Low power solenoid?

[Guest jessicabrenner]

I want to apply force for an extended amount of time (10 secs to a couple minutes) using a solenoid actuator. Unfortunately, it seems that solenoids use a lot of power when they are active. Is there a solenoid type that will only use power when switching between active and not active? There's probably a way I can do this with an external mechanism, but I was wondering if there may be commercial solenoids that have this built-in.

Thanks,
Jessica

[Guest liquibyte]

A solenoid is just a linear motor therefore with no power you have no holding torque.  You can get a mechanical assist with some via a spring but unless you want to hold open when the power is off and release when power is on I don't think this will do you much good.  I think what you'll be after is some sort of mechanical solution beyond just the solenoid itself.

[Hero999]

An electric motor with gears will do the job.

Another possibility is a piezoelectric linear actuator.