Climbing has become an increasingly popular sport, especially indoors, where climbing boards offer a controlled environment for training strength, coordination, and technique. However, traditional climbing board often lacks flexibility, with fixed angles that don’t cater to varying skill levels or training needs. By using electric linear actuators, you can easily adjust the angle of a climbing board to meet different difficulty levels and training needs.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how electric linear actuators work, why they’re ideal for climbing board adjustments, and how you can use them to upgrade your gym or home climbing setup.
What Is an Electric Linear Actuator?
An electric linear actuator is a mechanical device that converts rotational motion into precise linear movement using a motor-driven lead screw. This allows for highly precise control over the movement and position of an object. In industrial automation, it is used to precisely position components on assembly lines, in smart home applications it enables furniture and appliances to adjust automatically. When adjusting the angle of the climbing board, it plays a pivotal role.
Key Features of Electric Linear Actuators:
High Precision: Provides accurate control over object positioning, ensuring precise angle adjustments.
High Load Capacity: Capable of handling heavy loads, making it suitable for climbing board.
Enhanced Safety: Built-in overload protection and limit switches ensure safe operation.
In climbing, electric linear actuators play a crucial role in adjusting the board’s angle to accommodate climbers of different skill levels, from beginners to advanced athletes.
Benefits of Using Electric Linear Actuators for Climbing Board Adjustments:
1. Precise Angle Adjustments
Electric linear actuators allow you to adjust the climbing board’s angle with precision, whether you need a gentle 30° incline for beginners or a challenging 60° overhang for advanced climbers. This level of flexibility is impossible with fixed climbing boards.
2. Improved Safety
Manually adjusting a climbing board’s angle can be dangerous, especially for a larger board. Electric linear actuators feature overload protection and limit switches, preventing overextension or mechanical failure during operation.
3. Enhanced User Experience
For gyms or home setups, adjustable climbing boards offer a premium experience. Beginners can start with easier angles, while experienced climbers can push their limits with steeper inclines—all at the press of a button.
4. Energy Efficiency
Compared to hydraulic or manual adjustment systems, electric linear actuators are more energy-efficient, durable, and cost-effective in the long run.
How to Choose the Suitable Electric Linear Actuator?
To adjust the inclination angle of climbing boards of different weights, it is necessary to select a linear actuator with suitable thrust, stroke and speed.
The picture below is a climbing board that the customer requires to be tilted inward by 15 degrees. Its length and width are 7 meters and 3.6 meters. The total weight of the climbing board and the person is about 1500kg.
Choose the suitable stroke:
We recommend that you install the head of the linear actuator on the climbing board 2M away from the rotating shaft, and its bottom on the climbing board 1.9M vertically and 1.4M horizontally away from the rotating shaft.
According to the designed installation position, the distance between the head and the bottom of the linear actuator after stretching is 1358mm. When the climbing board is pulled away from the vertical to an angle of 15 degrees, the distance between the head and the bottom of the linear actuator after retraction is 790mm.
1358mm - 790mm = 568mm
So you can customize a linear actuator with a stroke of 568 or 570mm, and the linear actuator will stop automatically when the climbing board is pulled away from the vertical by 15 degrees. You can also directly choose a linear actuator with a stroke of 600mm, and stop the linear actuator through the external limit switches when the climbing board is pulled away from the vertical by 15 degrees.
Choose maximum thrust and speed:
The mechanical analysis of the climbing board is as follows in the figure :
1. The total weight of the climbing board and the person is about 1500kg. It is planned to fix the linear actuator on the climbing board at a position 2M away from the rotating shaft. The gravity G is converted into the force F1 at the installation of the linear actuator, and the direction of F1 is vertically downward. The calculation formula of F1 is as follows:
F1 = (G * 3.5M) / 2M = (1500kg * 3.5M) / 2M = 2625kg
2. The customer requires the climbing board to be tilted inward by 15 degrees. The linear actuator needs to apply a tension F2 at 2M of the climbing board to pull the climbing board inward. F1 is converted into a force F4 in the vertical direction of the climbing board, and F2 is converted into a force F3 in the vertical direction of the climbing board. F4 and F3 are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
The calculation formula of F4 is as follows:
F4 = F1 * sin15° = 679kg
So F3=F4 = 679kg
3. Now calculate the tension F2 of the linear actuator on the climbing board. The calculation formula of F2 is as follows:
F2 = F3 / sin75° = 703kg
703kg is the minimum tension actually required by the linear actuator. For safety reasons, we recommend choosing an linear actuator with a maximum load of more than double this tension, that is, the maximum tension should be more than 1406kg. Therefore, we recommend using a one-control-two linear actuator F with a speed of 6 mm/s and a total tension of 2400kg. The product link is:
One-Control-Two Linear Actuator F
Due to the linear actuator's stroke of 600 mm, using two linear actuators F with a speed of 6 mm/s will take approximately 100 seconds to pull the climbing board open to 15 degrees. If you want to pull the climbing board open to 15 degrees in about 50 seconds, you can choose a one-control-three linear actuator F with a speed of 12mm/s. The product link is:
One-Control-Three Linear Actuator F
If you want to pull the climbing board open to 15 degrees in about 30 seconds, you can choose a one-control-four linear actuator F with a speed of 20mm/s. The product link is:
One-Control-Four Linear Actuator F
Ready to transform your climbing setup? Explore our recommended actuator kits to find the perfect fit. Whether you’re outfitting a gym or building a home climbing board, the right actuator will take your training to new heights.