COMPRESSED AIR
of accessories including clevises such as male/ female, rear and offset variations, as well and reed switchers.
“Choose well and your pneumatic cylinder should perform reliably and consistently for a long time.”
these are far less prone to breaking. The seals are the items that are most likely to go wrong on a cylinder as they can be easily damaged, especially in a dirty, dusty site. In harsher environments, it pays to invest in better quality seals. In food environments, for example, corrosive resistant stainless steel seals would be a good option, but there are also PTF, PTFE and wiper seals.
To ensure you end up with a pneumatic cylinder that meets the demands of your site and application, it’s important that the manufacturer is able to offer a range of accessories. These include external accessories, such as mountings cylinder itself, including scrapers and bellows to protect the rod from dust and debris. Not every manufacturer will have a comprehensive range of accessories, but the better known, better quality ones will. At Matara, we produce a range
Next, check that the pneumatic cylinder adheres to the relevant standards: ISO 15552, ISO 21287 and ISO 6432. All reputable companies manufacture to those international standards, so that shouldn’t be an issue. What is an issue though is how those manufacturers test their products. Avoid batch tested products been tested. At Matara we test each and every cylinder we manufacture in house, which means we very rarely have any returned. Lastly, what level of support can the manufacturer bring? This is a much undervalued quality of the product and service. Is the manufacturer willing to visit the site and provide advice on the cylinder? Maybe it can be repaired rather than replaced. Would a high temperature seal solve any issues?
DON’T FORGET MAINTENANCE No matter how good quality the pneumatic cylinder, regular maintenance will help reduce unexpected downtime. This will generally involve checking the cylinder, tube and rod seal for damage and applying lubricant where necessary. As the seals are most prone to damage, pay particular attention to these and replace where necessary. Matara supplies seal kits which make this process very straightforward.
Keeping the pneumatic cylinder clean also pays dividends. In particularly dusty environments it’s worth considering an easy clean cylinder where the surfaces are smoother all around so they don’t collect dust and debris rod cylinders are also slightly easier to clean as well.
HORSES FOR COURSES
Ultimately, the nature of the site and the cost implications of repairing or replacing
Matara UK
www.matara.com FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | APRIL 2025 31
a pneumatic cylinder are the determining factors in just how much you are willing to invest in them. If it’s a hostile environment or one where hygiene is paramount, such as food or pharmaceuticals, then quality really does matter. Choose well and your pneumatic cylinder should perform reliably and consistently for a long time. We were asked to replace a Matara cylinder recently that had been operational for over 13 years, which is an astonishing length of time to be fully operational. It goes to show that quality counts! For more information go to
www.matara.com
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