Data Pack D Issued November 2005 1502621687

How to select your RS solenoid

Data Sheet

Description Where a choice is available it should be remembered that a

Basically a solenoid consists of a coil with an associated iron low voltage coil tends to give more power than one for high
circuit forming the fixed part. A moving iron plunger is pulled voltage, and is more robust as it uses heavier wire.
into this coil when it is energized. 6, 12, 24V dc and 230V ac are standards.
Wattage - temperature
Figure 1
COIL
All units in this catalogue are designed on the basis of a
maximum allowable input wattage without exceeding a
PLUNGER STOP
105°C (220°F) stabilized coil temperature when operated at
the rated duty cycle in a 20°C (68°F) ambient temperature.
Force/stroke curve
When a solenoid is fully opened it has a large air gap. The
reluctance of this air gap keeps the magnetic field small and
THRUST PIN
the force correspondingly low. As the plunger closes, the
FRAME (THRUST TYPE ONLY) reluctance falls and the magnetic field increases. For this
reason, the force obtainable from a solenoid increases
progressively as the plunger closes.
Pull and thrust
These curves show the force exerted with the coil at full
Most solenoids have a pull action. This pull action can be
working temperature. The force exerted by a cold solenoid
converted to a pushing action by fitting a suitable thrust pin
is always higher. Force variations with temperature are
or plunger extension.
greatest on dc solenoids.
ac or dc operation See figures 2 and 3 for typical curves.
Often the choice is predetermined by the supply available.
Where there is a choice these factors should be considered Figure 2 ac operated (typical)
● ac solenoids tend to be more powerful in the fully open
position than dc. This is due to ‘inrush current’ which at
7
maximum stroke can be more than ten times the
6 Continuous
closed current.
● ac solenoids must close completely so that the inrush 5
FORCE - kgf

50%
current falls to its normal value. If an ac solenoid 4
25%
sticks in the open position a burn-out is likely. dc 3
solenoids take the same current throughout their
2
stroke and cannot overheat through incomplete
1
closing.
● ac operated solenoids are usually faster than dc, but 0 4 8 12 16 20 24
with a few milli-seconds variation in response time
STROKE - mm
depending on the point of cycle when the solenoid is
energized. dc solenoids are slower but they repeat
their closing times accurately against a given load.
Figure 3 dc operated (typical)
● A good ac solenoid correctly used should be quiet
when closed, but only because it’s fundamental
tendency to hum has been overcome by correct 7
design and accurate assembly. Dirt on the mating
6 Continuous
faces or mechanical overload may make it noisy. A dc
5
solenoid is naturally quiet.
FORCE - kgf

50%
4
Voltage 3
25%
Again this choice will normally be predetermined by the
2
supplies available. A solenoid can be wound for any voltage
between the limits of unreasonably fine wire for high 1

voltages and wire too thick to handle for the very low 0 4 8 12 16 20 24
voltages. STROKE - mm
1502621687

Matching solenoid to load When ac solenoids are used on fast cycling, ‘inrush current’
The force/stroke curves give the nominal force that will be occurs at each closure. With fairly long cycle times where the
solenoids closes and then remains energized for some time,
available from the plunger at any particular plunger position.
the increase in power during the operate period has no
There will also be a matching duty cycle which will be the significant effect. If the cycle time is fast, so that the solenoid
force required by the solenoid’s load throughout the stroke. barely has time to close before it is de-energized again, then
In some cases this may be for practical purposes constant, the inrush current causes considerable extra heating effects.
as, for example, when a solenoid lifts a dead weight. In some Fast cycling ac solenoids may require the use of continuously
cases, however, the mechanism may be spring loaded so rated solenoids for intermittent duties.
that the force taken by the load is progressively greater as
the plunger goes in. There may be cases when a solenoid is Anti-residual springs
operating a number of linkages. With low force applications plungers may hold in on residual
flux. To prevent this anti-residual springs are available. The
Operate time force stroke characteristics will be modified when the
At any point in the operating stroke the difference between springs are fitted.
the force available from the solenoid and the force required
to drive the load will be the force available to accelerate the Plunger end styles
load and plunger. This means, of course, that the more Pull force characteristics depend on the iron core plunger
excess power there is available from the solenoid the faster end style.
the solenoid will operate. The closing time of the solenoid is
approximately doubled as its mechanical load is increased Figure 4
from 70% of what it will pull to the maximum. For reasonably
fast operation 25% excess power is advisable. As a general
principle, the use of excessively large solenoids for the duty
is not, however, good practice, as unabsorbed energy must
50°
be taken up on impact. approx
Capacitor discharge circuits can be used to provide very
fast closing while keeping the power in the hold position to a
reasonable value.
Duty cycle
‘Continuous Rating’ means that the solenoid can be left on Open frame solenoids are equipped with a conical
continuously without overheating. The force exerted and the plunger end style as standard.
power consumed are then the basic continuous rating values
to which all other ratings are referred. In the case of an ac The pull/stroke curves in the open frame section represent
solenoid the continuous rating refers to the solenoid in the the performance achieved with the standard 40° to 55°
closed position only. If the solenoid plunger is withdrawn, the conical plunger end style. This design is best suited for
‘inrush’ current will rise to a high value: and if left energized, strokes greater than 2mm. Optional plunger end styles are
will burn out. A continuously rated dc solenoid can be left available for shorter stroke lengths to achieve greater pull
energized continuously, irrespective of the plunger position. force.
In many applications a solenoid is energized for only a short
period and then left switched off for some time, so that it can Typical plunger external end configurations
cool down. Under these circumstances the solenoid coil can
be wound for a much higher power than the continuous Figure 5
rating value. As a result, higher forces can be obtained with
the proviso that the solenoid can no longer be continuously
energized.
‘ON’ pulse time
The definition is: Duty Cycle= TYPE 1
‘ON’ + ‘OFF’ pulse time
In the case of intermittent duty, higher forces can be
obtained from a higher input power. The input power than
can be applied is as high as the given wattage by:

TYPE 2
Wattage =

catalogue 100
Wattage at 100% duty
( value ) x
Your Duty (%)
Recommended for high volume low cost

If, for example, the catalogue shows 5W at 100% duty

(continuous). 20W can be applied at 25% duty (5 x 100/25%
TYPE 3
= 5 x 4 = 20)
Continuous (100%), 50%, 25% duty cycles are standard.
In some cases, solenoids may be required for intermittent Typical thrust pin arrangement
operation, but not on a fixed time cycle. For guidance on this,
the maximum ‘on time’ for the different ratings on a single
cycle basis is given. This is the maximum time this particular
solenoid can be left energized when starting from ambient
temperature of 20°C.

2
 1502621687

Latching solenoids The relationship between external releasing force and

releasing pulse voltage can be typically shown by the curve
The latching solenoids series incorporate permanent magnets
A-B-C-D in figure 1, which is based on actual measurement.
which provide the following benefits:
The correct releasing pulse voltage ‘Ex’ and the external
● No self heating resistance ‘r’ for the external releasing force ‘Wx’ are:
● Continues to hold even after the power is disconnected
e2 - e1 E
● Can operate by a pulse signal Ex = + e1 (V), r= R - R (Ohms)
● A charge/discharge of capacitor will be enough to set 2 Ex
and reset.
where: e1 = minimum releasing voltage
e2 = maximum releasing voltage
Figure 6
E = circuit voltage
PERMANENT MAGNET COIL
R = coil resistance
S STOP
PLUNGER Example
on the type 67, when Wx = 200gf, R = 29 Ohms, e1 = 4.4 Vdc,
N e2 = 14.6 Vdc and E2 = 24 Vdc, correct value of external
N resistor can be obtained from the following equations:
14.6 - 4.4
S EX = + 4.4 = 5.1 + 4.4 = 9.5 (V)
THRUST PIN 2
FRAME (THRUST TYPE ONLY)

Pull operation 24
The action of the permanent magnets gives a small pull force r= ·29 - 29 = 73.26 - 29 = 44.3 (Ω)
with no power applied to the coil. This force increases 9.5
significantly on very short strokes. The magnetic force from
the coil is added to the force from the permanent magnets to The duration of releasing pulse depends on the inductance
increase the total pull force. The duration of the activating the coil and/or amount of the external releasing force.
pulse depends on the solenoid size, stroke and/or amount of Generally, 30-60 ms is required.
physical load. Normally 80-150ms is sufficient. A special type of winding have two coils, one for pull and the
Release operation other for release operations respectively, is available upon
request. One of the three terminals is used in common for
The force from the permanent magnets is cancelled when the
both coils.
coil is energized in reverse polarity, and the plunger being
free from magnetic influence is released by means of the
external mechanism. In this operation, it is important to apply Figure 7 Relationship between releasing force
the correct amplitude releasing voltage. The following and releasing pulse voltage
factors must be considered:
● Holding force (Fh) = Permanent Magnet Force (Fm)
minus Coil Magnet Force (Fe)
External releasing force Wx gf

A D
● When Fm > Fe, holding force prevails. For the plunger Wx Required releasing
force
to release the external mechanism force must be > Fm e1 Minimum releasing
- Fe. pulse voltage
e2 Maximum releasing
● When Fm = Fe, there is no holding force and the pulse voltage
external mechanism need only supply sufficient force to Wx
E Rated voltage
overcome effects of friction and/or gravity. Ex Proper releasing
● When FM < Fe, holding force is generated by the coil. 0
0 eB CEx e E
pulse voltage
For the plunger to release the external mechanism must
be < Fe - Fm. Releasing pulse voltage (V)
Holding force of permanent magnets
The magnetic holding force values given for respective
types are average initial values measured after application of
rated voltage.
Examples of correct releasing voltage
If the force from the external release mechanism is low and
the reverse polarity pulse is high the solenoid plunger may
not release even when voltage is applied in reverse polarity.
There are two solutions to this condition - one is to reduce the
releasing voltage, and the other to insert a resistor externally
in series with the coil. The latter is the more commonly
adopted method, and the resistor value is calculated as
follows.

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result from the use of any information provided in RS technical literature.

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