Exlar Linear Actuators Featured on USS Gerald R. Ford Advanced Weapons Elevators

In Cincinnati, Ohio, Federal Equipment Company is manufacturing eleven state-of-the-art Advanced Weapons Elevators for the newest class of US Aircraft Carriers. With capacities up to 24,000 pounds and speeds up to 150 feet per minute, the elevators vastly improve payload capabilities over previously designed weapons handling systems. The next generation Aircraft Carrier Gerald R. Ford, also known as CVN-78, is a completely new design for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and the US Navy.

Exlar’s GSM30 linear actuators are used to fire locking pins to keep the elevators in position at each deck level. These actuators combine a brushless servo motor, an inverted roller screw and an encoder/resolver feedback source into a single compact assembly, which eliminates the cost and complexity of a systems engineering approach, as all elements for producing linear motion have been properly matched and designed into the actuator. The brushless servo design of all GSM Series linear actuators allows them to be used in state-of-the art closed loop servo systems, where electronic control of positioning and velocity is required. In these systems, position feedback can be provided in a number of different forms to match customer specifications, including resolvers, encoders or internally mounted linear position feedback sensors.

The patented design of the GSM Series linear actuators employs an inverted roller screw mechanism to convert the rotary motion of the brushless motor into high speed, high thrust linear motion. This mechanism has a lead accuracy of 25mm/300mm for high precision operation and can also be supplied with zero backlash.

GSM actuators are suitable for use in many other demanding applications, including: automatic tool changers, dispensing, wire guiding, chip and wafer handling, robot manipulation, testing, web guidance, indexing material cutting, tension control, volumetric pumps, simulation testing, automated assembly, injection molding and riveting, as well as joining and fastening.