Linear Actuator in 5 Minutes

by sanyam jain

13K8414

Intro: Linear Actuator in 5 Minutes

Always wanted the linear motion but were stuck with the circular motion of the motor .You have landed on the correct place

STEP 1: Supplies Needed

List of the material you need is

  • a power drill
  • a flat file
  • tape
  • a bolt (of about 75 mm length)
  • 3 nuts of that size
  • motor
  • wire cutter
  • a coupler used in tube lights

STEP 2: Making the Shaft


Take the bolt fix it in the drill machine and stick the file flat with help of a tape

STEP 3: Coupler

take the coupler remove its plastic shaeth and arrange them

STEP 4: Piece for Movement

take the 3 nuts and screw them on the bolt such that the bolt is free to move . Now solder the 3 nuts together

STEP 5: Completed


On one polarity goes up and on other goes down

14 Comments

jwzumwalt 7 years ago

Would you please provide a link for the coupler. I do not recognize this as a electrical part for lights.

sanyam jain 7 years ago

https://www.aliexpress.com/popular/screw-wire-connector.html
You can find them on the following link

jwzumwalt 7 years ago

Thanks for the link. I suggest you update the description for this part, it has nothing to do with tube lights :)

piperjon 7 years ago

I'm not getting how this creates linear motion. Maybe a video or some further description?

ElectroFrank 7 years ago

When the nut is fixed to something, the rotation of the screw thread converts the rotary motion into linear movement.

(Exactly the same as the fan belt adjuster on your car.)

sanyam jain 7 years ago

it creates linear motion exact as the z axis of the 3d printer does when the nuts are fixed they will move up and down making a linear motion.If still not understood feel free to ask again :D happy to make

Joeybloos 7 years ago

but you have to hold the bolt otherwise it will just rotate with the shaft or not? Does it go up and down because of its weight? is that why you used 3 bolts?

sanyam jain 7 years ago

when the bolts are held or added weight to they provide the motion.

Joeybloos 7 years ago

say i were to build this, i want to make two of these but use two bolts, place the two motors next to eachother and make a platform between them to turn lift my contraption on the platform up and down. Logically I think it would work, do you?

sanyam jain 7 years ago

yes this can be done but the problem is with the dc motors.no matter how hard you try there will be a gap in the movement of the motor so for that replace motors with the stepper motors

Joeybloos 7 years ago

Okay, I just stumbled upon that problem while researching what I want to make. Now I'm looking for the cost of building my own or just buying 2 steppers with a screw thing attached already. Anyway, thanks for your instructable, it gave me a lot of ideas :)