The Perfect Air Cylinder
Air cylinders are offered in a variety of shapes, sizes, and types as well as with a multitude of standard options. At first glance, the number of permutations can be a bit overwhelming. The good news is that each cylinder type and configuration has a place in today’s motion-centric automation environment.
Air cylinders are selected by their ability to do work. To ensure maximum production, proper cylinder selection is vital. Cylinder application lives are often predestined long before the product is ever applied. The most common contributing factor that limits productivity is using an undersized cylinder.
Below are a couple of critical cylinder selection practices that should be considered when selecting the perfect air cylinders for the task at hand.
- Determine the force
- Subtract the piston rod area, if applicable
- Know the true operating pressure
- Allowance of internal actuator friction, i.e., seals, bushings, wears bands, etc.
- Know the true load
- Add speed requirements
- Be sure to consider the angles
- Design for slight future productivity requirement additions
- Consider the kinetic energy
- Test
These simple steps in the beginning will ensure that your air cylinder will keep your production levels at a pinnacle.
