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GEARED ACTUATOR SINGLE AXIS POSITIONERS

Geared actuators are used where:

1.  High torque is required from a small actuator.

2. Actuator and control electronics mass and power consumption must be minimised.

3. High maximum rates are not required.

4. Inertial stabilisation is not required (friction not critical). M-TEK has produced geared single-axis actuators ranging from a small precision actuator used to position lens elements in a zoom camera, to a 500 Nm actuator used to point a large communications antenna at an aircraft. Zero-backlash gearboxes are used.

The 500-Nm actuator uses a dual-speed resolver for angle feedback, and a brushless motor to drive the gearbox. The dedicated control electronics includes the servo-amplifier, power supply, and the controller to track the aircraft using the error from the antenna.