosch Rexroth, the application field also extends to pneumatic and fluid-driven solutions. When replacing systemically more complex solutions, the overall costs decrease with reduced complexity. Compared to compressed air, electromechanical systems can be better controlled for accuracy. 
The application spectrum ranges from dynamic positioning tasks with forces starting from 0.1 kN to pressing and joining applications with up to 100 kN. Consequently, the target industries are diverse, spanning from semiconductor production and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) to applications in battery manufacturing.

2. High quality in every performance class

At Bosch Rexroth, the actuators are called EMC, which stands for Electro-Mechanical Cylinder. A key to their efficiency lies hidden beneath their casing: the threaded drive. In addition to the typical ball screw drive for forces ranging from 0.1 to approximately 30 kN, planetary screw drives are also used for heavy-duty applications. For instance, the "High Power" variant EMC-HP utilizes the proven planetary screw drive PLSA, which allows speeds of up to 0.83 m/s and high continuous performance under harsh environmental conditions, supporting forces up to 100 kN. This is ensured by a dynamic load rating (Cdyn) of up to 189.5 kN, oil bath lubrication, and optionally available water cooling directly at the spindle.

Electromechanical cylinders are both: proven standard components and trendsetters in factory automation

3. Increased lifespan

Bosch Rexroth's range of electromechanical cylinders spans over ten configuration sizes from 32 to 160. The core of the standard EMCs is the ball screw, which is characterized not only by high load capacities but also by exceptionally long lubrication intervals: the current product generation achieves up to 200 million revolutions with the factory-installed base lubrication alone, with the balls covering around 12,800 km along the spindle – roughly the distance from Germany to Hawaii. 
With the so-called lifetime lubrication, EMCs with the "Lubricated For Life" option can even achieve a nominal lifespan of up to 15,000 km. Including re-lubrication, they achieve over 50,000 km of performance. In total, Bosch Rexroth creates optimal conditions to minimize both operating costs and environmental impact. The longer the lubrication interval, the more resource-efficient the solution.

4. Time savings in engineering

Together, the Bosch Rexroth catalog encompasses around 3,000 different cylinder configurations. To help even inexperienced users quickly design, detail, and optimize their machine and plant components amidst increasing time and cost pressures, Bosch Rexroth has developed a groundbreaking web-based engineering tool: the EMC Selector. 
With a user-friendliness previously only seen in modern B2C (Business-to-Consumer) portals, the EMC Selector already offers a glimpse into the future of online sales for complex industrial goods. This simple and convenient online tool encompasses the entire process on a single HTML page: from selection to ordering, including design and functionality aspects. All content dynamically reloads based on user actions. After just a few initial inputs, the Selector suggests suitable products that continuously update. When one is clicked, the Selector immediately displays the technical specifications and a configuration overview. The real-time result visualizes the current project status with a live 3D model based on actual CAD data. This significantly shortens what used to be hours-long engineering projects to just a few minutes.

5. Smart subsystems including software

Time is a precious commodity, not only in engineering but also in production preparation. That's why electromechanical cylinders from Bosch Rexroth, configured and delivered together with a motor, automatically parameterize themselves. The necessary data for the drive controller are pre-stored in the motor data memory and are immediately loaded upon connection. For those thinking more towards the factory of the future, there are also highly integrated and flexible subsystems for pressing and joining tasks: the Smart Function Kit Pressing. These complete subsystems with an electromechanical cylinder not only relieve the design department but also simplify processes in purchasing, assembly, commissioning, programming, quality control, and service. 
The Smart Function Kit Pressing includes not only the EMC but also pre-installed software with a suitable control platform. Ordering is done after a short digital design and configuration under a single material number. On-site, a wizard shortens commissioning to a few minutes. Visual sequencing does not require programming knowledge. Instead, the work process is simply defined through drag-and-drop with function blocks from the software library. Quality monitoring and data exchange for process documentation can be set up just as easily.

Electromechanical cylinders are both: proven standard components and trendsetters in factory automation. When choosing a provider, the rule of thumb is: the higher the integration level of the solution, the more efficient it is. Additionally, it's worthwhile to consider the overall portfolio. Manufacturers offering a broad, freely configurable range from a single source are ahead in terms of future requirements such as climate protection, skilled labor shortage, and flexible manufacturing.