Compact air cylinders all seem to look alike, and have similar features and dimensions. So how do you know which one to use for your project? When evaluating cylinders, it’s helpful to look at what’s inside. Watch our new video for a quick peek inside our Pancake® II cylinder.
The compact air cylinder is a critical component for a wide range of short stroke applications—with many styles, sizes and mounting options to choose from. Because of their popularity, there are many seemingly similar products competing for your attention. And that can be a problem. When cylinders have similar features, including the same dimensions, how […]
Fabco-Air, Inc. recently acquired the Humphrey Stainless Steel, Disposable Cylinder product line! This also includes the Volume Chamber product line as well as all relevant cylinder accessories. The H-Series is completely interchangeable to the previous version offered by Humphrey, and interchanges with a wide range of competitors. In an effort to make the transition as […]
More or Less – Compact Air Cylinders are a Big Deal! “Less is more” seems to be the trend in the pneumatic actuator market. Real estate on OEM equipment is at a premium today more than ever before! This just confirms that Alfred W. Schmidt (the founder of Fabco-Air, Inc.) was well ahead of the […]
The use of Air vs. Electrical or Hydraulic cylinders/actuators is application specific, site specific, and a cost specific decision. Additional contributing factors when determining the cylinder/actuator median include issues such as safety, reliability, maintenance schedule, etc. Due to the fact that air cylinders can operate without electricity, there is no chance of spark generation. This […]
Air cylinders for the most part are simple devices. Furthermore, determining the theoretical force output for an actuator is relatively straightforward. Sizing an air cylinder for a specific application can be challenging. Specifying an undersized cylinder is one of the most common mistakes made when working with air cylinders.
Compare to CENTERLINE and PIVOT mounts, the FOOT mounts isn’t as popular. The FOOT mount is less rigid when compared to the other types of mounts. The plane of the mounting surface is not through the centerline of the air cylinder. However, these mounts are often the perfect solution for unique applications.
Frequently an air cylinder must be able to rotate through a curved path or a PIVOT. The strongest pivot mount is a TRUNNION mount. It compensates for misalignment in one plane by using two robust pivot points. A CLEVIS has one pivot point and may be either fixed or removable and is typically attached to […]
