A Gipuzkoa company with more than 40 years of experience in the national and international locksmithing sector contacted us through our website because they initially needed standard actuators.
Their experience was so favorable that they later commissioned a larger project—developing customized actuators to use in some of their products.
The goal of the customer: obtaining a small actuator
Said customer needed a smaller actuator to implement it. It was a project of very specific characteristics, for it required the appropriate speed and torque output to guarantee the unit’s perfect functioning. Thus, a customized, tailored project had to be developed.
At CLR, we proposed the idea of a customized actuator with which losses could be minimized by changing the arrangement of the power train according to different studies and calculations. And also, everything resulted in a very small actuator.
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The challenge: adapting the actuator’s size to its use
This assignment entailed a very important challenge—adapting the size of the actuator to very specific measurements that would allow it to successfully function as intended.
To be able to reduce it to said customized size, at CLR we had to do many calculations with the goal of clustering the actuator’s parts as much as possible and, thus, producing a small power train. However, simultaneously, said power train had to comply with the customer’s instructions—an added challenge.
The development of the small actuators project
After analyzing the customer’s request and identifying the challenges and problems attached to it, we came to the conclusion that the best solution possible was using our K2 Series actuator as the basis for the new actuator, as it is the smallest item in our product catalog.
Based on this model, we designed a completely customized solution with all the pertinent modifications, including the rearrangement of the power train. This way, we managed to meet the needs of our customer and still keep what is, in essence, a small actuator.
The different project phases
The study and development of this project had the following phases:
- Studying the customer’s instructions and identifying the problems attached to them.
- Brainstorming among the whole design team to arrive at the ideal solution.
- Calculating the cost of the product’s development, trying to minimize it as possible.
- Designing and optimizing the power train by doing the appropriate calculations and selecting the optimal materials for its intended use.
- Designing and manufacturing a functioning prototype.
- Industrializing the actuator, after the appropriate adjustments, to enter production.
- Verifying line and product tooling
- Make the pro-series (engineering/industrialization) and the pre-series (production) and delivering both samples.
- Doing the appropriate tests to verify the actuator’s functioning.
- Monitoring the project during its lifespan.
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The solution: a design that is tailored to meet specific needs
After the development of the project, we finally produced a perfectly functional actuator with all the characteristics requested by the customer. Likewise, the actuator complied with every quality standard and had the best size possible.
Together, all of that brought into being a high-quality actuator that was capable of functioning perfectly, which satisfied the customer completely.If there is something that defines us here at CLR (Compañía Levantina de Reductores) is our quality and our specialization—two very valuable characteristics that are very sought after by companies who want to see their projects come true, their problems solved, and their goals met. Thus, if you need help with your next project, contact us and allow us to help you.
