most examples shown are using a delay where as I want the actuator to run for a set time.
Using delay() will cause the program to pause for the delay period but will not affect the state of any outputs so what happens when you run your program ?
If the program must do other things whilst the actuator runs there are other techniques available. Have a look atUsing millis() for timing. A beginners guide, Several things at the same time and look at the BlinkWithoutDelay example in the IDE.