Efficient Plant May 2020 - 30

pneumatics

Long Live
Pneumatic
Cylinders
Sarah Manuel, IMI Norgren

TEMPERATURE

While a typical plant may have an overall ambient temperature in the
70 F range, consider the exact placement of the cylinder and to what specific
environmental factors it will be subjected. Does it operate in or near an area
that experiences rising/high temperatures? A packaging application, for
example, with a heat-sealing mechanism, would significantly elevate the
ambient temperature. On the other hand, outdoor applications may dip well
below the freezing mark in winter. Extreme temperatures translate to shorter
cylinder life.
Certain metals, such as aluminum, tend to overstress when the temperature rises above 300 F. Applications such as this require stainless steel or
other appropriate metals. When lubricants are subjected to high temperatures you may see a viscosity breakdown, leading to poor coating and
increased internal friction.
Seals also suffer in extreme temperatures. The temperature at which your
cylinders will operate dictates which of these three seal materials should be
specified:
Nitrile (buna N)-most commonly used seal material
Fluoro-elastomer-400 F tolerance for intermittent exposure and 200 F for
sustained operation
Low-temp buna-designed to maintain elasticity at lower temperatures.

CHEMICALS

Environmental factors should be part of your pneumatic air cylinder specifications. Doing so will allow you to realize maximum life
from the devices.

PNEUMATIC AIR CYLINDERS are often taken for
granted, until they fail. With some planning and forethought,
cylinder life can be long, and performance kept at a high
level. Before specifying/purchasing a cylinder, go beyond the
application and give careful consideration to the environment in which the cylinder will operate. While we often are
concerned about protecting the environment, in this case it's
important to protect your cylinders from the environment.
Following are three environmental factors that affect aircylinder life and performance and how to address them.

Sarah Manuel is the Pneumatic Actuator Product Manager at
IMI Norgren Precision Engineering, Littleton, CO. Learn more at
imi-precision.com.

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EP2005rmcnorgren.indd 30

From caustic washdown solutions to common tap water, chemicals in your
environment can adversely affect cylinder life. Anodized aluminum provides
varying degrees of protection based on the level of anodization. Anodized
clear coats provide some protection, while thicker hard coats are a more
robust solution. Stainless steel represents one of the best, but costliest,
solutions for combatting harsh chemical environments. Plastic heads,
bearings, and endcaps can be used as metal substitutes in lower-weight,
lower-friction applications.

AIR QUALITY

Elements in the atmosphere, compressor, and piping can adversely affect
air quality. Water leads to corrosion, while particles can collect on cylinder
seals. Proper filtration removes water and traps particles.
This is typically accomplished with filters that use centrifugal force
toswirl incoming air in a bowl. The swirling action pulls 95% to 99% of
the water out of the air. A second process forces the air through a filter to
remove any particles
There is a wide range of filters available, ranging from very fine to coarse:
1 micron (very fine), for very sensitive application and/or process air
5 to 10 microns (fine), for sensitive applications
40+ microns (coarse), for general industrial applications. EP

MAY 2020

5/1/20 10:39 AM

http://www.imi-precision.com http://www.EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM

Efficient Plant May 2020

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