Getting the right balance of force, speed and efficiency with your industrial press equipment is essential for consistent, repeatable and sustainable manufacturing or assembly operations. Presses equipped with a hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder may be the perfect solution to your application needs, but to find out, it’s key to understand these cylinders and what makes them ideal for many production applications. Let’s take a closer look at what a hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder is, what it does, and what benefits it can extend to your industrial press system.
What is a Hi/Lo Hydropneumatic Cylinder?
A hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder relies on compressed air as the power source and uses self-contained hydraulic fluid to produce hydraulic intensified pressure. It may also be called an intensifier cylinder, air-over-oil cylinder, or simply a hydropneumatic cylinder.
How Does a Hi/Lo Hydropneumatic Cylinder Work?
The hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder uses compressed air and hydraulic oil to multiply the force behind the press. In general, the cylinder goes through these steps:
- A pneumatic valve is energized allowing air into the reservoir section of the cylinder. The reservoir piston extends, displacing hydraulic oil on the top side of the working piston, quickly advancing the cylinder rod at low force.
- Once the cylinder rod meets resistance or a certain distance, a secondary valve is energized allowing air to enter the high-pressure section of the cylinder, advancing the high-pressure piston and rod into the reservoir section, thus intensifying the hydraulic oil and producing a high-pressure power stroke.
- The cylinder rod retracts once both valves are de-energized, allowing air to return the reservoir piston and high-pressure piston to their full retract position.
Benefits of a Hi/Lo Hydropneumatic Cylinder
A hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder offers a number of benefits and is suitable for many different applications. Let’s take a look at a few of the benefits of the cylinder, and explore why manufacturers use this device to improve the force and efficiency of their presses.
Increased / Intensified Force
One of the biggest benefits of a hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder is its ability to amplify the force of a pneumatically powered press, delivering higher force with efficiency. For example, a 5-inch bore pneumatic cylinder produces less than 1 ton of force at 100 psi, but a 5-inch bore hydropneumatic cylinder can deliver force to up to 20 tons. This is ideal for factories that may be expanding into new production or assembly operations, working with new materials, or seeking to increase efficiency of existing operations.
Flexible Power Stroke
The hi/lo cylinder can be sequenced into the power stroke at any point throughout the total stroke of the cylinder. You can decide when the hi/lo cylinder integrates into the power stroke, and decide which device is best to activate the hi/lo cylinder. This includes a time delay, external proximity switch, or a threshold sensor installed directly into the cylinder. This gives you flexible control over the power stroke and allows you to integrate the cylinder into your machine in the way that works best for your control system.
Uses Less Air
The hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder also allows the machine to exert more force, while using less air. Since it uses hydraulic oil and compressed air together to power the cylinder, it requires less air overall compared to a purely pneumatic press or even full stroke hydropneumatic presses like our C-series Air Hydraulic Presses.
Operates Faster
The hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder allows for faster operation, which means more efficient production. With the ability to generate the power stroke anywhere within the overall stroke of the cylinder, you can speed up your overall production process.
Self-Contained
The hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder is completely self-contained, so there is no need for any additional hydraulic reservoirs or tanks. This makes for a smaller footprint and makes these cylinders easier to integrate into existing or future machine design.
Interested in a Hi/Lo Hydropneumatic Press for Your Production?
Our AH-Series Hydropneumatic Presses may be the perfect solution to applications requiring between 4 tons and 50 tons of force.
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A hi/lo hydropneumatic cylinder can be a powerful tool in your factory. These cylinders can augment many existing presses, or provide extra power for new presses. If you have questions about hydropneumatic cylinders, hydropneumatic presses, or other types of presses, contact us. We can help you find the right press for your needs and applications.