Furniture Actuators: Where To Find Them And How They Work

Furniture Actuators: Where To Find Them And How They Work

Adam Morissette
Adam Morissette
PA Engineer
Used in a variety of distinct ways, furniture actuators are one of the more common uses of linear actuators. 

Linear actuators can be found in many different appliances and machinery, but one of its most prevalent uses is in the application and creation of furniture. In furniture making, they help automate a number of processes and functions such as eliminating the monotony of everyday tasks, which in turn speeds up production as well as helping prevent workplace injuries in the factories that make furniture.

An actuator's job is to create a linear motion. That motion can be applied to any number of processes or functions, whether simple or complex. For example, they can be used to shut switches off, turn controls on, raise or lower platforms and pull or push something along a conveyer belt. Tasks such as these are commonly found in furniture factories and the equipment that makes said furniture.

Now, what type of furniture will you find an actuator in? Mostly in things like desks, beds, laboratory stations, couches, and draft tables, basically almost anything where adjustability is a key factor. Actuators make that adjustability possible. Here are some examples of how they would work.

Desks

Shared offices and workspaces may have actuators in their desks that give them the ability to raise or lower the height to meet the needs of many different users. Our FLT-03-2-2 table lift, which can hold up to 880lbs of weight, is perfect for situations like this.

Beds

Work environments like hospitals would use actuators in their beds to help adjust the height and angle to best suit a patient's needs and comforts. Our PA-02, PA-14 or PA-15 units could work in these situations, depending on how much weight, speed and the stroke length are needed.

Living Room Furniture

Not limited to just workplaces, they can also be found in the comfort of one’s home, such as a remote-controlled motorized TV lifts or in reclining chairs and sofas. Here at Progressive Automations, our TV lifts are capable of supporting up to 150lbs of force with a stroke length of 39 inches.

Whether it be at work or at home, business or pleasure, furniture actuators are there to make our lives easier and help streamline processes that would otherwise be repetitive and time-consuming. They add motion and functionality to furniture and the machines that make furniture, making the industry as a whole safer and more user friendly.