Pneumatic Slides and Cylinders Drive Packaging Equipment Throughput and Precision
As packaging operations strive to meet high throughput demands and adapt to various workload requirements, it’s important to select motion components that optimize your equipment’s effectiveness. More and more, mechanical components in packaging machinery must manage heavy loads with fast cycle times and precise motion requirements — often while operating around the clock. Further, machines are increasingly required to accommodate diverse package sizes and disparate production quantities. That means mechanical components must be easy to install and put into action.
Although there are several means of providing mechanical motion in packaging machines, pneumatic slides and cylinders are particularly attractive choices to address packaging challenges and enhance productivity, design flexibility and ensure a quality end product. It also takes a pneumatic component manufacturer with a wide variety of products to help determine the best slide or actuator for the job. Here are important advantages pneumatic slides and cylinders offer packaging equipment applications, using Fabco-Air’s quality pneumatic products as examples.
Pneumatic Component Advantages
Pneumatic slides and cylinders offer several advantages versus hydraulic and electric alternatives, making them desirable for a wide range of packaging machines and equipment such as pick and place, palletizing and depalletizing, sealing and labeling, to name a few. For example, they use compressed air and do not require fluids and their associated messes and costs. And, they are typically easy to install and maintain. Many pneumatic slides and cylinders come in compact sizes for automated equipment, and their high-speed response makes them perfect for meeting high-throughput demands.
At Fabco-Air, we manufacture high-performance pneumatic slides and cylinders that are particularly well-suited to meet the challenges of automated packaging applications. Highlights of our product lineup include:
Pneumatic Slides
- Rugged construction. L and S Series slides feature excellent load-bearing capabilities plus tough cylinder construction elements such as a 304 stainless steel body and 303 stainless steel piston rod for packaging in food and beverage or otherwise wet facilities. L Series slides come with dual bearing blocks for higher loading capacity. GB Series block slides feature rugged anodized aluminum construction and Duralon bearings.
- Simple, rugged and precise. SE, EZ and EZP linear slides are designed to provide choices of load and precision, depending on the model. SE slides are appropriate for tight installations, and SE and EZ units can be combined for added flexibility. EZP Series provides horizontal and vertical motion for pick and place machines.
- High load capacity and smooth motion. TS Series slides are built into the cylinder for space savings and offer high load capacity and no-play precision motion. For applications that need higher thrust, FGXS precision tables feature a two-piston design and smooth motion.
- Simple mounting. FGYSR Series’ external slider is magnetically coupled to the piston, creating a rodless, easy-to-mount unit. FDH finger slides combine C-bore side through holes, tapped mounting holes and narrower toolbars for simple mounting.
Pneumatic Cylinders
- Rugged and interchangeable. NFPA cylinders offer sturdy construction and can replace other manufacturers’ NFPA-compliant units. Versatile F Series cylinders interchange with most manufacturers units and feature stainless steel tube construction for packing and filling-type machines in harsh environments.
- Space-limited applications. Pancake® II cylinders combine compact sizes with good load-bearing capability and high-strength aluminum construction for long life.
In addition to quality pneumatic slides and cylinders, we also offer pneumatic grippers for effective end-of-arm (EoA) tooling.
Pneumatic Components Solve Packaging Application Challenges
The packaging industry’s high throughput and accuracy demands combined with harsh conditions and limited installation spaces make it one of the most difficult sectors for specifying motion components. At Fabco-Air, our expansive range of pneumatic slides and cylinders are well-positioned to address many packaging application challenges thanks to their rugged construction, high speed and precision, high load capacities, and mounting ease and adaptability. And, if a standard product does not fit your requirements, we can turn around special custom orders fast. Our experienced sales engineers can help you begin your selection.
For more information, please visit our packaging industry page.
