2 questions “Funnel the Spec” to one product type.
Start at the top, follow the path down, end on the recommendation. Designed for distributors to send a customer ahead of a quote call.
Question 1
Do you need rotary motion the air can drive, or precision positioning the air can't?
Rotary motion · two-position bounded angular travel
Precision positioning · multi-position or profiled motion
Question 2b
Replacing an existing pneumatic cylinder, or designing a new servo build?
If Drop-in retrofit of an existing cylinder install
Recommend
Electric Actuator (SMC LEY)
SMC LEY drops in on the existing cylinder mounting at the same stroke length — no machine rework. Air-loss savings pay back the capex in 18-36 months on multi-shift duty. Lead the conversation here.
If New machine · clean-sheet servo design
Recommend
Electric Actuator (SMC LEY + LEC controller)
Full servo system — actuator, LEC controller, power supply, fieldbus to PLC. Spec'd around closed-loop positioning, programmable profiles, and multi-axis coordination. Higher capex but right architecture for precision automation from the start.
This category sits on top of the explicit Electric Actuator Migration Sub-System story (per IA Model §Layer 6). The pneumatic-rotary vs electric-servo choice isn't a tie; it's a hand-off — pneumatic rotary is the right answer for bounded two-position rotation, and electric is the right answer for everything more complicated than that. The retrofit conversation (SMC LEY drop-in) is the door-opener for customers on existing cylinder installs who are tired of paying for compressed air the actuator only uses 10% of the time.
Pneumatic rotary is the cheap, reliable answer for two-position work. Electric is the migration path for everything that needs more than two positions — and it pays back faster than most customers expect.
SPC distributor playbook Actuators · two products, two stories