Profiles For Pneumatic Cylinders

Keeping the assembly process simple is always a smart way to make any product.One of the easiest ways to achieve linear or rotary motion during assembly is to use pneumatic actuators.
Carey Webster, Engineering Solutions Manager of PHD Inc., pointed out: “Compared with electric and hydraulic actuators, simple installation and lower cost are the two main advantages of pneumatic actuators.” Lines connected to accessories.”
PHD has been selling pneumatic actuators for 62 years, and its largest customer base is automobile manufacturers.Other customers come from the white goods, medical, semiconductor, packaging and food and beverage industries.
According to Webster, approximately 25% of the pneumatic actuators produced by PHD are custom-made.Four years ago, the company created a custom actuator that can be used as a fixed-pitch pneumatic pick-up head for manufacturers of medical assembly machines.
“The function of this head is to quickly and accurately select and place multiple parts, and then put them in a container for transportation,” Webster explained.”The pick-up head is mounted on the base of the parts making machine. It can change the spacing of the parts from 10 mm to 30 mm, depending on the size of the part.”
Moving objects from point to point with strong force is one of the specialties of pneumatic actuators, which is why they are still the first choice for machine movement on assembly lines nearly a century after their advent.Pneumatic actuators are also known for their durability, cost-effectiveness and overload tolerance.Now, the latest sensing technology enables engineers to optimize actuator performance and integrate it into any Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) platform.
In the first half of the 20th century, pneumatic actuators used in manufacturing were based on single-acting cylinders that generated linear force.As the pressure on one side increases, the cylinder moves along the axis of the piston, generating a linear force.When the resilience is provided to the other side of the piston, the piston returns to its original position.
Kurt Stoll, co-founder of Festo AG & Co., developed the first series of cylinders in Europe, the single-acting AH type, in cooperation with employee engineers in 1955.According to product manager Michael Guelker, these cylinders were introduced to the market the following year.Pneumatic actuators from Festo Corp. and Fabco-Air.
Soon thereafter, irreparable small-bore cylinders and pancake pneumatic actuators were launched, as well as those that generate rotational force.Before founding Bimba Manufacturing in 1957, Charlie Bimba created the first irreparable cylinder in his garage in Moni, Illinois.This cylinder, now called the Original Line irreparable cylinder, has become and remains the flagship product of Bimba.
“At the time, the only pneumatic actuator on the market was a bit cumbersome and relatively expensive,” said Sarah Manuel, Bimba’s pneumatic actuator product manager.”Irrepairable has a universal round body, which is cheaper, has the same life span and does not require maintenance. Initially, the wear life of these actuators was 1,400 miles. When we modified them in 2012, their wear life More than doubled to 3,000 miles.”
PHD introduced the Tom Thumb small-bore cylinder actuator in 1957.Today, as at the time, the actuator uses NFPA standard cylinders, which are available and interchangeable from multiple equipment suppliers.It also contains a tie rod structure that allows bending.PHD’s current small-bore cylinder products have high performance in most applications, and may be equipped with dual rods, high-temperature seals, and end-of-stroke sensors.
The Pancake actuator was designed by Alfred W. Schmidt (the founder of Fabco-Air) in the late 1950s to meet the demand for short-stroke, thin and compact cylinders suitable for tight spaces.These cylinders have a piston rod structure that works in a single-acting or double-acting manner.
The latter uses compressed air to power the extension stroke and the retraction stroke to move the rod back and forth.This arrangement makes the double-acting cylinder very suitable for push and pull loads.Common applications include assembly, bending, clamping, feeding, forming, lifting, positioning, pressing, processing, stamping, shaking, and sorting.
Emerson’s M series round actuator adopts a stainless steel piston rod, and the rolling threads at both ends of the piston rod ensure that the piston rod connection is durable.The actuator is cost-effective to operate, offers a variety of mounting options, and uses oil-based compounds for pre-lubrication to achieve a wide range of maintenance-free performance.
The pore size ranges from 0.3125 inches to 3 inches.The maximum rated air pressure of the actuator is 250 psi.According to Josh Adkins, product expert for Emerson Machine Automation Actuators, common applications include clamping and transferring materials from one assembly line to another.
Rotary actuators are available in single or double rack and pinion, vane and spiral spline versions.These actuators reliably perform various functions such as feeding and orienting parts, operating chutes or routing pallets on conveyor belts.
Rack and pinion rotation converts the linear motion of the cylinder into rotary motion and is recommended for precision and heavy-duty applications.The rack is a set of spur gear teeth connected to the cylinder piston.When the piston moves, the rack is pushed linearly, and the rack meshes with the circular gear teeth of the pinion, forcing it to rotate.
The blade actuator uses a simple air motor to drive the blade connected to the rotating drive shaft.When significant pressure is applied to the chamber, it expands and moves the blade through an arc up to 280 degrees until it encounters a fixed barrier.Reverse rotation by reversing the air pressure at the inlet and outlet.
The spiral (or sliding) spline revolving body is composed of a cylindrical shell, a shaft and a piston sleeve.Like the rack and pinion transmission, the spiral transmission relies on the spline gear operation concept to convert linear piston motion into shaft rotation.
Other actuator types include guided, escapement, multi-position, rodless, combined and professional.The feature of the guided pneumatic actuator is that the guide rod is mounted on the yoke plate, parallel to the piston rod.
These guide rods reduce rod bending, piston bending and uneven seal wear.They also provide stability and prevent rotation, while withstanding high side loads.Models may be standard size or compact, but generally speaking, they are heavy-duty actuators that provide repeatability.
Franco Stephan, Marketing Director of Emerson Machine Automation, said: “Manufacturers want guided actuators for various applications that require robustness and precision.” A common example is guiding the actuator piston to move accurately back and forth on a sliding table.Guided actuators also reduce the need for external guides in the machinery.”
Last year, Festo introduced the DGST series of miniature pneumatic slides with dual-guide cylinders.These slide rails are one of the most compact slide rails on the market and are designed for precision handling, press fitting, pick and place, and electronics and light assembly applications.There are seven models to choose from, with payloads up to 15 pounds and stroke lengths up to 8 inches.The maintenance-free dual-piston drive and high-capacity recirculating ball bearing guide can provide 34 to 589 Newtons of power at a pressure of 6 bar.The same standard is the buffer and proximity sensors, they will not exceed the footprint of the slide.
Pneumatic escapement actuators are ideal for separating and releasing individual parts from hoppers, conveyors, vibrating feeder bowls, rails and magazines.Webster said the escapement has single-lever and double-lever configurations, and they are designed to withstand high side loads, which are common in such applications.Some models are equipped with switches for easy connection with various electronic control devices.
Guelker pointed out that there are two types of pneumatic multi-position actuators available, and both are heavy-duty.The first type consists of two independent but connected cylinders with piston rods extending in opposite directions and stopping at up to four positions.
The other type is characterized by 2 to 5 multi-stage cylinders connected in series and with different stroke lengths.Only one piston rod is visible, and it moves in one direction to different positions.
Rodless linear actuators are pneumatic actuators in which power is transmitted to the piston through a transverse connection.This connection is either mechanically connected through a groove in the profile barrel, or magnetically connected through a closed profile barrel.Some models may even use rack and pinion systems or gears to transmit power.
One advantage of these actuators is that they require much less installation space than similar piston rod cylinders.Another benefit is that the actuator can guide and support the load throughout the stroke length of the cylinder, making it a smart choice for longer stroke applications.
The combined actuator provides linear travel and limited rotation, and includes fixtures and fixtures.The clamping cylinder directly clamps the workpiece through the pneumatic clamping element or automatically and repeatedly through the motion mechanism.
In the inactive state, the clamping element rises and swings out of the work area.Once the new workpiece is positioned, it is pressurized and rejoined.Using kinematics, a very high retention force can be achieved with low energy consumption.
Pneumatic clamps clamp, position and move parts in parallel or angular motion.Engineers often combine them with some other pneumatic or electronic components to build a pick and place system.For a long time, semiconductor companies have used small pneumatic jigs to handle precision transistors and microchips, while car manufacturers have used powerful large jigs to move entire car engines.
The nine fixtures of PHD’s Pneu-Connect series are directly connected to the tool ports of the Universal Robots collaborative robot.All models have a built-in pneumatic directional control valve for opening and closing the fixture.URCap software provides intuitive and simple fixture setup.
The company also offers the Pneu-ConnectX2 kit, which can connect two pneumatic clamps to increase application flexibility.These kits include two GRH grippers (with analog sensors that provide jaw position feedback), two GRT grippers or one GRT gripper and one GRH gripper.Each kit includes Freedrive functionality, which can be connected to a collaborative robot for easy positioning and programming.
When standard cylinders cannot perform one or more tasks for a specific application, end users should consider using special cylinders, such as load stop and sine.The load stop cylinder is usually equipped with a hydraulic industrial shock absorber, which is used to stop the transmitted load softly and without rebound.These cylinders are suitable for vertical and horizontal installation.
Compared with traditional pneumatic cylinders, sinusoidal cylinders can better control the speed, acceleration and deceleration of the cylinders to transport precision objects.This control is due to the two grooves on each buffer spear, resulting in a more gradual initial acceleration or deceleration, and a smooth transition to full speed operation.
Manufacturers are increasingly using position switches and sensors to more accurately monitor actuator performance.By installing a position switch, the control system can be configured to trigger a warning when the cylinder does not reach the programmed extended or retracted position as expected.
Additional switches can be used to determine when the actuator reaches the intermediate position and the nominal execution time of each movement.This information can inform the operator of an impending failure before a complete failure occurs.
The position sensor confirms that the position of the first action step has been completed, and then enters the second step.This ensures continuous functionality, even if equipment performance and speed change over time.
“We provide sensor functions on actuators to help companies implement IIoT in their factories,” Adkins said.”End users now have access to critical data to better monitor the actuator and optimize its performance. These data range from speed and acceleration to position accuracy, cycle time and total distance traveled. The latter helps the company to better determine The remaining seal life of the actuator.”
Emerson’s ST4 and ST6 magnetic proximity sensors can be easily integrated into various pneumatic actuators.The compact design of the sensor allows it to be used in tight spaces and embedded installations.The rugged housing is standard, with LEDs to indicate the output status.
Bimba’s IntelliSense technology platform combines sensors, cylinders and software to provide real-time performance data for its standard pneumatic equipment.This data allows close monitoring of individual components and provides users with the insight they need to move from emergency repairs to proactive upgrades.
Jeremy King, product manager of Bimba sensing technology, said that the intelligence of the platform lies in the remote sensor interface module (SIM), which can be easily connected to the cylinder through pneumatic accessories.SIM uses sensor pairs to send data (including cylinder conditions, travel time, end of travel, pressure and temperature) to the PLC for early warning and control.At the same time, the SIM sends real-time information to the PC or IntelliSense data gateway.The latter allows managers to remotely access data for analysis.
Guelker said that Festo’s VTEM platform can help end users implement IIoT-based systems.The modular and reconfigurable platform is designed for companies that produce small batches and short life cycle products.It also provides high machine utilization, energy efficiency and flexibility.
The digital valves in the platform change functions based on various combinations of downloadable motion applications.Other components include integrated processors, Ethernet communications, electrical inputs for rapid control of specific analog and digital applications, and integrated pressure and temperature sensors for data analysis.
Jim is a senior editor at ASSEMBLY and has more than 30 years of editing experience.Before joining ASSEMBLY, Camillo was the editor of PM Engineer, Association for Facilities Engineering Journal and Milling Journal.Jim has a degree in English from DePaul University.
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