Leading in hydraulic rotary and valve actuators for more than 55 years

The term “rotary actuator” is often used in the market for very different technologies. Eckart manufactures compact, enclosed hydraulic rotary actuators based on the helical spline principle. Unlike:

Slewing drives with ring gears (e.g., for excavators):
These are open or partially enclosed gear systems using a pinion for continuous rotary motion. Eckart actuators are fully enclosed, sealed against the surrounding medium, and designed for precise back-and-forth rotary motion under extreme operating conditions.

Rotary cylinders and hydraulic cylinders:
These require mechanical lever arrangements to convert linear force into rotary motion. Eckart provides direct, coaxial rotary motion without exposed moving parts or additional linkages, while requiring minimal installation space.

Rotary vane actuators:
Due to their operating principle, rotary vane actuators inherently have internal clearance leakage, which can prevent them from maintaining an exact position under load. Eckart actuators are internally leak-tight and maintain their position over time with virtually no backlash and high precision.

For a more detailed explanation, please visit our Site: https://www.eckart-hydraulics.com/en/products/what-is-a-rotary-actuator-.html  

Although a number of manufacturers use the helical spline principle, Eckart Hydraulics differentiates itself through detailed mechanical engineering, system-independent design features, and decades of application-specific expertise.

Optional Integrated end-of-stroke cushioning:
Eckart’s end-of-stroke cushioning is a highly effective damping system integrated mechanically into the actuator itself. It operates independently of the external hydraulic power unit (HPU) and helps protect both the actuator and the overall hydraulic system from hard impacts — even in the event of unexpected pressure peaks or a failure of the external valve control system.

From high-end custom projects to series production:
More than 70% of our developments are customer-specific solutions (customized actuators). For decades, we have supplied OEM solutions for leading manufacturers worldwide in industries including mining, aerospace, commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery, onshore and offshore applications, and heavy industry.

The engineering experience gained from these demanding applications is continuously transferred into our standard product portfolio. As a result, customers also benefit from proven engineering developments and current technical know-how in our series-production components.

Eckart combines the resources and international reach of an established hydraulic actuator manufacturer with the flexibility and direct engineering access of a specialized German engineering company.

Engineering beyond standard catalog products:
More than 70% of our developments are customer-specific solutions. Our engineers work directly with OEM development teams to adapt rotary actuators to specific installation spaces, loads, interfaces, materials, operating conditions, and functional requirements.

High in-house manufacturing capability in Germany:
With a high level of vertical integration at our manufacturing site in central Germany, Eckart retains direct control over critical manufacturing processes. This provides a high degree of flexibility for material, dimensional, interface, and design modifications.

More than 55 years of application experience:
Experience from customer-specific projects in industries such as mining, aerospace, commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery, offshore applications, and heavy industry continuously feeds back into our standard actuator portfolio.

Documented supplier standards:
Our management systems are certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. In addition, Eckart has received an EcoVadis Bronze Medal, providing OEM customers with an independent assessment of sustainability-related management practices.

Customer-specific approvals and documentation:
Where required and technically applicable, Eckart actuators can be supplied in accordance with customer-specific approval, certification, and documentation requirements. Depending on the application, these may include requirements such as Lloyd’s Register approval, ATEX, SIL-related functional safety requirements, or specified IP protection classes or others.

This allows the actuator to be integrated into projects with clearly defined regulatory, classification, environmental, or safety requirements without forcing the customer to adapt the application to a fixed standard product.

The seemingly higher initial purchase price is primarily a result of the precision manufacturing required by the helical spline principle. The helical spline geometry and mating gear components must be manufactured to very tight tolerances to ensure reliable interaction and long service life.

When the total cost over the actuator’s service life is considered, however, the picture can look very different.

Because all moving components operate fully enclosed and continuously lubricated, maintenance requirements are minimal and service life can be exceptionally long. Over time, this can result in significantly lower total operating and ownership costs compared with alternatives that may have a lower initial purchase price.

Another important factor is power density. The helical spline principle provides exceptionally high torque in a very compact package. This can reduce the required installation space and may simplify the surrounding machine design while also reducing component count and weight.

These benefits can have a direct impact on overall system cost — not only through lower maintenance requirements, but also through reduced installation space, simplified mechanical integration, and long-term service life.

When all of these factors are considered, a helical spline rotary actuator can ultimately be the more cost-effective solution over the life of the machine.