Fabco-Air: Take the Guesswork Out of Cylinder Selection with NFPA Cylinders

Sorting through the many features and specifications of air cylinders from various manufacturers can be daunting. One good way to simplify this process is to consider NFPA style actuators. By adhering to a common set of standards, these actuators enable you to standardize your design, letting you turn your focus to the key features that can significantly impact the performance and reliability of your machine.

This blog post will review what to look for in NFPA actuators, ensuring you select the best-performing unit for your application. And if your budget is a concern, you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice features to meet your needs.

Once you’ve determined the force you’ll need and the bore size that will achieve it, keep the following considerations in mind:

Construction. It’s a safe bet that your cylinder will go into a demanding application with potent forces acting on key parts and an operating environment that can threaten reliability. Quality materials and sturdy construction can ensure reliable performance and a long life. At the same time, we recommend reviewing each cylinder’s standard features and materials to avoid driving up unnecessary costs.
Solid piston. The piston is the workhorse of your cylinder, so make sure it can withstand the rigors of your application.
Feedback. Look for sensor options to convey the piston position with accuracy.
Pre-lubrication. Lubrication is a critical component to the life of an NFPA air cylinder. Ensure you know the specific requirements of your application as some installations require support for higher temperatures or direct food contact.
Mounting. Make sure your chosen cylinder manufacturer offers a range of all NFPA standard mounting options to ensure these cylinders not only fit your current needs, but future applications and machine builds as well.

The Right Attributes Make a Difference

Fabco-Air offers all these attributes and more in our NFPA cylinders. The standard offering has 19 different mounting styles to fit your equipment and fulfill your motion requirements as intended. They’re also built tough. The high-strength aluminum alloy tube includes a 60 Rc inner diameter hard-anodized coating that impregnates the base aluminum for extra durability. A solid yet lightweight aluminum alloy piston also includes a standard, wide and graphite-filled Teflon® wear band to support maximum loading, and the steel tie rods deliver effective holding power. Our standard cylinders include an oversized nonmetallic composite rod bearing that can handle high loads and resist wear. These NFPA cylinders come pre-lubed with Magnalube-G® — a Teflon-impregnated grease that resists corrosion and moisture across a wide temperature range to ensure long life.

In addition to cylinders with conventional machined end cap actuators, the NFPA line has an economical alternative with die-cast end caps: the OEM-NFPA FCQN Series. These units, which feature a design that trades flexibility for cost, come with a full complement of standard features, including hard-anodized aluminum barrels, standard magnetic piston with adjustable air cushions, anodized end caps for cost-sensitive applications and factory lubrication with Magnalube-G.

In addition, both the standard NFPA and OEM-NFPA FCQN cylinders offer LED magnetic piston position sensor and reed switch options, plus many more features. Custom designed units are also available to fit almost any application’s specific needs.

Get the Best Results From Your NFPA Cylinder

As you take advantage of the easy implementation that interchangeable NFPA cylinders offer, consider the construction and other features that set cylinders in this class apart. Fabco-Air’s NFPA cylinders offer mounting styles, heavy-duty construction, positioning options, and maintenance features that can deliver the best performance and reliability for your application.

Call us at 800-214-0322 for more information