In some electric actuator installations, the position of the motor housing, cable exit, or mounting holes can affect how easily the actuator fits into a project. This is especially common in compact assemblies where side-mounted motors or cables may interfere with surrounding frames, brackets, or enclosure walls. In some cases, we can customize actuators with rotated mounting holes before shipment; however, custom manufacturing fees may apply, and lead times can take up to 13 weeks. If your project requires a stock actuator and you are comfortable making this adjustment yourself, this step-by-step article explains how mounting holes may be rotated on select models.
Introduction
Please note that rotating the actuator mounting holes may affect its ingress protection rating and should only be done when environmental sealing is not critical to the application. Certain actuators may also have slightly different procedures depending on whether they were custom-ordered or if they were a discontinued version. Our current line-up of stock model actuators is the focus of this article, which is intended to give users an idea of how to rotate some of their rotatable mounting holes.
Front Mounting Hole
The standard procedure generally used for rotating the front mounting holes of most of our actuators can be followed for the following models of standard actuators:
Step 1:
Using a piece of leather or something similar to protect the shaft housing from the vice plates, clamp the shaft housing with just enough pressure to prevent it from slipping during the following steps.
Step 2:
Place a screwdriver into the stroke mounting hole.
Step 3:
Rotate the screwdriver counterclockwise to the 90° position. If this is the first-time rotating the mounting hole, some extra torque may be required.
Warning: Do not rotate mounting holes counterclockwise more than 1 turn.
Step 4:
Remove the screwdriver, and your stroke mounting hole rotation is complete.
PA-TS1
Step 1:
For our PA-TS1, completely remove the four screws securing the front mounting end by rotating them counterclockwise using Allen keys.
Step 2:
Remove the front mounting end by pulling it in the direction away from the rest of the actuator’s body.
Step 3:
Place the front mounting end into position after it has been rotated 90° counterclockwise and secure it with the four original screws from step 1 by rotating them clockwise using Allen keys. Rotation complete.
Rear Mounting Hole
Unfortunately, there is no method available for rotating the rear mounting holes of the PA-TS1.
PA-03
Step 1:
Completely remove the four mounting plate screws by rotating them counterclockwise using a Phillips screwdriver.
Step 2:
Remove the bottom cap mounting plate, pulling it in the direction away from the rest of the actuator’s body.
Step 3:
Remove the bottom cap with the mounting hole, pulling it in the direction away from the rest of the actuator’s body.
Note: Some extra force and effort may be required for this step, but it should be possible to remove it by hand with a good grip.
Step 4:
Use a pair of pliers to rotate the internal torsion spring counterclockwise 90°.
Warning: Do not rotate counterclockwise more than 90°.
Step 5:
Insert the bottom cap with the mounting hole back and ensure it has been rotated 90° counterclockwise from its original position.
Step 6:
Insert the bottom cap mounting plate back into its original position.
Step 7:
Secure the bottom cap mounting plate firmly with the four mounting plate screws by rotating the screws clockwise using a Phillips screwdriver. Rotation complete.
PA-04
Step 1:
Completely remove the four mounting bracket screws by rotating them counterclockwise using a Phillips screwdriver.
Step 2:
Remove the case mounting bracket by pulling it in the direction away from the rest of the actuator’s body.
Step 3:
Use a pair of pliers to rotate the internal torsion spring counterclockwise 90°.
Warning: Do not rotate counterclockwise more than 90°.
Step 4:
Insert the case mounting bracket back and ensure it has been rotated 90° counterclockwise from its original position.
Step 5:
Secure the case mounting bracket firmly with the four mounting bracket screws by rotating the screws clockwise using a Phillips screwdriver. Rotation complete.
PA-QR1
Step 1:
Remove the Actuator Case Torx Screws and the Actuator Case Small Phillips Screw with their appropriate screwdrivers.
Step 2:
Open Actuator Bottom Case (Part 1) as seen on page 9 of our datasheet linked here.
Step 3:
Rotate the Mounting Bracket (Part 10) 90° counterclockwise.
Step 4:
Place the Actuator Bottom Case back into position.
Step 5:
Reinsert and tighten all the Actuator Case Torx Screws and Actuator Case Small Phillips Screws with their appropriate screwdrivers. Rotation complete.
IN SUMMARY
To summarize, many actuators may need their mounting holes rotated for certain installation conditions and space requirements. By using a few tools and spending some time to follow our step-by-step guides, you too can rotate the mounting holes of an actuator to the required positions.
If you have any queries or wish to discuss our products further, please do not hesitate to reach out to us! We are experts in what we do and will be happy to assist in any way we can.
sales@progressiveautomations.com | 1-800-676-6123