Engineering selection and product sourcing
Exlar
Exlar is an electric actuator brand of Curtiss-Wright, founded in 1990 and headquartered at 18400 West 77th Street, Chanhassen, Minnesota. Its general enquiries line is +1 952 500 6200, and Curtiss-Wright lists Olsen Actuation UK Ltd in Daresbury, Cheshire as the UK contact for Exlar products.
UK engineering team · Product sourcing · Supply support
Source Exlar parts or compare a suitable alternative
Need Exlar parts, a replacement or another suitable option? Send your part number or describe what the machine needs to do. We connect your requirement with experienced UK engineering and procurement support to help you get the right products, pricing and supply options. Your matched provider can take the enquiry through quotation and ordering to delivery and after-sales support.
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| Founded | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Owner / parent | Curtiss-Wright Corporation (Curtiss-Wright Actuation Division) |
| Headquarters | Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317, United States |
| Stock listing | NYSE: CW (Curtiss-Wright Corporation) |
| Website | actuation.curtisswright.com/en-gb/products |
Manufacturer information and published contact details
Exlar contact details
Exlar Automation headquarters, Curtiss-Wright Actuation Division
18400 West 77th StreetChanhassen, Minnesota 55317
United States
Telephone +1 952 500 6200
UK representative: Olsen Actuation UK Ltd
Sci-Tech Daresbury, Keckwick LaneDaresbury, Cheshire WA4 4FS
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 1925 202127
Contact details as published by Curtiss-Wright Actuation Group, checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with Curtiss-Wright Actuation Group.
Exlar product lines
| Universal linear actuators | FTX, FTP and KX roller screw actuators driven by a separate motor |
|---|---|
| Integrated motor actuators | GTX, GTW, GSX and GTF servo motor and roller screw in one housing |
| Intelligent drive, motor and actuators | Tritex II, TTX and T2X actuators with the servo drive built in |
| Rotary actuators | Electric rotary actuators, including intelligent R2M/G and RDM/G units |
| Legacy products | Support pages for discontinued series such as the FT |
Who Exlar is
Exlar is an American brand of electric actuators, best known for planetary roller screw actuators that do the work of hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders. It is now a brand of Curtiss-Wright, presented under the Curtiss-Wright Actuation Division, which also designs actuation systems for aerospace and for ground and naval defence. Exlar is the division’s industrial automation brand.
UK engineers meet Exlar on high-force, high-duty linear axes: presses and clinching stations, test rigs and simulators, valve and process actuators, food and packaging machines needing hygienic designs, and entertainment and motion platforms. Exlar is a trademark of its owner.
History and ownership
Exlar’s own history says it was founded in 1990 by a team of engineers who wanted an alternative to fluid power for linear motion. Over the following years they developed the approach the brand is known for: building the servo motor and the roller screw into a single housing, which its history describes as perfected by 2004.
Exlar Corporation was privately owned until Curtiss-Wright Corporation bought it for about US$85 million in cash. Defense Daily reported on 3 January 2013 that the deal had closed in December 2012. Trade press at the time described Exlar as based in Chanhassen, Minnesota, with 183 employees, an ISO-certified factory and a sales and service office near Frankfurt, Germany. Curtiss-Wright placed it in its Motion Control segment.
Today Exlar products are designed and built by the Curtiss-Wright Actuation Division. Curtiss-Wright Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CW.
Product portfolio
Curtiss-Wright groups the Exlar range into three families. The series we list are:
- Integrated motor actuators: GTX, GTW, GSX and GTF, each combining a brushless servo motor and roller screw in one body.
- Universal linear actuators driven by a separate motor: FTX, FTP and KX, for very high forces or where the motor must be chosen independently.
- Intelligent drive actuators with the servo drive built in: Tritex II T2X, Tritex TTX and Tritex TDX.
- Legacy: the FT Series, which Curtiss-Wright marks as a legacy product no longer available, recommending the FTX instead.
Exlar also offers rotary actuators, including R2M/G and RDM/G intelligent rotary units. For the engineering behind these products, see our linear actuators hub, the ball screw vs roller screw guide and the guide to replacing hydraulic cylinders with electric actuators.
What Exlar is known for technically
The planetary roller screw is the core technology. Instead of balls, a roller screw uses threaded rollers between the screw and nut, which gives many more contact lines. In practice that means higher load capacity and longer life than a ball screw of similar diameter, and better tolerance of shock loads, which is why roller screws are chosen for axes that run near their force limit all day.
Exlar’s second signature is integration. Putting the motor around or behind the screw in one sealed housing removes couplings, belts and separate motor mounts, shortening the axis and reducing parts. The Tritex family goes further by building the servo drive into the actuator, so only power and control cables run to the axis. That saves cabinet space but changes commissioning and wiring, which matters when comparing it with alternatives that use a cabinet drive.
Curtiss-Wright stresses energy efficiency against hydraulics: an electromechanical actuator draws significant power only when it moves or holds load, while a hydraulic power unit often runs continuously.
Industries served
Curtiss-Wright lists automotive, food and beverage, oil and gas, robotics and entertainment for the Exlar brand. Trade press covering the acquisition also named defence, process control, industrial automation, packaging, and test and simulation.
Global and UK presence
Exlar products are sold through Curtiss-Wright sales offices and a network of independent representatives. From Chanhassen, the company runs customer service, applications engineering and technical support. In Europe, CW Exlar Europe is based in Baesweiler, Germany, and national representatives cover most countries.
For the UK, Curtiss-Wright’s sales office list names Olsen Actuation UK Ltd at Sci-Tech Daresbury in Cheshire. UK engineers can also contact the Chanhassen team directly for applications help.
Specify Motion and Exlar
Specify Motion is independent of Exlar and Curtiss-Wright and is not a representative of either. We can help you source Exlar actuators where available, or propose equivalents from our supply network that meet the same published specification, confirmed by an engineer. See our page on alternatives to Exlar actuators or use find a replacement with your current model code.
Contact details at a glance
- Headquarters: 18400 West 77th Street, Chanhassen, Minnesota 55317, USA
- Phone: +1 952 500 6200 (toll-free in USA and Canada: 855 620 6200)
- Email (industrial product support): cha_info@curtisswright.com
- UK representative: Olsen Actuation UK Ltd, +44 1925 202127
- Website: actuation.curtisswright.com
Contact details were taken from Curtiss-Wright’s own website on 30 October 2026.
Exlar history: key dates
- 1990Exlar founded by engineers seeking an electric alternative to hydraulic and pneumatic actuation
- 2004Exlar's engineers refine the integrated motor and actuator configuration, as described in the brand's history
- 2012Curtiss-Wright completes its US$85 million cash acquisition of Exlar Corporation in December
- 2013Acquisition announced publicly in early January; Exlar placed in Curtiss-Wright's Motion Control segment
Exlar linear actuators
GTX Series
Servo motor and inverted roller screw combined in one compact rod-style body, offered in three frame sizes with AC or DC windings and a choice of drive feedback devices.
GTF Series
Hygienic washdown version of the integrated servo roller-screw actuator, with stainless wetted parts and food-grade grease, aimed at food, packaging and pharmaceutical machines.
GTW Series (weld gun actuator)
Integrated servo roller-screw actuator packaged for resistance spot-weld guns on robot cells, with compatibility listed for major robot and 7th-axis controllers.
GSX Series
Earlier-generation integrated brushless servo and inverted roller screw actuator in five imperial frame sizes, now grouped by Curtiss-Wright under engineered products and reaching around 51 kN continuous.
FTX Series
Heavy-duty motorless planetary roller-screw cylinder in four frame sizes, accepting inline or parallel-belt motor mounting, used as a direct replacement for large hydraulic cylinders.
FTP Series (press actuator)
Oil-lubricated planetary roller-screw actuator optimised for pressing, with extension force ratings up to around 356 kN and rated life quoted in press cycles.
KX Series
Mid-force motorless planetary roller-screw actuator in three frame sizes that works with servo, stepper or DC motors via inline or parallel mounts, often used to replace pneumatic cylinders.
Tritex II T2X (AC linear actuator)
Roller-screw actuator with motor, servo drive and position controller all built in, running from single-phase AC mains and accepting analogue, Modbus or optional industrial Ethernet commands.
Tritex TTX Series
Newer-generation intelligent actuator that puts an inverted roller screw, servo motor and drive in one housing for decentralised control over industrial Ethernet, with AC and DC frames.
Tritex TDX (Tritex II DC linear actuator)
Low-voltage DC version of the Tritex integrated drive, motor and roller-screw actuator in 60 and 75 mm frames; Curtiss-Wright now lists it as a legacy product.
FT Series
Predecessor to the FTX: a motorless planetary roller-screw cylinder in four frames up to about 178 kN, now withdrawn with the FTX recommended instead.
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