October 1, 2009 | Robotics, Automation & Control

Air Bearing Actuator

The Airpel-AB air bearing actuator from Airpot, Norwalk, CT, has a specially shaped stainless steel piston that is precisely fitted to a borosilicate glass cylinder. Introducing pressurized air into the air bearing’s cylinder produces a true bearing airflow effect around the piston. The air cushion prevents the piston from contacting the outside wall. The resultant cylinder delivers long piston life and requires no lubrication.

The bearing actuator is available in metric models with four bore diameters and ten standard strokes to provide precisely repeatable driving or supporting forces from 2 grams to 58kg. Operating temperatures range from -20 to +90°C.