Efficiency Effectiveness Survivability Exlar Delivers on all Fronts

In Defence industry applications, “close” isn’t good enough. Whether used for loading munitions or fuel flow, equipment in this industry needs to work on time, every time. Plus, it must promote survivability—withstanding shock, vibration and high temperatures to deliver extended operational life.

By making the move from primarily hydraulic actuators to electromechanical actuators for military vehicles and machinery, industry has acknowledged an overwhelming need for reduced life-cycle costs, increased survivability and stealth capabilities, and improved power efficiency, as well as size and weight optimization. While hydraulic actuators are traditionally associated with high maintenance costs and power consumption, electromechanical actuators fit the mold—pairing energy efficiency with simplified design.

It’s a design that additionally improves survivability while reducing maintenance costs and frequency.

Exlar’s electromechanical actuators deliver on all fronts.

Without requiring additional power capabilities supplied by a military vehicle or machinery for operation, our actuators still boast the power capabilities of legacy hydraulic systems—with greater power efficiency and maintainability. Plus, unlike hydraulic systems, these actuators do not require users to run new or redundant fluid lines, nor do they require a complex support system of valves, pumps or sensors. This means no hydraulic fluid leaks, lower maintenance costs and significantly reduced noise levels.

Electromechanical actuators provide for simplified designs, a more compact footprint and potentially uninterruptible power—for the most mission-critical tasks. This smaller, more lightweight design ensures electromechanical actuators meld seamlessly into vehicles used in stealth applications, where actuators must run as quietly as the hybrid engines commonly employed in these vehicles.

“The move to integrated all-electric designs will significantly improve efficiency, effectiveness and survivability while simultaneously increasing the design flexibility, reducing costs, and enhancing… quality of service.”

Office of Naval Research

Exlar actuators: The power of hydraulic meets the efficiency of electric. Not all actuators are created equal. While electromechanical operation provides many benefits, only Exlar’s roller screw design delivers the full power of hydraulic actuators, without sacrificing efficiency or longevity.

A roller screw is a mechanism for converting rotary torque into linear motion, much like a ball screw.

However, while traditional ball screw driven devices may have offered some power consumption efficiencies, they did not and cannot live up to the life and thrust capabilities of hydraulic actuators. There is only one proven electromechanical alternative to hydraulic actuation. Roller screw devices offer the mechanical efficiencies of the ball screw, but they can also provide greater load carrying capabilities in a smaller package, run at much higher speeds and offer up to 15 times the service life. What’s more, noise levels are significantly reduced and designs are inherently resistant to harsh environmental conditions—not only meeting your actuation requirements, but also providing tangible vehicle design improvements over legacy systems.

Exlar roller screw actuators are built to perform under the most severe environmental conditions. Sealed and designed to inherently resist shock and vibration, whether used on a Navy ship or in a military ground vehicle, and even in operations requiring a 24/7 solution, an Exlar actuator will perform reliably and accurately. This dependability in the field has led Exlar to their role as the world leader in electromechanical industrial-grade, rod-style linear actuators. Exlar’s innovative motor technology is also built to maximize performance in the smallest possible package. Integrated into the patented GS series linear actuator or sold as a stand-alone motor with or without integral gearing, our T-LAM™ designs provide more than 35% more torque than a similarlysized traditionally wound servomotor. Maximizing torque density in a servomotor used to drive a roller screw actuator provides vehicle designers with the load carrying capacity they need in the smallest possible package.

The Defence industry depends on Exlar.

Exlar’s expertise in the Defence industry is reflected by those who choose Exlar actuators for their own mission-critical applications. Satisfying a growing industry demand for electronicallypowered systems, Exlar builds actuators that are specified on weapons systems for ground combat vehicles, within the Navy’s Advanced Gun System, and for valve control on Navy ship systems.

Our experience includes successes in the following programs and applications:

Programs

Gerald R. Ford Class Aircraft Carrier

DDG-1000 Advanced Gun System

Littoral Combat Ship

Non-Line of Site Cannon and Mortar

Remotely Operated Weapons Station

EQ/36 Radar

MEADS Radar

Lightweight Counter Measure Radar

Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)

Paladin M109 Howitzer

Remote Guardian System (RGS)

Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle

(ROV)

Virginia Class Submarine

Unmanned Surface Vessel

Applications

Aircraft Launch and Recovery

Equipment (ALRE)

Weapons Elevator

Turbine Control

Vehicle Launch System

Bulkhead Door Operation

Ammunition Handling

Site positioning/control

Gun Position and Firing

Mine Detection

Turret Control

Automated Door Assist

Towed Sonar Array

Gun Charging

Steering

Rudder Control

Your specifications are our specialty.

With a complete range of proven Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) actuators, Exlar delivers ready-made products to suit the most stringent Defence applications—including those subjected to military specifications for temperature, humidity, shock and vibration. Utilizing this broad standard product line, we leverage our core technology and designs to fulfill demanding requirements, including in space and weight-critical applications.

The power, speed and robustness Exlar delivers in each actuator has made Exlar’s technology a popular selection among numerous Defence customers: General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, the Boeing Company, the US Navy, the US Army, and NASA. Exlar’s technology is also used in unforgiving industrial environments demanding 24/7 operations with zero downtime. Automotive plants, food packaging and processing plants, and other industrial users depend on Exlar actuation—day in and day out

In addition to these superior standard product line, Exlar delivers the highest application flexibility through their modified COTS products. Modification options include:

Modified Rod Ends or Motor Shafts

Non-standard threaded ends, special rod or shaft lengths and many additional options increase application flexibility.

Modified Mounting Features

Exlar can design actuators with unique flange dimensions, non-standard trunnion or clevis diameters, as well as special foot and tapped hole mounts.

Coatings and Materials

Alongside a variety of standard product coatings such as anodizing, hard coat anodizing, plus electroless nickel and epoxy coatings, Exlar also regularly provides actuators and motors with customer-specified coatings ideal for a range of environmental challenges.

Standard Exlar products are provided in steel and aluminum combinations, as well as in stainless steel. For extreme environments, such as subsea conditions, Exlar actuators are constructed with specialty housing materials ranging from specially treated aluminum to all Monel™ construction.

Special Connectivity

While Exlar’s standard connectors match the cables of the most popular servo drives on the market today, customers can also specify a preferred type of connector for their actuator or motor selection.

Electrical Modifications

Utilizing a flexible motor manufacturing process, Exlar offers customers the option of electrical modifications—ensuring motors are wound for the optimum speed for the application at hand. Exlar achieves this by offering a wide range of Ke and Kt values beyond our standard offerings.

Specifications

Exlar has manufactured and tested actuators to meet demanding Defence industry requirements:

MIL-S-901 High Impact Shock Testing for Shipboard Equipment

MIL-S-167 Mechanical Vibration of Shipboard Equipment

MIL-STD-461 Control of Electromagnetic Interface

MIL-STD-810 Environmental Compatibility, Ground Vehicle Shock and Vibration

ML-STD-108 Environmental Compatibility for Electronic Equipment