In our current electric system, the product equipment used for electric power throttling operation includes electric actuator and cylinder. What is the comparative knowledge of the energy efficiency of these two types of equipment in use?

In horizontal reciprocating motion with short reciprocating period (less than 1min), the operating energy consumption of electric actuator is usually lower than that of cylinder, which means more energy saving. When the reciprocating motion cycle is longer (more than 1min), the cylinder actually becomes more energy-saving. First of all, the controller of the electric actuator usually needs to consume about 10W of power when the terminal stops, while the cylinder only has the power consumption of the solenoid valve and gas leakage, which is generally lower than 1W, that is, the longer the terminal stops, the better for the cylinder; Secondly, the rated efficiency of the motor can reach more than 90% under the condition of continuous rotation, but the average efficiency is less than 50% under the condition of platform acceleration and deceleration rotation in linear reciprocating motion (lead screw conversion). In vertical reciprocating motion, the holding action of clamping workpiece requires constant supply of current to the electric actuator to overcome gravity, while the cylinder only needs to close the solenoid valve, which consumes little power. Therefore, the energy consumption advantage of electric actuator is not great compared with that of cylinder in vertical reciprocating motion.

To sum up, we should be able to understand that the motor itself is highly efficient, but considering its efficiency decline and the power consumption of the controller in the reciprocating linear motion, the electric actuator may not necessarily save energy than the cylinder. The specific comparison depends on the actual working conditions, namely, the installation direction, the reciprocating motion cycle and the load rate. Therefore, if circumstances permit, when selecting energy-saving equipment, you may wish to consider the electric actuator.