New opening for linear actuator
November 1st 2008 Transport Door Solutions
has developed a low-cost
automated door system for
Parry People Movers' new
PPM 60 light railcar. It uses
a Festo DNCE electricallydriven
linear actuator to
create the necessary high
thrust force from a compact
unit that can be
accommodated in the
confined space above the
railcar's door assembly.
The first PPM 60 railcar to
be fitted with the system is
undergoing dynamic
performance testing on the
Chasewater Railway in
Staffordshire, prior to
entering service on the
Stourbridge Town Branch
line in the West Midlands.
TDSL's door actuator
system is based on a Festo
DNCE electrical cylinder,
driven by a standard DC
windscreen wiper motor to
help keep the costs down.
The cylinder features a
round, non-rotating 'piston
rod' output, which is linked
to the door crank; the door
itself is a single folding unit,
hinged in the middle. Door
opening and closure are
controlled by the vehicle's
driver, while low-cost
proximity sensors fitted in
slots on the cylinder's
housing detect the position
of an internal collar magnet
on the piston rod, and the
signals are fed back to the
system's control unit to
provide end-of-travel limits
and to secure full door
interlocking. More articles from Festo Limited: | 
