Not Just Any Actuator,
Your Actuator

A leading Minnesota manufacturer of fluid control valves identified a need for precision fluid flow control. They envisioned a system consisting of a valve and an actuator that precisely controlled the flow of fluids for numerous applications including hydraulics, irrigation, spreader control and food processing. The company designed their own actuator to attach to their existing valve products. Because of the variety of applications, they created 20 distinct part configurations to accommodate various actuator options. Despite confidence in the concept, the company struggled to manage the multiple-part configurations as well as significant quality issues with their internally designed actuator that limited its lifespan. The company was introduced to PEM and challenged them to come up with a simplified actuator design that minimized part numbers and would last for 1 million cycles.

PEM designed an actuator family configurable by the manufacturer depending on their customer’s application. The design architecture included custom limit switches, a long-life potentiometer, and various control options including CAN bus, 0-10v, On/Off, or POT control. PEM’s flexible design reduced the number of part numbers from over 20 to 5. PEM’s approach allowed rotational speed to be configured at time of use with speeds ranging from 1.25 seconds to 45 seconds for 90 degrees of rotation. Multiple speed settings were accomplished with 2 Planetary gear systems, and a custom potentiometer that eliminated the wiper found on standard potentiometers that operated for over 1 million cycles.

PEM’s control system allows the manufacturer to sell a precise fluid flow control system with significant advantages over traditional valve and solenoid systems. The system controls the valve with 1 degree of precision with continuous feedback of the actual position. The position can be set over CAN bus, Ethernet IP or 0-10V signals—offering significant flexibility to the end user. Using an actuator to control the valve offers significant power savings over solenoid systems as they only energize when moving; actuators do not need to be powered to hold a specific position.

PEM’s control system’s ability to set and hold flow rates is a significant improvement over pulse width modulated solenoid systems with external sensors. The simple design eliminates pilot hydraulic systems and provides precise fly-by-wire control.

After years of market success, the company later approached PEM to design a system capable of high temperature operation with an IP68 environmental rating to control filtration of hot oil in a fast-food processing application. Expanding the capabilities of the rotary controlled valve extended the manufacturer’s target market into the growing food processing market.

PEM has provided solutions to this manufacturer for more than 20 years with products supporting hydraulics, irrigation, OEM off-road and food processing markets. By working with PEM on the actuator design, the company was able to focus its efforts on its core valve technology—improving the design, functionality and profitability of the total product offering.