Pneumatic Actuators
Turn compressed air into linear, rotary or gripping motion.
Start with the motion: a straight push or pull, a guided slide, a long stroke in a short space, a turn, or a grip. Then match bore, stroke and mounting to the load and the space you have.
Pneumatic Actuators | Cylinders, Grippers, Slides and Rotary | MROSupply
Linear motion
Cylinders that push, pull or carry a load in a straight line.
Piston Rod Cylinders
The general-purpose air cylinder: a piston drives a rod out and back, in round-body and square or compact bodies.
Shop this category →How to choose
Size the bore from the force you need at your supply pressure, then pick the stroke and the mounting. Double-acting cylinders are powered both ways; single-acting ones use a spring to return and save air. Round bodies suit light duty and tight spaces; square, compact and tie-rod bodies take heavier loads and standard mounts.
Rodless Cylinders
Cylinders that move a carriage along the body, for long strokes in little more than the stroke length.
Shop this category →How to choose
Rodless cylinders save the length a rod would need when extended. Check the stroke, the load and moment the carriage can carry, and whether you need a built-in guide; magnetically coupled types are sealed but can decouple under shock.
Pneumatic Linear Stage
Slide tables and guided stages that carry a load on precision guides, for pick-and-place and short accurate moves.
Shop this category →How to choose
Pick by bore for force, stroke, and the load and overhang the table carries. Look at the guide type and the stroke-adjustment and cushioning options when repeatability matters.
Clamp Cylinders
Swing, pin and power clamp cylinders that hold a workpiece in a fixture or weld cell.
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Match the clamping force and the arm or pin geometry to the part, and check the swing direction and angle. Weld-cell clamps come with spatter-resistant options and sensor slots for clamp-confirm.
Rotary and gripping
Actuators that turn a load or pick up a part.
Rotary Actuators
Rack-and-pinion and vane actuators that turn a shaft or table through a set angle, including valve actuators.
Shop this category →How to choose
Size on the torque at your supply pressure plus the inertia of what you are turning, then set the rotation angle. Check whether you need end-of-travel cushioning, spring return or a flange to mount a valve.
Grippers
Parallel, angular and three-jaw air grippers for picking, placing and holding parts.
Shop this category →How to choose
Choose parallel jaws for flat-sided parts and angular jaws for a faster, simpler grip. Size on gripping force with a safety margin over the part weight, and check the jaw stroke and the finger length the gripper allows.
Still not sure?
Browse all pneumatics, or contact us with the part number you are replacing or a short description of what you need, and we will help you find a match.
Also in this category: Air Bellows.