Linear drives have long been used in the ship-building. This is explained, first of all, by their reliable structure, low energy consumption (which is highly relevant to the autonomously functioning devices), and accessibility (in case of the need to replace or upgrade the previous functionality of automation systems). That is why we decided to devote this article to a brief tutorial on how to improve your boat with the marine hatch lift actuator.
How Actuators Can Be Used on a Boat
Linear actuators have quite a wide range of applications – from home automation to powerful industrial equipment. Depending on the form factor, they can be used even in the composition of devices operating in very harsh environmental conditions, including high humidity (up to 100%).
The most typical option for using these drives on boats are opening/closing systems – windows, doors, hatches or any interior dividers. The second most popular area of application for linear actuators in ship-building is the sliding support systems, which transport and fixate the main device (for example, a seat or a TV screen) allowing to adjust its position upon the need.
Reasons to Automate Your Boat Hatch
Not only are the automation systems based on linear drives very modern but also convenient. This is especially true when moving or lifting heavy equipment such as hatches. In addition, the drives, due to their predictability and smoothness of movement, ensure the maximum tight fit of moving parts and, thus, keep water from entering the joints (which is crucial for sea transport).
Types of Actuators to Use
When choosing a linear actuator for marine electric hatch lift, it is necessary to mind the housing environmental protection class, which is marked with “IP” followed by two digit number. The first digit indicates the degree of protection against solid objects, the second indicates the degree of protection against liquids (the higher the number, the stronger the protection). In particular, in order for your chosen model to be suitable for installation in boat automation systems, the protection class must be at least IP66.
How to Install Actuators: Step-by-step
And now we are going to explain how to build an automated boat hatch.
To mount the retractable electric drive, you need to prepare a duralumin pipe, 5mm thick steel sheet, steel rods, angle grinder, arc welding machine, 2 or 3 button switch, and means of power supply.
The actuator itself is attached to the hatch neck. The peculiarity of such a mechanism is that the lid should be opened to an angle of no more than 90 degrees; otherwise, the mechanism may jam due to the lack of reverse drive force. To ensure that the hatch does not open further, stoppers (made out of the same steel rods, for instance) are used that fixate it at 90 degrees opening.
Next, an actuator for boat hatch and other movable elements are encased into duralumin pipes and steel casings.
The drive moves the hatch up to the stopper through a connected steel rod. To give a signal to open or close, the toggle switch is used. The whole assembly is not overly complicated and may take 4-5 hours on average.
You can also use the folding electric drive in your design. For its installation, it is necessary to provide the cover with sufficient space for shifting (at a minimum, it should be equal to the length of the cover itself). The hatch is fixed with the help of rollers, and the opening and closing processes are implemented using two linear actuators. One of them is the main one, and the second is used as a backup, in case the former suddenly malfunctions.
Conclusion
Linear drives can be used in almost any field, including the ship-building. Due to the simplicity of their use, low power consumption, and high tolerance to environmental conditions, the procedure of installing electric hatch actuator is quite simple. The main thing is to select the actuator with the required parameters from a trusted manufacturer. We offer you to familiarize yourself with our marine linear actuators catalog in order to purchase one that will serve you faithfully for many years.
