Stainless Steel Air Cylinders Enhance Equipment Uptime for Corrosion-Prone Food and Packaging Equipment
In many applications, corrosion prevention is a critical consideration when specifying air cylinders. In the food and beverage industry, air cylinders will be exposed to corrosion sources like water and moisture, chemical exposure or repeated washdowns during cleaning. In addition, packaging machines may also be exposed to moisture or corrosive liquids. These threats can affect machine performance, reliability and lifetime.
Corrosion prevention starts with selecting an air cylinder made from an appropriate material. Stainless steel is a prudent choice of material for devices used in wet conditions. It reacts with air and water to form a protective barrier on the metal surface to prevent the oxidation process, which otherwise causes corrosion.
As you select an ideal air cylinder for your food, beverage or corrosion-prone packaging equipment, it is important to work with a supplier that can offer stainless steel units in a variety of styles to meet the exact requirements of your application. For example, Fabco-Air offers several types of air cylinders to meet various requirements:
- Low-profile for tight spaces. The all-stainless version of the Original Pancake® Series cylinder combines durable construction with short strokes of four inches or less for limited spaces typically found in food, beverage and packaging equipment. Stainless steel cylinder rods are standard. In addition to the all-stainless version, the Original Pancake is also available in a lightweight Delrin® variant.
- Interchangeability and design freedom. NFPA air cylinders come in stainless steel versions that also provide the same form, fit and function as other manufacturers’ NFPA cylinders. These repairable units also feature hard chrome-plated stainless steel piston rod and tie rods for greater reliability and durability.
- Light-duty and compact. Round Body F Series cylinders feature standard stainless steel construction, with a 304-grade body and 303-grade rods. Available in 10 bore sizes from 9⁄16 through 3 inches and with stroke lengths to 32 inches, this series is a cost-optimized option for space-constrained, light-duty applications.
- Humphrey Interchangeable. Like our F Series, our H Series Round Body cylinder features durable, standard stainless steel construction. It is also interchangeable to the previous Humphrey version as well as competitive devices. Its full, unrestricted porting design delivers a fast cylinder response and smooth rod motion.
- Customization. In addition to these stainless steel actuator examples, we can create custom solutions as “specials” to operate in wet, corrosive and chemical environments as well as offer food-grade lubricants.
Ensure Machine Reliability in Wet Environments
If you plan to install an air cylinder in a wet or humid environment, stainless steel construction will likely be your primary requirement. At Fabco-Air, we offer several air cylinders in stainless steel versions to give you the protection from corrosion that food, beverage and packaging applications demand for greater reliability and lifetimes.
For more information about our stainless steel air cylinders and customization capabilities, visit our actuator product page.
