If your equipment or machines work on hydraulics, you want the most durable and long-lasting hydraulic components you can buy. You also want the most cost-effective methods for doing business. If you plan on new custom-made hydraulic applications, you’ll receive a lot of benefits when you choose welded hydraulic cylinders and here are some important reasons why.
What Does “Welded” Mean?
A typical cylinder for hydraulics works like cylinders on internal combustion motors. A piston moves inside a barrel, and the piston contains seals to create pressure. This works like a hypodermic syringe. When the cylinders are assembled, manufacturers use end caps to seal off the system. These end caps are installed with tie rods and bolts, or they are welded on. Fluid ports are then welded to the cylinder barrel. Quality-made welded hydraulic cylinders are designed so the piston rod and seals can be removed for rebuilding and repairs.
Tie Rod Type Cylinders
Instead of welding the end caps to the barrel, some cylinders use rods with threaded ends and nuts to fasten the end caps to the barrel. They are designed to be totally disassembled for repairs. Depending on the size of the cylinder, it may take as many as twenty tie rods. These cylinders see use in many agricultural and industrial applications.
The Benefits of Welding the End Caps
Welded hydraulic cylinders offer many benefits over bolted ones. For example, in many hydraulic applications, space is at a premium, and a welded cylinder takes up less space than its tie rod counterpart.
The welded construction is more durable than tie rod construction. If you have tie rod cylinders in large applications and ones that require a great deal of fluid pressure, they can fail due to a problem, known as “tie rod stretch.” This doesn’t happen with welded cylinders, and it’s also easier to customize welded units.
