Pneumatic Cylinders - Benefits of Rodded Cylinders [VIDEO]

Sleek, low profile, and lightweight are excellent attributes in a pneumatic actuator. But when you add an oval piston and bore to the design, now you have a unique and surprisingly versatile alternative. Compact, non-rotating oval-bore pneumatic cylinders can produce more force in a smaller space. An Ingenious Solution to a Vexing Problem

Many industrial and manufacturing applications use rodded cylinders in a variety of ways. But with a standard round cylinder, the piston can rotate slightly as it extends and retracts. However, in situations where consistent precision is paramount, even a tiny amount of rotation can fatally flaw the process.

Frustrated by this problem, one of our W.C. Branham customers asked if we could design a non-rotating stainless steel pneumatic cylinder in a compact size – one that could provide more force than a square or round profile cylinder. Our design engineers love this sort of challenge, and their innovative solution was an oval shape. Unlike a traditional round piston, an oval design would not be able to shift within the bore while pushing or pulling.

We realized that this solution could benefit other customers as well, and so the OVLPRO™ product line was born. The oval style is especially advantageous for applications that require the force that an equivalent bore size traditional NFPA or ISO type round cylinder provides yet in a lower profile. And, by design, this series is robust - not a throw away type cylinder. 

Low-profile pneumatic cylinders are ideal in situations where a space is too small to accommodate a standard size. OVLPRO™ actuators are valuable for tasks such as pushing an object across a conveyor, clamping onto something, extending or reaching with a device attached to the end of the rod to manipulate a lever, etc.

Sized to Meet Your Specs

OVLPRO™ currently comes in two bore sizes:

• OVP25, with a bore diameter of 1.00” (equivalent to 25mm)
• OVP44, with a bore diameter of 1.75” (equivalent to 44mm)

Standard body is extruded high-strength aluminum with anodized aluminum end caps. The standard OVLPRO™ model comes with chrome plated steel rod and black oxide fasteners. The OVLPRO™ MX series has a stainless steel hard chrome plated rod and uses stainless steel fasteners and hardware. These additional features provide necessary durability, endurance, and protection in corrosive or high humidity environments.

Key features include:

• Internal crossover channeling in the extrusion side or rear extend and retract porting options
• Rear or side port
• OVP25 accommodates any stroke length, in any increment, up to 8 inches (OVP44 up to 12 inches) – many of the most common are stocked for fast availability
• Can be used with flange mounts or clevis mounts
• Standard piston magnet makes the cylinder sensor-ready
• Male or female threaded rod
• Designed for easy in/out access, and the parts are not welded, allowing the user to replace wearable seals as needed
• Compact, installed on its side, so it has a lower profile than NFPA or ISO type round bore pneumatic cylinders
• Pre-lubricated for high duty cycles

Custom to Common

It’s not usual for customers to request our help with custom design, and sometimes these custom projects suggest a new product line for us. After all, if one customer needed this unique solution, then others are likely to encounter similar challenges with their own process or facility design.