Solutions in Motion™

Without actuators, everything would come to a standstill. That’s because actuators make things happen, literally keeping automated production plants moving, industrial doors operating, and so on. But they come in several styles, so how do you know which type to use?

Here are some tips to help choose between linear and rotary actuators.

"Persistence is very important. You should not give up unless you are forced to give up.” — Elon Musk, SpaceX Founder

Persistence is exactly what 60 University of Michigan students are practicing after an unexpected turn of events at SpaceX's 2018 Hyperloop Pod Competition.

When looking for a cost-effective and efficient solution for your rod cylinder application, you may be looking at many different options. The trick is to fit your rod cylinder to the requirements of your application, and with our OVLPRO options, we can help. Here’s how to properly size and select the right OVLPRO rod cylinder, from our VP of Engineering & General Manager, Chad Randleman.

No matter what your industry, the equipment in your production facilities has certain requirements in common. It has to provide:

• Durability and reliability that ensure maximum uptime
• Benefits that ensure a strong return on investment

And it has to be a perfect fit for your operating environment. But not all environments are equal. Some, such as automated assembly in the medical and semiconductor industries, are far more demanding. Here, positioning equipment must perform with ultra-high precision and stability, often at very high speeds and in limited space. And components have to be appropriate for clean environments. Without all that, you cannot maintain the integrity of products coming off the line.

A low profile oval bore cylinder may be the perfect product for your application. Here's why.

For approximately 60 University of Michigan students, this summer is unlike any other. As participants in Elon Musk's Hyperloop Pod Competition, the students worked tirelessly adjusting their team's pod design, testing controls and functions, and completing documentation after classes ended in the spring. Even full-time jobs and long distances couldn't stop them from fulfilling this project, goal, and dream.

As they approached the July 22nd competition, we caught up with Stephanie Shantz, Michigan Hyperloop member, to learn what the team worked on this summer and how they're feeling about the big day. Here's what we learned.

Here at W.C. Branham, we define our products as problem-solvers. But, we admit, we are just a little biased. So when a customer shares a story of how a Branham product solved their thorny problem, that’s a story we want to share with everyone. After all, you never know when someone else’s design “win” might be exactly the solution to your problem, too. The subject of today's story: spring applied hydraulic brakes.

Spring applied hydraulic brakes are the go-to choice when you need to hold industrial equipment or heavy machinery in place, reliably. In an emergency, or to prevent an emergency from happening, you need equipment that can be stopped without question. It's the only way you can work safer with confidence.

When properly sizing and selecting a DURATRK rodless cylinder for your next cylinder application, the goal is to determine the amount of cylinder force necessary to provide a cost-effective and efficient solution.

DURATRK rodless cylinders are available in bore sizes from 18mm up to 63mm bore, and are available in stroke lengths from a few inches to 16 feet. With that flexibility and customization comes the importance of properly calculating and sizing the perfect rodless cylinder for your application:

By definition, actuators either move things or stop them. In industrial design and other heavy-duty applications, actuators — or cylinders — provide the driving force that moves (or holds) machinery components. You may ask, "Should I choose pneumatic cylinders for my design or some other type? Well, that depends on what you need to move, in what way, and under what conditions.

Pneumatic cylinders are powered by compressed air. But cylinders can also be powered by pressurized fluid (hydraulic), by electricity, or by hand (mechanical). For obvious practicality reasons, we can rule out hand-cranked cylinders for industrial applications.

Think a cable cylinder might be the best actuator to your design project? Well, which one do you need? There are rodless cable cylinders, guided cable cylinders, single acting cable cylinders, and linear tension cable cylinders.

Some aspects of cable cylinders are the same regardless of model. But of course, there are differences too, and it’s those differences that can help point you in the right direction. You can get the full story by downloading our Cable Cylinder Catalog, which includes a selection guide and sizing worksheet. Here’s an overview to get you started uncovering the secrets of fluid power.

When searching for the perfect magnetically-coupled cylinder for your next rodless cylinder application, there are certain observations you must make.

In our new video, Chad Randleman, VP of Engineering & General Manager of W.C. Branham, explains how to do just that: