Pneumatic Cylinders

Many / most cylinders have a built in damper ...this slows the piston down at the stroke end.

You seem to want the impossible... bang bang action with no ...ummm BANG!..??

If stroke time is an issue increase the piston speed and utilise the damper...
IE....shorter time for most of the stroke ...with a slightly longer time.. due to the damper.. at the very end.

Regards Woody

Thanks Woody.

Colleagues here have brought to my attention a Robo Cylinder. I have never heard of one, but it utilizes electricity and you can vary the speed to the millimeter. I think I am going to go that direction.

Thank you,

Tom

A Linear Actuator.

You can modify the one you have with a magnetic pickup on the side of the cylinder and when the piston nears the end of its travel it can close the main air line and feed via a restricted one, thus slowing the cylinder only at the end of the travel. Easy...

Pneumatic cylinders can be purchased that only dampen at the last 20mm of a cylinders stroke they are also adjustable via a bleed screw, you may not get it millimeter perfect but it will stop the banging. For festo cylinders a "P" in the model number denotes flexible cushioning rings in the ends i am sure all cylinder manufactures would have the same feature you just need to specify it when ordering

Hello,

Try SMC (a Japanese supplier common here), they can provide cylinders to do what ever you need, really slowly and expensively but they are one of the best manufacturers.

Good Luck.

With regular Pneumatic cylinders (linear or rotary), many areas can be visited to maintain or to get to set point of time a speed control can be used to forced air into the cylinder. I use these on a daily basis, even with a spring assisted cylinder. If all aspects are put into the process, I'm sure if the cylinder you have is adaptable you can achieve it.....but with that being said, if it is the right cylinder all together for that application. You may want to visit the application if you already have not. Sometimes a single cylinder may not be the best choice as two smaller cylinders may give the stroke or energy a more balanced operating and even displacement.

Festo Corp has many many cylinders and electric linear actuators with the complimentary drives, attachments, cables on and on. They have flow controls that will control the speed of the cylinder throughout the total stroke, to bumpers that will just deaden the final blow, to cushions that will just control deaden the final 10mm of stroke.

Did you try to put a damper valve on line ? (these are one way free flow the reverse flow is restricted)