Pneumatic rodless cylinders—also referred to as cylinder slides—are linear actuators designed without a protruding rod. Instead, they use a compact internal piston that travels inside a sealed actuator tube. This piston is connected to an external carriage, which moves in tandem with the piston to transport loads along a defined path. These systems are commonly used in automated industrial environments for space-saving, efficient motion control.
Applications of Pneumatic Rodless Cylinders
Rodless pneumatic cylinders are used to move items horizontally or vertically across factory floors and assembly lines. Their slim, rod-free design makes them ideal in settings with limited space. In addition to transporting components, they can also act as static mounting bases for tools or devices. In sectors like food packaging, these cylinders are often employed in repetitive pick-and-place operations due to their consistent motion and reliability.
Types of Pneumatic Rodless Cylinders
Magnetically Coupled Cylinders: These cylinders utilize powerful magnets to connect the internal piston with the external carriage. As the piston moves, the magnetic field ensures the carriage follows the same motion without any physical link between them. This design reduces wear and contamination risks.
Mechanically Coupled Cylinders: Featuring a direct mechanical connection between the piston and carriage, these systems use sealing bands within the actuator body to prevent air leakage and block contaminants. The robust design supports additional components such as sensors, brakes, and valves, offering more flexibility and load-bearing capacity for complex industrial tasks.
The SMC MY1B series is a basic type mechanically jointed rod less cylinder. It can be combined with a variety of guide to accommodate condition.
Simple design
Space saving
High accuracy
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
Mechanical joint rodless cylinder with high precision guide
Bore sizes: 16, 20 (mm)
Strokes from 50mm through 600mm depending upon bore size
With one or two stroke adjusters with or without shocks
Variety of switches and a variety of lead wire lengths
The SMC MY1M series mechanical joint rodless cylinder with slide bearing guide type has bore size of 25 mm. It has operating pressure from 0.15 to 0.8 MPa.
Integral guide allows use in a wide range of application
Simple guide type allows direct mounting of work pieces
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
The SMC MY3B rodless cylinder have a one-piece carriage and piston that runs its entire stroke length housed with an inner seal belt to maintain air pressure combined with an outer dust seal band to protect from contaminants. This design offers a compact footprint compared to rod-style cylinder and features a low profile. It is available with rubber bumpers, air cushions or external shock absorbers as well as a stroke adjuster unit.
Minimum operating pressure 0.15 to 0.20 MPa
Long stroke option up to 3000 mm (XB11)
Auto switch capable
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
The SMC rod less cylinder has magnetically coupled uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure. It is available in a standard or heavy duty magnetic ho
0.18 Map minimum operating pressure
Auto switch capable
The SMC CY3B Magnetically Coupled Rodless Cylinder uses industrial strength magnets located in the piston and external carriage to form a single unit that will travel when actuated with air pressure.
Improved bearing performance
Reduced sliding resistance
The SMC MY1C series mechanical rodless cylinder with cam follower guide has bore size of 40 mm. It has operating pressure from 0.1 to 0.8 MPa.
Makes smooth operation possible even with an off-set load
Applicable fluid air