Actuators · Rotary actuators

Rotary Actuators

Rotary actuators convert pneumatic energy into rotational motion instead of linear — a torque-applied output shaft rotates through a fixed angle (typically 90°, 180°, 270° or 360°). Two main mechanical principles: rack-and-pinion (a piston pushes a rack which rotates a pinion gear — high torque, defined rotation, ISO 15552-compatible mounting) and rotary vane (a vane pivots in a sealed chamber — compact, fast, lower torque). Norgren's range covers 1.2 to 510 Nm torque across three product lines: M/162000 rack-and-pinion for high-torque indexing (Ø 32-125 mm), M/60280 MINI rotary vane for low-torque space-constrained applications (0.13-9.5 Nm), and M/60285 rotary vane for medium-to-high torque in compact form (5.78-241.7 Nm).

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Direct rotation, no linkageA linear cylinder + crank linkage wastes 30-50% of effective stroke on the geometry — and adds backlash, wear points and tuning. A rotary actuator applies torque directly to the output shaft, no linkage. Cleaner installation, better repeatability, less maintenance.

Rack-and-pinion: high torque + defined anglesM/162000 rack-and-pinion delivers 1.2-510 Nm torque across the full size and pressure range (at 6 bar for Ø32-Ø125: 7.2-306 Nm) at standard rotation angles (90°, 180°, 270°, 360°), with adaptive ACS end-of-rotation cushioning. ISO 15552 mounting pitch for cross-vendor mounting. Magnetic piston — M/50 switches mount flush. Use when you need high torque with precise angle stops.

Rotary vane: compact, with buffer cushioningM/60280 MINI and M/60285 rotary vanes are fundamentally simpler mechanism — one or two vanes pivot in a sealed chamber, with rubber buffer cushioning. Result: compact envelope per unit torque, low cost. Typical uses: gripper rotation, bottle capping, label transfer. Hydro-cushion kit (QM/60285/60 – QM/60287/60) optional for the larger M/60285-M/60287 sizes.

Available series

Rack & pinion rotary cylinder

M/162000/M

Rotary cylinder, rack & pinion, double acting

Datasheet (PDF) →

Rotary vane actuators

M/60280 ... M/60284

MINI rotary vane actuator, double acting

Datasheet (PDF) →

M/60285 ... M/60288

Rotary vane actuator, double acting

Datasheet (PDF) →

Frequently asked questions

Rack-and-pinion (M/162000) when: rotation angle is standard (90/180/270/360°) with defined rigid hard stops, you want ISO 15552 mounting compatibility, you need adaptive ACS end-of-rotation cushioning, or magnetic-piston position feedback. Rotary vane (M/60280, M/60285) when: you need a compact envelope, the application tolerates rubber buffer cushioning (or you pick the hydro-cushion kit on the M/60285 family for higher energy), or you don't need rigid stops at exotic angles. Torque alone isn't the deciding criterion: the M/60285 family reaches 241 Nm at 6 bar — overlapping with the mid-sized M/162000 variants.

M/162000 rack-and-pinion: fixed-angle variants (/MI, /MIX) are non-adjustable with a rotation-angle tolerance of 0…+8°; adjustable-angle variants (/ME, /MEX) offer ±5° fine adjustment. Rotary vane: angle is set by body geometry — rotation tolerance 0 to +3° (one-sided) on the M/60284, M/60285-M/60288 families and 0 to +4° on M/60280-M/60283, without external stops. For tighter angle precision, add an external mechanical stop with an adjustable bumper, or use a stepper motor instead of a pneumatic actuator.

Yes — rotary actuators are double-acting by default; reversing the air-feed ports reverses rotation. For pneumatic-controlled direction change, use a 5/2 directional valve (or 5/3 for hold-position-on-stop) — same as for a linear cylinder. The magnetic-piston M/162000 variant with M/50 switches (including IO-Link communication) also provides position feedback.