Tolomatic’s stainless-steel ERD electric cylinders with optional reverse-parallel motor mounts are ideal for food and beverage and washdown environments, where corrosion resistance, compact size and flexible motor sizing are important features. The reverse-parallel motor mount reduces the length of the actuator to fit in tighter spaces, and belt reduction options offer flexibility in sizing the motor. In addition to presenting a more compact package, the addition of a rear clevis pivot mount provides greater mounting versatility.

“Two sizes of the ERD with reverse-parallel motor mounts are available with 300-series stainless-steel and IP67 options, making them the only catalog stainless-steel electric actuator product family of its kind,” said Aaron Dietrich, marketing manager, Tolomatic. “This makes a great solution for the food and beverage industry or any application that requires washdown protection or corrosion resistance. In addition, the reverse-parallel design offers a belt reduction drive with a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1 in the ERD15 and ERD20, allowing greater flexibility in motor sizing.”

The ERD is an economical rod-style electric actuator series designed as an alternative to pneumatic cylinders and an option for automating manual processes. The stainless-steel construction options are suitable for a wide variety of food and beverage applications, including volumetric filling, slicing, cutting, product changeovers, diverting/sorting, packaging and more. The actuators can be built to order in stroke lengths up to 24 inches (609.6 mm) and shipped in five days.

The ERD electric cylinders with reverse-parallel motor mounts are available in two body sizes that are approximately equivalent to 1.5” (38.1 mm) and 2” (50.8 mm) bore pneumatic cylinders. The actuators are available with forces up to 500 pounds (2,224 N) and speeds up to 40 in/sec (101.6 cm/sec). The ERD in the reverse-parallel configuration is compatible with most NEMA and metric mount stepper and servo motors to create a flexible, powerful electric actuator solution.

All 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 trunnion mount, foot mounts or a front flange mount.

The ERD electric cylinders 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.