Finding the right linear actuator

[chris magruder]

This email is for those that were working on the arm design and more specifically, trying to find the right linear actuator for the arm. 

For those that don't know, we are trying to find a linear actuator that we can use that has a 4 inch stroke, can lift 200+ lbs, and has a speed of around 1" per second.

I have been searching and searching and I cannot find a company that will supply them for less than $400. So why don't we make one....

Here is my idea:

We have a fast motor geared down so it is still fast but has some torque, then we attach a threaded rod to the shaft (or get a bolt thats > 4") and on the shaft we have a teflon (teflon so it has low friction) nut that is threaded. So when motor turns threaded shaft, the bolt moves along it. (its basically the exact same thing as an actuator, just a tad bit different) I see these all the time on home made CNC machines. 

Let me know what you think. 

[Michal Talarczyk]

Do you have a plan on gearing down a motor, or just getting a low geared high torque motor?

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Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:38:50 -0500
Subject: Finding the right linear actuator
From: magru...@gmail.com
To: ieee-rob...@googlegroups.com

[chris magruder]

Either or, it really doesn't matter to me.