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This section provides an overview for clamping cylinders as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 5 clamping cylinder manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked clamping cylinder companies as of December, 2024: 1.CKD, 2.Pascal Corporation., 3.Festo Corporation..
Table of Contents
A Clamping Cylinder is a machine with a repetitive motion mechanism that clamps a workpiece for automation in a production line.
A cylinder part, called a rod, moves in a linear motion up and down or left to right to clamp a workpiece during the manufacturing process, usually using hydraulic or pneumatic pressure as the clamping motion source.
Hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is usually used as the clamping motion source. To avoid interfering with machining and spot welding, space-saving measures are taken throughout the machine.
A Clamping Cylinder is important to be able to easily and quickly attach and detach the workpiece at the start and end of machining.
Clamping Cylinders are used to clamp workpieces on automated production lines in factories. Mainly, they are used in automated welding lines using industrial robots and in workpiece clamping on machining centers.
To obtain confirmation of clamping as an electrical signal, auto switches are usually installed on the clamping and unclamping sides of the cylinder. However, when used on a welding line, the welding current generates a disturbing magnetic field, which may cause a malfunction with a normal auto switch. By using a strong magnetic field resistant auto switch, it can be used accurately.
A Clamping Cylinder is a mechanism that uses pneumatic or hydraulic pressure as a driving source to operate the cylinder body and clamp a workpiece. In a normal clamping cylinder, the forward/reverse movement of the cylinder is converted into a clamping motion by means of a link mechanism, a mechanical mechanism, to clamp the workpiece.
Hydraulic pressure is selected when a particularly strong clamping force is required. However, since hydraulic pressure requires a certain amount of man-hours for equipment maintenance, pneumatic pressure is selected when the clamping force is normal and good. Rotary clamp cylinders have a groove machined into the rod for swiveling, and clamp while swiveling by means of a cam mechanism.
Pin clamp cylinders are driven primarily by pneumatic pressure, but clamp by retracting the clamping arm inside the pin while the pin performs its positioning function. The pin diameter of the pin clamp cylinder is selected according to the hole diameter used for positioning and clamping. Only the pin portion is visible from the top surface in the clamped condition, which minimizes interference with machining and saves space.
Clamping Cylinders are available in a great variety of types, depending on the application. The most typical types are rotary clamp cylinders and pin clamp cylinders.
Rotary Clamping Cylinder is a clamping cylinder with a rotating mechanism added to the piston rod. Depending on the application, left-rotation or right-rotation is selectable, but be aware that some types do not allow clamping operation during rotation.
As the name suggests, pin clamp cylinders have a mechanism that uses a pin for clamping, and are mainly used for clamping sheet metal. Therefore, some of them can be optionally equipped with a strong magnetic field resistant auto switch to withstand welding.
One of the recent options for driving power sources for clamping cylinders is the trend toward electrification. Electric power has various advantages, such as the ability to be used without air piping facilities, easy positioning of multiple points, and shock mitigation at the end point, but it has not been widely used due to cost considerations.
However, in recent years, with the spread of electric actuators, electric cylinders that can be used for clamping cylinder applications (compatible with air cylinders) at a reasonable cost are rapidly gaining popularity.
One weak point of electric cylinders is that their clamping force is inferior to that of pneumatic cylinders in the same size comparison, but the fine control and easy positioning provided by the electric actuator have led to their replacement, and this is a trend that deserves attention in the industry.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Pascal Corporation, founded in 1974 and based in Hyogo, Japan, is a manufacturer of automation equipment and systems. Its product range includes work clamping systems, gas springs, injection mold machines, and pallet clamps, catering to various industrial applications. Additionally, it offers die casting machines, press machines, auto couplers, and a selection of robot products, including expansion clamps, gas balancers, and tool changers. Its offerings find utility across industries, enhancing manufacturing processes, ensuring precision, and optimizing efficiency in workholding, and material handling. Since 1999, the company has maintained ISO9001 certification for its quality management system.
CKD Corporation, established in 1943 under the name of Japan Aircraft Electric Co., Ltd., is a Japanese manufacturer of automation machinery and manufacturing components, headquartered in Komaki, Aichi. Their diverse portfolio includes pneumatic and fluid control components, fine system components, drive components, and labor-saving components. The company has also developed various types of automation machinery, such as transparent object inspection systems, pharmaceutical products packaging machines, and more. These products find applications in various industries, for example their automated food packaging systems are designed for maintaining food quality and hygienic conditions. Their fluid control components are used in the solar cell manufacturing process.
SMC corporation was founded in 1959 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. SMC Corporation manufactures and sells automatic control equipment and filtration equipment. SMC has production facilities in 30 countries, technical development centers in Japan, the United States, Europe, and China, and sales offices, globally. SMC product lines divided by them include filter replacements, condensation prevention, heat resistance, thermos-chilling, and others. SMC provides a video library as well as product selection guide to assist customers in finding solutions and optimizing product efficiency.
Festo Corporation, established in 1925 and headquartered in Esslingen, Germany, is a supplier of automation technology and technical education and is ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and ISO14001 certified. It has around 33,000 catalog products, customized components, and ready-to-install solutions, including grippers, motors, and sensors used in industrial and process automation. The company won the German Future Award in 2010 and serves 300,000 customers worldwide, while its education division provides training solutions for 56,000 industrial companies and educational institutions. It registered €3.81 billion in the 2022 financial year and is available in around 60 countries, with 2,600 patents worldwide.
SMC Corporation of America, established in 1977 and located in Noblesville, Indiana, is a manufacturer of pneumatic equipment and motion control products used in the automation, controls, and process industries. It is the North American subsidiary of Japan’s SMC Corporation, and it offers a broad range of products, including actuators, directional control valves, and airline equipment. The company is ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified and has an education division that teaches technical skills and the latest developments in industrial automation. It also runs a sales development program for training outside sales at the company.
Ranking as of December 2024
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CKD |
42.9%
|
| 2 | Festo Corporation. |
28.6%
|
| 3 | Pascal Corporation. |
14.3%
|
| 4 | SMC Corporation. |
14.3%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the clamping cylinder page as of December 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
Japan
|
3 | 100.0% |
Nakajima Koki Co., Ltd.
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■Installation and use 1. Do not operate the clamp during the rotation stroke. 2. Do not move the clamp arm while it is moving up and down. It may c...
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Nakajima Koki Co., Ltd.
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■Installation and use 1. Do not operate the clamp during the rotation stroke. 2. Do not move the clamp arm while it is moving up and down. It may c...
5 models listed
Nakajima Koki Co., Ltd.
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■Installation and use 1. Before installing piping, brush thoroughly to remove dust, dirt, chips, etc. from inside the pipe. We recommend air treate...
8 models listed
