Types of Actuator Mounting

Electric linear actuators have become more and more prevalent in many industries, such as medical, furniture, and industrial. Electric actuators provide many benefits vs. other actuators, mainly because of their flexibility and customizability.

When selecting an actuator for your application, there are many specifications to take into account. A few of the most important considerations are load, speed, stroke length, and retracted length. While all of these are completely customizable, there are only a few options on how to mount the electric actuator onto your application.

Clevis Mounting:

Using a clevis and a mounting pin is the most common mounting technique for electric linear actuators. This option gives you the ability to allow your actuator to pivot from both sides. There are no brackets or different supports to stop the movement of the housing tube. TiMOTION offers a few different options for your front and rear clevis, including 0°, 90°, and 270°.

Most of the applications using electric linear actuators will use clevis attachments for mounting.

Rod End Bearing:

At TiMOTION, we offer a“Universal Joint" (often referred to as a“rod end bearing”). The rod end bearing joint's advantage is that the ball insert permits the rod or bolt passing through it to be misaligned to a limited degree (an angle other than 90 degrees). A link terminated in two Heim joints allows misalignment of your attached shafts, and of if a bolt is added, the installation length can be adjusted.

This is commonly used in a window opener application.

Trunnion Mounting:

Trunnion mounts are customized mounting blocks that are located at the front or the rear of the actuator or at any place on the outer tube. This mounting technique is used when the body and the cylinder need to move. In the example below, the trunnion mount is on the outer tube, allowing the manufacturer to avoid having to pin the rear.

Trunnion mounts are most commonly found in industrial applications such as ATV/UTV attachments.

While these are the common actuator mounting options, TiMOTION does offer other custom options.

When sourcing an electric linear actuator for your application, it is important to consider many factors. Planning ahead about how you are going to mount your actuator is an important factor that should not be overlooked.

If you want to learn more, reach out to our TiMOTION Sales Team.