Chapter 5: Power Sources

Actuators are the key to allowing machines to become more sophisticated and perform complex tasks that were previously done by humans, providing motion in a safe, controlled manner. As defined in this book, actuator design is a subset of mechanical design. It involves engineering the mechanical components necessary to make a product move as desired. Fundamentals of Engineering High-Performance Actuator Systems, by Ken Hummel, was written as a text to supplement actuator design courses, and a reference to engineers involved in the design of high-performance actuator systems. It highlights the design approach and features what should be considered when moving a payload at precision levels and/or speeds that are not as important in low-performance applications. The main areas covered in this book are: Fundamentals of actuator design Actuator performance Loads that the actuator and its surrounding structure must accommodate Constraints which determine the type of load the actuator needs to accommodate The design margin applied to components of any given design Environment which must include the interactions between product and the conditions it will have to perform under Component strength to ensure safety from failure Component stiffness Maintainability Reliability Cost