More energy efficiency in the medium power range

Thomson Industries, Inc. is now offering its Electrak MD linear actuator as a 48-volt model. The availability of a 48-volt actuator that can handle loads of up to 2 kN benefits battery-powered system developers in the form of improved energy efficiency, simplified cable routing and expanded control options - previously only available with larger, more expensive actuators.

"The more electrical functions and axes of motion a vehicle has, the more sense it makes to use more powerful batteries to power the actuators. By expanding our portfolio of Electrak MD actuators to 48 volts, we are reducing the power consumption to half that of a 24-volt model and a quarter of that of a 12-volt model. This opens up new opportunities for profitable innovations in vehicle systems," explains Anders Karlsson, Senior Product Manager, Linear Actuators at Thomson.

The new voltage standard

Modern battery technology has made significant progress in terms of both performance and power density. 48-volt batteries are now standard in material handling and agricultural machines. Since comparable load ratings are achieved with significantly lower power consumption, designers benefit from numerous advantages:

• Improved energy efficiency, including reduced costs and reduced waste heat
• Saved wiring costs and simplified cable routing thanks to smaller cable cross-sections
• Longer permissible cable lengths with 10-fold reduction in voltage drop
• Extended control options through more efficient integration via CANopen, SAE J1939 and smart functions such as position feedback.

Extended areas of application

The Electrak MD 48 V actuator model enables extended axis control wherever 48-volt batteries are used. This particularly benefits logistics and material handling applications, both operator-controlled forklifts and autonomous driverless transport vehicles (AGVs).

But agricultural machinery is another area of ​​application. Actuators in electric PTOs on modern tractors, for example, allow power to be transferred from the tractor to the implement, while the low power requirement makes the entire system more efficient. Likewise, the low power requirement could improve the efficiency of automatic harvesters.

A perfect fit

The availability of the Electrak MD 48 V complements Thomson's voltage range. Designers can now flexibly combine 12, 24 and 48 volt actuators to move loads up to 25 kN without having to configure subsystems such as DC converters.

"With six or seven automated axles, each drawing around five amps, you may still need to provide 100 amps of inrush current for the motors. This leaves little room to power actuators for auxiliary functions such as adjustment flaps or locks. With the Electrak MD 48 V you can cover everything without specifying an unnecessarily large system," Karlsson continues.

The Thomson Electrak MD 48 V is now available.