Comparison Between Air Cylinder and Electric Cylinder

Comparison Between Air Cylinder and Electric Cylinder?

Figure 1: Air cylinder vs Electric cylinder.
(Go to Okmarts and pick the Air Cylinder you need)

1. Overview

As we all know, compared with electric cylinder, Air Cylinder can work reliably under harsh conditions. And it is easy to operate and basically does not need maintenance. The air cylinder is good at reciprocating linear motion, which is suitable for the most conveying work in industrial automation - the linear delivery of workpieces. Moreover, only adjusting the one-way throttle valves installed on both sides of the cylinder can simply realize stable speed control. It has also become the most distinguish feature of the cylinder drive system. Therefore, for users without multi-point positioning requirements, most of them prefer to use cylinders from the perspective of convenience. Most of the applications of electric cylinders in industrial field require high-precision multi-point positioning. It is because of that it is difficult to achieve with the cylinder.

The electric cylinder is mainly used for rotating and swinging conditions. Its advantage is fast response time, and it can accurately control the speed, position and torque through the feedback system. However, when it needs to complete the linear movement, it needs to be transmitted and transformed through mechanical devices such as toothed belt or screw. Therefore, its structure is relatively complex, and it has high requirements for the working environment and the professional knowledge of operation and maintenance personnel.

2. Advantages of Air Cylinder

Figure 2: Air cylinder.

2.1 Lower Requirements For Users

The principle and structure of the air cylinder are simple which means it is easy to install and maintain. And the requirements for users are not strict. The electric cylinder is different from that. Engineers must have certain electrical knowledge, otherwise it may be damaged due to misoperation.

2.2 High Output Force

The output force of the air cylinder is directly proportional to the square of the cylinder diameter; The output force of the electric cylinder is related to three factors: cylinder diameter, motor power and screw pitch. The larger the cylinder diameter and power and the smaller the screw pitch, the greater the output force will be. The output force of a air cylinder with a cylinder diameter of 50mm can reach 2000N. For electric cylinder with the same cylinder diameter, although the products of different companies are different, they are basically no more than 1000N. Obviously, the cylinder has more advantages in terms of output force.

2.3 Strong Adaptability

The air cylinder can work normally in high-temperature and low-temperature environment. Because it has dust-proof and water-proof , and the ability for adapting to various harsh environments. Due to a large number of electrical components, the electric cylinder has poor adaptability and high requirements for the environment.

3. Advantages of Electric Cylinder

Figure 3: Electric cylinder.

3.1 Simple Composition

The motor is usually integrated with the cylinder, the controller and the cable. The three parts of the electric cylinder constitute the whole system, which is simple and compact.

3.2 More Stop Positions and High Control Accuracy

Generally, there are low-end and high-end electric cylinders. There are 3, 5, 16 and 64 stop positions of low-end products, which vary according to different companies; High end products can reach hundreds or even thousands of positions. In terms of accuracy, the electric cylinder also has absolute advantage. its positioning accuracy can reach 0.05mm, so it is often used in precision industries such as electronics and semiconductors.

3.3 Strong Flexibility

There is no doubt that the flexibility of the electric cylinder is much stronger than that of the air cylinder. Because the controller can be directly connected with PLC, the speed, positioning and positive and negative rotation of the motor can be accurately controlled. To a certain extent, the electric cylinder can move freely according to needs.