The new hydraulic tie rod cylinders from Parker Hannifin incorporate a number of innovative features designed to minimise machine assembly and maintenance times, thus improving productivity levels. In particular, Parker's HMI hydraulic cylinders are now available with four-face spanner flats for simplified maintenance in confined spaces, while specially designed thrust keys can be specified to ensure secure mounting and make machine assembly easier, faster and safer.
The option of four-face spanner flats on each piston rod end (rather than the standard two) for both ISO and DIN versions of the HMI cylinders makes each piston rod easier to hold and rotate in confined spaces. As a result, both installation and maintenance are quicker, while the risk of damage to equipment is significantly reduced; just as importantly, this latest development to the HMI tie rod cylinders helps to reduce downtime and operating costs.
Similarly, the design of the thrust key mechanism has been enhanced for use with Parker's foot-mounted HMI cylinders and helps to eliminate the problems caused by rotational forces applied to the cylinder body during cylinder operation. Engineers now have the option of an integrated thrust key, formed as part of the front retainer plate, or a separate key that locates within keyways machined in the foot mounting at the head end of each cylinder and the machine bed. The integrated key is supplied as standard on HMI cylinders between 25 and 32mm, while the separate unit is intended for use with cylinders of 40mm bore or greater. This version complies with the most recent version of the ISO 6020/2 standard.
Additionally, all bore sizes of Parker foot-mounted cylinders now feature slotted mounting holes in the cap end feet. The mounting holes allow for the dimensional variations that result from tolerance build-up sometimes occurring during cylinder construction, making assembly to the machine simple and fast and helping to reduce installation time and costs still further.
The latest Parker range of ISO and DIN tie rod cylinders has been developed for applications of up to 210bar, in bore sizes from 25-200mm, with piston rod diameters of 12-140mm. Both single- and double-rod designs are available with a choice of stroke lengths and a wide variety of options, including cushions and seal materials.
Full details of the latest Parker cylinders can be found in the new version of the HMI/HMD catalogue, HY07-1150, currently available in English and German, with French and Italian versions to be released shortly.