Pneumatic or Electric? How to Decide Which Actuator to Use

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Pneumatic or Electric? -How to decide which actuator to use

description

This on-demand webinar explores the differences between pneumatic and electric actuators and outline the decision process for successful, efficient, and cost effective deployment. Pneumatics’ performance characteristics, costs and best case application scenarios will be compared to those of electrics. Case studies where pneumatics are preferred to electrics and where electrics are preferred to pneumatics will be analyzed, compared and contrasted. Finally, a pneumatic-electric cost comparison software tool will be presented, an example will be presented using the tool, and the tool is available along with the recording.

Transcript of Pneumatic or Electric? How to Decide Which Actuator to Use

Page 1: Pneumatic or Electric? How to Decide Which Actuator to Use

Pneumatic or Electric? -How to decide which actuator to use

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This webinar will be available afterwards at

www.designworldonline.com

Q&A at the end of the presentation

Hashtag for this webinar: #PvsE

Before We Start

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Moderator

Paul J. Heney Design World

Presenter

Bob Kral Bimba Manufacturing

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Pneumatic or Electric?

How to decide which actuator to use.

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• Criteria to Consider

• Pneumatic o Performance

o Costs

o Best application scenario

• Electric o Performance

o Costs

o Best application scenario

• Case Study: Pneumatic Over Electric

• Case Study: Electric Over Pneumatic

• Freebie: Pneumatic versus Electric Cost Calculator

• Q&A

Agenda

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Criteria to Consider

• Performance advantages and disadvantages

• Installation and maintenance costs

• Operating (power) costs

• Productivity gains o Reduced downtime

o Increased capacity

o Labor savings

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Pneumatic Actuator Performance

Characteristics • High force and speed

• Force and speed are independent and easily adjusted

• Economical to oversize

• Small footprint

• Simple implementation

• Extend and retract only

• System requirements: o Compressor

o Air lines

o Fittings

o Filters

o Regulators

o Lubricators

…which limit where it can be deployed

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Pneumatic Actuator Costs

• Component costs are low

• Operating costs dominated by compressor power consumption (~76%) o Efficiency is lower at idle

o Idling at no load wastes electric power consumption

o Oversized cylinders and compressors waste money

• Other operating and maintenance costs (~24%)

• Best scenario: o Large scale deployment

o Efficiently sized compressor

o No labor savings or production downtime savings are achievable

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Electric Actuator Performance

Characteristics • Trade speed for thrust and thrust for speed

• Accurate sizing is critical o Over sizing is expensive

o Under sized actuators will not perform

o Force and speed limits are locked in by design

• Precise control and positioning

• Adapt machines to flexible processes

• “Portable” – install anywhere electric power is available

• More complex to implement

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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• High unit cost

• High replacement cost o Modular designs help minimize replacement costs

o Mechanical wear parts – 3 year life

o Electrical components – 5 to 10 year life

• Low power consumption

• Flexibility can yield cost savings o Eliminate costly downtime

o Eliminate time consuming change-overs

o Not automatic – needs to be designed in

• Best scenario o Smaller scale deployment

o Effects process improvements or cost savings through automation

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

Electric Actuator Costs

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Cost of Electricity • Average retail price: 9.74 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)

o Residential: 11.3¢ per kWh

o Transportation: 10.7¢ per kWh

o Commercial: 10.4¢ per kWh

o Industrial: 6.8¢ per kWh

• Highest average price of electricity: o Hawaii (29.20¢ per kWh)

o Connecticut (16.95¢ per kWh)

o New York (16.74¢ per kWh)

• Lowest average price: o West Virginia (5.59¢ per kWh)

o Wyoming (5.68¢ per kWh)

o Idaho (5.70¢ per kWh)

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Compressor Sizing Calculator

Inputs: o Average bore size

o Average stroke length

o Average time for stroke

o Number of cylinders

o % of cylinders that actuate simultaneously

Output: o CFM required

o Find compressor HP using the CFM number and the manufacturer’s specifications

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Case Study

Pneumatics over Electrics • Pneumatic solution

o 200 HP compressor

• 2,000 hours per year at full load, 93% efficiency ($0.10/kWh)

• When not in use it is off

o 150 pneumatic actuators deployed

• Average unit cost: $50

• Life expectancy: 3 years

• Electric solution o 150 electric actuators deployed

• All-in-one design: includes driver and controller but not DC power supply

• Average unit cost: $1,200

• Life expectancy: 3 years

o Actuator draws 6A fully loaded at 48 VDC; fully loaded 30% of the time

o Actuator draws 3A at 48 VDC 70% of the time

o Power supplies draw 6A at 120 VAC fully loaded, producing 9A at 48 VDC

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Case Study

Pneumatics over Electrics • Pneumatic solution

o Annual cost of compressed air: $42,237

o Replacement cost of actuators: $2,500 per year

o Total annual cost: $44,737

o Total annual cost per actuator: $298

• Electric solution o Annual cost at full load: $4,320

o Annual cost at idle: $5,040

o Annual operating cost: $9,360

o Replacement cost of actuators: $60,000 per year

o Total annual cost: $69,360

o Total annual cost per actuator: $462

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Case Study

Pneumatics over Electrics

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

Pneumatic Costs Electric Costs

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Electrics over Pneumatics • Pneumatic solution

o 100 HP compressor

• 2,000 hours per year at full load, 90% efficiency ($0.10/kWh)

• When not in use it is idling at 25% power and 85% efficiency

o 20 pneumatic actuators deployed

• Average unit cost: $50

• Life expectancy: 3 years

• Electric solution o 20 electric actuators deployed

• Modular: Motor/actuator and separate controllers

• Average unit cost: $900 for actuator and $1,200 for electronics

• Life expectancy: 3 years for actuators, 10 years for electronics

o Actuator draws 6A fully loaded at 48 VDC; fully loaded 30% of the time

o Actuator draws 3A at 48 VDC 70% of the time

o Power supplies draws 6A at 120 VAC fully loaded, producing 9A at 48 VDC

o Process improvement: Automates a line change

• Saves 2 hours every week for 2 employees at $30/hr each

• Saves 2 hours of lost production: 100 products/hr, $1 per product

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Electrics over Pneumatics

• Pneumatic solution o Annual cost of compressed air: $21,882 full load

o Annual cost of compressed air: $19,351 at 25% power

o Replacement cost of actuators: $333 per year

o Total annual cost: $41,506

o Total annual cost per actuator: $2,075

• Electric solution o Annual cost at full load: $576

o Annual cost at idle: $672

o Annual operating cost: $1,248

o Replacement cost of electronics: $2,400 per year

o Replacement cost of actuators: $6,000 per year

o Total annual cost: $9,648

o Savings, changeover labor: $6,240

o Savings, lost production: $10,400

o Net results of deployment: $6,992 COST REDUCTION!

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

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Case study

Electrics over Pneumatics

Pneumatic or electric actuators?

Pneumatic Costs Electric Costs

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Bimba now features a Pneumatic versus Electric Actuator

cost evaluation spreadsheet, which is available for download

from bimba.com

This spreadsheet allows a person to estimate pneumatic and

electric costs, facilitating a comparison and selecting the

correct actuator depending upon the application

Cost Evaluation Calculator

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Thank you for attending!

Bimba.com

800-44-Bimba

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Questions?

Design World Paul Heney [email protected] Phone:440.234.4531 Twitter:@wtwh_fluidpower

Bimba Manufacturing Bob Kral [email protected] Phone: 708.235.2067

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Thank You

This webinar will be available at www.designworldonline.com & email

Tweet with hashtag #PvsE

Connect with Twitter: @Design_World

Facebook: /engineeringexchange

LinkedIn: Design World Group

Discuss this on EngineeringExchange.com

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