By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I’ve seen many pneumatic cylinders in my fifteen years in fluid power. From pancake to ISO and from NFPA to compact round line, there are as many types of air cylinders as there are applications for them. With so many cylinders and ways to use them, there are many ways […]
Cylinders
Why do pneumatic cylinders fail?
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor It would be easy to assume all cylinders fail in the same fashion — that hydraulic cylinders bypass and air cylinders experience bent rods. However, it’s a false assumption because the nature of their operation and intended application differ. Sure, a hydraulic cylinder can bypass but not as easily as […]
Festo introduces online 3D CAD Configurator for actuators and accessories
Festo continues to enable original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to lower engineering and purchasing overhead and bring machines to market faster with the company’s new online 3D CAD Configurator for pneumatic actuators and associated accessories such as fittings, lengths of tubing, and sensors. The tool is intuitive and easy to use. Once the actuator is selected […]
Ultra-compact pneumatic cylinder for small movements in tight spaces
Festo adds a new space-optimized product to its line of pneumatic cylinders ‒ the ultra-compact ADN-S – for performing small movements in tight quarters and, in so doing, helping machine designers keep their projects as space-efficient as possible. Festo took the ISO standard ADN double-acting cylinder and shrank the housing length to create a significantly […]
What are pneumatic actuators?
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Pneumatic actuators take advantage of compressed air to provide your machine with quick and powerful actuation of nearly infinite possible functions. Pneumatic actuators may take the form of cylinders, motors, slides, grippers and rotary actuators, each of which receives pressurized and compressed air to create linear or rotational force. The […]
Designing optimum pneumatic systems for food & beverage packaging
These tips not only adhere to food safety guidelines, but also serve to improve machine utilization and performance. By Steve Bain, Food and Beverage Industry Segment Manager, Festo Before describing the four pneumatic automation design tips for food and beverage packaging applications, it is a good idea to answer a fundamental question: Why apply pneumatic […]
How to select the right interchangeable pneumatic actuator
Contributed by Troy Sanders | National Sales Manager | Fabco-Air When your operation calls for a pneumatic actuator, you’ll find a wide range of products available from various manufacturers. But because no two applications are alike, you must weigh several considerations before selecting and ordering an actuator. This article will discuss the different cylinder types […]
Fabco-Air launches new online shop
Fabco-Air is pleased to announce its new webstore (shop.fabco-air.com). Partnering with KYKLO, a content and e-commerce solution for the electrical, automation, fluid and energy industries, the Fabco-Air webstore has been designed to be a one-stop shop for all our standard products to streamline the product selection, quoting and ordering processes for customers and distribution partners. […]
Pneumatic cylinders with automatic mechanical end stroke locks
End Lock pneumatic cylinders from Camozzi Automation are fitted with automatic mechanical end stroke locks which guarantee the safe and secure holding of the cylinder rod in both the fully retracted and fully extended positions. The locks activate and release automatically, without the need for external signals or commands and cylinders Series 63 comply with […]
Where are single-acting pneumatic cylinders used?
By Frances Richards, contributor Pneumatic cylinders are a clean and cost-effective option for achieving reliable linear motion in many industrial environments. Because they are lighter weight and lower maintenance than their hydraulic and electric counterparts, they are an excellent choice in applications from factory automation and transportation to packaging and life sciences. Two main styles […]