Applications and prices of industrial hydraulic cylinders: where they're used — and where not

Series overview and indicative prices

Each series has its natural field of application. The following overview summarises it together with the indicative price range of the standard version. Details of each series can be found on its own pages.

CD / DK / MDISO 6020/2 · 160 bar

HD / HKISO 6020/2 · 210 bar

DPISO 6022 · 250 bar

RP / MP / RQcompact · 100–250 bar

NKnickel-plated CD/DK/MD

TD / TK / TH / TX / TPservo cylinders with sensor

The prices shown are indicative base prices of cylinders in the standard version with delivery within 14 working days of ordering (unless stated otherwise for a given series). We will work out the final price of your configuration in a non-binding quote (invoiced in EUR).

The indicative ranges shown apply as follows: the lower bound ("from") corresponds to a 100 mm stroke at the minimum bore and rod diameter of the given series, the upper bound ("to") to a 1,000 mm stroke at the maximum bore and rod diameter of the series — always without special options, with standard seal and rod material and with front-flange mounting selected. For the compact series (RP/MP/RQ), "from" corresponds to a 20 mm stroke and "to" to a 100 mm stroke.

Why a standardised cylinder

ISO 6020/2 and ISO 6022 are international standards for dimensions, mountings and pressures. Thanks to them the cylinder is interchangeable, you have assured spare parts and fast delivery from standard components. Standardisation does not restrict your choices: within the standard you select the rod material (CK45, chromed stainless steel, hardened-and-tempered, Nikrom, induction-hardened), seals (standard, low-friction, Viton®, water-glycol/HFC), cushioning and position sensors — all without leaving the standard.

• Bronze rod guide bush across all series — lower friction, rod protection and longer seal life.
• Wide configurability within ISO — what a customer calls a "bespoke cylinder" is very often a standard ISO cylinder with the right options selected (and with stock spare parts).
• The compact RP/MP/RQ series sit outside the ISO standards — their own compact modular construction (aluminium with anti-wear treatment / steel), stock strokes of 20/50/80/100 mm, magnetic piston for sensors (MP). They complement the ISO range where installation space is the deciding factor.

More on configurability within the standard: Custom hydraulic cylinder (Conforti). Compact series: RP/MP/RQ.

Mounting — the main advantage of ISO cylinders

The standard offers the full range of mountings, so a single cylinder can be built into a machine in 14 different ways: flanges (ME5/ME6), foot mounts (MS2), rod eyes and clevises (MP1/MP3/MP5), trunnions (MT1/MT2/MT4), extended tie-rods (MX1/MX2/MX3) and threaded holes (MX5/MX6). The engineer thus selects the mounting exactly to the machine geometry — with no special build and no compromise in price or lead time.

Front flangeCD/DK/MD · ME5

Rear flangeCD/DK/MD · ME6

Extended tie-rodsCD/DK/MD · MX1

Front flangeDP · MF3

Rear flangeHD/HK · ME6

A sample of mountings across the series (genuine Conforti mountings): front/rear flange and extended tie-rods on CD/DK/MD, front flange on DP (ISO 6022), rear flange on HD/HK. You can assemble the complete palette of 14 variants in the configurator.

A significant share of premature failures is not down to manufacturing defects but to installation errors: misalignment, radial loading of the rod, under-tightening. Install the cylinder in alignment with the load's movement, route radial forces through a suitable mounting (trunnions, swivel eyes) and tighten the joints to specification. In detail: Mounting rules (Conforti).

100% testing — every cylinder, not samples

Every single cylinder (100%, not on a sampling basis) is tested to ISO 10100 before dispatch and the results are systematically recorded — so each unit is traceable even years later. The test pressure is 1.5 times the nominal:

• CD / DK — nominal 160 bar, test 240 bar,
• HD / HK — nominal 210 bar, test 315 bar,
• DP — nominal 250 bar, test 375 bar.

The stroke holds the tolerance to ISO 8131 (0/+2 mm) — never less than the nominal. Sensor versions are tested fitted before delivery (for example the HD/HK end-of-stroke sensors in a stainless-steel version, IP69K). Details: Hydraulic cylinder testing (Conforti).

Applications by industry

Sheet-metal processing and pressing

Tie-rod CD/DK/MD drive sheet-metal processing lines. Stamping and deep-drawing presses deploy servo cylinders to control the position of the blank holder and tool with cycle-to-cycle repeatability. Heavy presses with large inertial masses and shocks belong to the DP series (250 bar).

Steelworks, rolling mills, forges

The domain of DP: resistance to high temperatures, contamination and intense mechanical stress. Double bronze piston guiding and a long rod bush cope with radial loads and misalignments. For position control in conditions critical for electric drives (temperature, vibration, contamination), the TP servo version is used.

Machine tools and clamping

The MD series with magnetic sensors (Reed / PNP, programmable on request) confirms the correct position of CNC clamping and locking systems before machining begins — a matter of both safety and quality. Compact MP (aluminium, magnetic piston) and RQ (steel) are aimed at moulds and fixtures with limited space. On MD the magnetic sensors are fixed to a tie-rod, on compact MP they fit into grooves in the cylinder shell — which sensor goes on which cylinder is broken down in the article Hydraulic cylinder position sensors.

Automation and robotics

Assembly lines and robotic handling need high forces as well as positioning repeatability, which electromechanics achieve at these forces only at the cost of large gearboxes. Servo cylinders use a non-contact magnetostrictive sensor (no mechanical wear), IP67, with outputs of 0–10 V / 4–20 mA as well as digital (SSI, CANbus, DeviceNet, Profibus, EtherCAT®, EtherNet/IP™, PROFINET, POWERLINK) — direct integration with a PLC without converters. Integrated CETOP plates to ISO 4401 allow the valve directly on the cylinder: a smaller oil volume between valve and cylinder means faster and stiffer control. An overview of the sensor versions is broken down in the article Hydraulic cylinder position sensors.

Lifting and handling equipment

CD/DK/MD cover industrial lifting and handling; millimetre stroke control on lifting systems increases safety. Long strokes belong to the flange-mounted HD/HK (no tie-rods = geometric stability). For the most demanding long and fast strokes, an SD drainage port is added (see the note below).

Special fluids and high temperatures

For high temperatures (up to +150 °C) and phosphate esters, Viton® seals are used; a version for HFC (water-glycol) is also available. Standard seals operate in the range −20 / +80 °C — bear this in mind when selecting.

Nickel-plated cylinders (NK): food industry, pharmaceutical, water management

NK is CD/DK/MD with electroless nickel plating of the body and a piston rod made of chromed stainless steel. Verified parameters: a nickel layer of 20 µm, high adhesion and uniformity, corrosion resistance of 1,200 hours in salt spray (rating 10), free of heavy metals and ammonia. It is an alternative to the all-stainless cylinder at a lower price and with a shorter lead time.

• Food industry — sanitary washing with both acidic and alkaline agents; from practice, e.g. extruding meat products into moulds and portioning and slicing cheese, where the cylinders are frequently rinsed.
• Pharmaceutical — hygienic operations with frequent washing.
• Water management — permanent humidity, outdoor installation at wastewater treatment plants and weirs.
• Coastal and saline environments — resistance to salt spray and atmospheric influences.

NK supports mountings A, B, D, E, Q, R, S (others on request). Series details: nickel-plated cylinders for aggressive environments.

Outdoor applications and frost

Cylinders with position sensor

Position sensing comes at three levels, which differ in accuracy and price:

1. End-of-stroke inductive sensors (SPV/SPZ/SPK) — all ISO series (both 6020/2 and 6022); on the smallest diameters Ø 25 and 32 mm they cannot be fitted for space reasons. The compact RP/MP/RQ series do not have inductive end-of-stroke sensors.
2. Magnetic sensors (reading the magnetic piston) — MD (tie-rod mounted; Reed / PNP, programmable on request) and compact MP (in the shell grooves; Reed, PNP, IO-Link up to 8 programmable points).
3. In-axis magnetostrictive sensor — TD/TK/TH/TX/TP servo cylinders, continuous absolute position without a reference run.

Which sensor for which cylinder and application is broken down in the dedicated article Hydraulic cylinder position sensors. The principle of intelligent cylinders: Intelligent hydraulic cylinders (Conforti).

What our cylinders are not suitable for

We'll say it openly — it will save you time and money. We do not recommend our industrial ISO cylinder for:

• Agricultural machinery — front loaders, tippers, three-point hitches, log splitters. The standard here is welded mobile cylinders in a different price bracket and with different mountings; an industrial ISO cylinder is over-specified both technically and in price.
• Construction and municipal mobile machinery — excavators, tipper bodies, loader arms. The same reason.
• Hobby and home use — one-off projects where the lowest price is the deciding factor, not service life and testing to ISO 10100.
• Pressures over 250 bar nominally — the ISO range ends at 250 bar (DP/TP, test 375 bar); higher pressures require a special design outside the ISO framework.
• An all-stainless version as a requirement — as standard we offer NK nickel plating + a stainless rod as equivalent protection; an all-stainless cylinder is a special build with a significantly longer delivery time.

If you are unsure where your application falls, go through the configurator without obligation or write to us — we will advise you even if our cylinder is not the right one.