Comprehensive comparison of electric cylinder, hydraulic cylinder and pneumatic cylinder

The advantages and drawbacks of electric cylinder, hydraulic cylinder and pneumatic cylinder

Linear actuators are mainly used for positioning, handling, clamping, and insertion of work pieces. They are widely used in various industries, such as: automated production lines, robotic arm industries; packaging machinery industry; automated furniture industry; CNC machine tools; press machines, etc.

The following is a chart of comprehensive comparison on the advantages and drawbacks of electric cylinders, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders from multiple aspects.

Installation：

-----(Electric Cylinder) All points are operated with simple wiring and are directly compatible with other electronic control components

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Need expensive pipes, filters, pumps, etc.

-----(Pneumatic cylinder)Need expensive piping, filters, pumps, etc.

Accuracy

-----(Electric Cylinder) Excellent positioning repeatability, ±0,013m, very stable, with a variety of stopping capabilities

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Expensive positioning sensors and precision electro-hydraulic valves are required, with creeping trends

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Expensive positioning sensors and precision electro-hydraulic valves are required, with creeping trends

Control

-----(Electric Cylinder) Directly compatible with standard programmable controllers, Automatically perform complex motion sequence operations

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Electric or fluid interface required, hysteresis, dead zone, supply pressure and temperature changes complicate the control of the hydraulic cylinder

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Inherently non-linear control, compressible power supplies complicate servo control

Speed

-----(Electric Cylinder) Stable and adjustable speed, controlled acceleration between 0-5m/s

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Electric or fluid interface required, hysteresis, dead zone, supply pressure and temperature changes complicate the control of the hydraulic cylinder

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) More susceptible to stick-slip and load, suitable for high-speed applications with light loads

Reliability

-----(Electric Cylinder) Repeatable, reproducible performance over the entire service life of the product, requiring little maintenance.

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Very susceptible to contamination, requiring regular maintenance, seals prone to leaks, and its reliability requires frequent maintenance to ensure

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Very susceptible to contamination, air source requires proper filtration, high reliability but often requires the use of many system components

Force

-----(Electric Cylinder) Up to 500000N

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Theoretically, power is unlimited

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Up to 25000N, usually used below 6000N

Service life

-----(Electric Cylinder) It can run millions of cycles under rated load, and its service life is very long, longer than 100,000km

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Longer service life, depending on design and seal wear

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Longer service life, depending on design and seal wear

Environment

-----(Electric Cylinder) Standard model rated temperature at -30 to +70 degrees Celsius, high efficiency and can clean itself

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) The temperature limit is the main problem, seals are prone to leaks, waste disposal issues are more serious

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) The temperature limit is the main problem, seals are prone to leaks, and the oil in the air can also cause problems.

Sustained Load

-----(Electric Cylinder) The metric screw unit locks automatically in the event of a power failure and the product using a ball screw has a fail-safe brake

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Need to use complex anti-backlash safety devices

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Need to use complex anti-backlash safety devices

Utilities

-----(Electric Cylinder) electric power only

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Pump, power, pipes

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Compressor, power, pipes

Efficiency

-----(Electric Cylinder) High

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) Low

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Low

Noise

-----(Electric Cylinder) Low

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) High

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) High

Maintenance

-----(Electric Cylinder) Little to no maintenance except for when replacements are necessary

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) High, High user-maintenance though out the life of the system

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) High, High amount of maintenance

Purchase cost

-----(Electric Cylinder) High cost

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) High cost

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Low cost

Operating cost

-----(Electric Cylinder) Low cost

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) High cost

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Moderate cost

Maintenance cost

-----(Electric Cylinder) Low cost

-----(Hydraulic cylinder) High cost

-----(Pneumatic cylinder) Low cost