Transitioning Industrial Actuators from Pneumatic to Electric Motion Control

PHD Inc. is a premier manufacturer of industrial automation components, producing a wide range of actuators, grippers, clamps, and cylinders. While the company has deep roots in pneumatic solutions, the evolving manufacturing landscape has driven a shift toward electromechanical systems. Customers increasingly demand higher precision, energy efficiency, and reduced carbon footprints—capabilities that purely pneumatic systems struggle to deliver alone.

To address this market shift, PHD began developing electric and hybrid solutions, such as their "Remote Drive" technology and electric grippers. To power these new product lines, the engineering team standardized on Teknic’s motion control components, specifically the ClearPath integrated servo system and ClearCore industrial controller.

For PHD, reliability is non-negotiable. Their actuators often operate in demanding environments where motors are pushed to their thermal and mechanical limits. Matt Williams, Technology Lead at PHD, emphasizes that Teknic’s conservative performance ratings were a deciding factor, offering a sharp contrast to other vendors in the market.

"We run [ClearPath motors] at about 98% of the RMS torque, and we stall that motor and hold it stalled sometimes for hours or even days," says Matt. "So long as we stay below that RMS torque, we've had no issues whatsoever with overheating or performance. They perform flawlessly."

One of PHD’s innovations, the Remote Drive, powers a pneumatic system using an electric motor to generate air pressure at the point of use. This hybrid approach introduces complex physics, specifically pressure spikes caused by the "flywheel effect" of compressed air during rapid deceleration.

Karsten Sladky, Innovation & Technology Lead at PHD, utilized Teknic’s Regressive Auto-Spline™ (RAS) algorithm to mitigate these forces without sacrificing cycle time.

"The RAS dampens the flywheel effect and the back push of that compressed air so we can accelerate to a stop without fighting it as much," explains Karsten. "RAS makes a huge difference on that pressure peak."

RAS motion profiles go beyond traditional motion smoothing algorithms (such as S-curving or cosine smoothing) by limiting the motion profile’s jerk and jerk-derivative. The RAS algorithm reduces move settling time, machine vibration, audible noise, mechanical wear, heat generation, and power usage.

This precise control extends to PHD’s electric gripper lines as well. In traditional servo systems, physically obstructing a motor—such as when a gripper clamps down on a part—often triggers a "following error" because the motor cannot reach its commanded position.

By leveraging ClearPath’s torque-limit modes and unique zone-clamping features, PHD can program their grippers to clamp down on parts with a specific force and hold that position indefinitely without faulting. This allows the actuators to handle parts delicately and securely, eliminating the positioning errors common in standard electromechanical systems.

Transitioning from pneumatics to electric motion can be intimidating for traditional machine builders. To bridge this gap, PHD utilizes the ClearPath-MCVC models, which allow the servo to mimic the behavior of mechanical valves while offering superior control.

"The MCVC is great because it allows the motor to operate exactly like a valve," says Karsten. "For people switching from pneumatics to electrics, the fear of change is high. When you provide something that operates like what they worked with before, it's a much easier sell."

Beyond the hardware performance, the relationship between PHD and Teknic has evolved into a cornerstone of PHD’s successful transition to electric motion. "Teknic is one of the top three best companies I’ve ever worked with," says Karsten. "You guys have put in a lot more than just trying to sell us something."

For Matt, the quality of interaction with Teknic’s staff, from initial R&D to final logistics, is as vital as the motor specifications. "Being able to work with the caliber of folks that Teknic has, it's just been a real game changer for us," he says.