WOOD DALE, IL – WhisperTrak? Electric Linear Actuators from Thomson Industries, Inc. have been named a 2012 Design News Golden Mousetrap Finalist in the Automation and Control: Motors and Mechanical Motion Devices category. Through quiet (<45 dBa), maintenance-free operation in a compact one-piece housing, Thomson WhisperTrak linear actuators maximize design flexibility and improve performance and user comfort in personal mobility, rehabilitation, and medical equipment applications where reliability, small size and low noise are primary design considerations. These attributes also make the Thomson WhisperTrak actuator an ideal solution in office and domestic-use equipment. Thomson WhisperTrak actuators comply with all relevant certificates and are built in accordance with ISO 9000.

“We are honored that our WhisperTrak actuators have been named a 2012 Golden Mousetrap Finalist,” says Håkan Persson, Product Line Manager for Linear Actuators. “Rooted in more than 40 years of Thomson Linear Actuator experience and supported by a global manufacturing, sales and service organization, the WhisperTrak actuator is engineered to deliver long life and zero-maintenance operation, with virtually inaudible actuation, within one of the most compact envelopes available today.”

WhisperTrak actuators are pin-to-pin compatible with most competitive actuators in this market segment. This enables OEMs to easily replace an existing actuator with a smaller, lighter and quieter option that will reduce total cost of ownership and improve their competitive advantage. A completely sealed, IP67 enclosure enables WhisperTrak electric linear actuators to provide true maintenance-free operation throughout its life, even with regular exposure to washdown, rain, dust or other particulates. Even in these conditions, WhisperTrak actuators provide a minimum of 10,000 cycles, defined as one full stroke back and forth, at maximum load. Reducing the stroke and/or the load will naturally increase operating life.

For more than two decades, the Design News Awards Program has recognized engineering innovation and creativity in product design.?

Thomson has also been recognized by Control Design magazine as the 2012 Reader’s Choice for technology excellence in the Linear Actuator/Slide/Guide and Ball Screw/Lead Screw categories. Thomson Linear Actuators are rugged, durable, and ideal anywhere users want to lift, lower, push, pull, rotate or position a load. They come in?a wide range of standard and customizable stroke lengths and are available in both DC?and AC?models -?optionally packaged with a wide selection of controls and accessories to satisfy virtually any application need.

About Thomson

With more than 60 years of motion control innovation and quality, Thomson is the industry’s premier producer of Linear Ball Bushing® Bearings and Profile Rail Bearings, 60 Case? Shafting, ground and rolled Ball Screws, Linear Actuators, Gearheads, Clutches, Brakes, Linear Systems, and related accessories. Thomson invented the Linear Ball Bushing Bearing in 1945, and has set the standard ever since with an unsurpassed set of mechanical motion control solutions serving global commercial and aerospace & defense markets. Thomson Industries, Inc. has facilities in North America, Europe and Asia with over 2000 distributor locations around the world. ?

Thomson, 1500 Mittel Boulevard, Wood Dale, IL 60191-1073; 1-540-633-3549; 1-540-633-0294 (fax);

Thomson@thomsonlinear.com; www.thomsonlinear.com.