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Actuators are typically made
from aluminum - but why?
- Low weight- good for
manual handling, reduces mounting loading and distortion.
- Overcomes problems where
actuators are not mounted vertically above the valve.
- Relatively low cost / high
specification material.
- Low coefficient of
expansion so tends not to create problems due to thermal
cycling.
- Relatively easy to cast
and extrude and so is economic to produce accurate
castings.
- Relatively easy and
therefore cost effective to machine accurately.
- The problem that relative
to steel/iron the material, in its untreated state, is
relatively soft and not particularly hard wearing.
Why do we use Ceramigard
To extend actuator life by being:-
- More resilient to
particles entering the unit.
- More wear resistant than
untreated or anodised aluminum.
-
Corrosion resistant.
How and what do we do to the product?
- Applied to the body of the actuator - an intentional
oxidisation of the surface.
- End caps are anodised.
- Aluminum trioxide Al203 a very hard
crystalline surface treatment up to 125um (anodising up to
30um only).
- Forms a compressive skin that won't de-laminate.
- Very hard finish.
- Wear resistant.
- Toughens up threads.
- Very small increase in size.
- Pockets equivalent to 1 foot wide and 100 yards deep - good
for grease retention.
- Corrosion resistant.
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