Actuator Classification and Selection—The Development of a Database

Actuators are controllable work‐producing devices. A strategy for selecting actuators to meet specified design requirements is described here. A number of considerations enter: the type and characteristics of the actuator, the nature of the power‐source (the “fuel”) that is required to drive it, and the possible need of an interface between the two to convert the energy into a form that the actuator can accept. The strategy is demonstrated by software that includes a database for some 220 actuators drawn from 18 families, and an advanced selection engine. Case studies are used to illustrate its use.