An ISO standard pneumatic cylinder is a type of actuator that complies with specific international standards (e.g., ISO 15552, ISO 6432) to ensure uniformity in mounting dimensions, bore sizes, and stroke lengths for easy interchangeability across manufacturers.
The most widely used standards include:
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ISO 15552 – Profile cylinders with tie rods
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ISO 6431 – Predecessor to ISO 15552
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ISO 21287 – Compact cylinders
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ISO 6432 – Round body miniature cylinders
ISO compliance ensures that pneumatic cylinders from different manufacturers can be interchanged without modifying the system layout. This simplifies maintenance, upgrades, and sourcing replacement parts.
ISO pneumatic cylinders are used in automation, packaging, food processing, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and general machinery where reliability and consistency are crucial.
Most ISO cylinders are designed to operate up to 1,000 kPa (10 bar), suitable for a wide range of industrial pneumatic applications.
ISO 15552 replaced ISO 6431 and includes updated mounting dimensions and tolerances. It’s backward-compatible in most cases but offers a more modern, refined design standard.
No, ISO 21287 defines compact cylinders with shorter lengths, whereas ISO 15552 applies to standard profile cylinders. While they share similar bore sizes, their overall dimensions and mounting styles differ.
ISO 6432 cylinders are round body, miniature cylinders and are best suited for light-duty tasks due to their smaller bore sizes and compact design. They’re not ideal for heavy-load applications.
ISO cylinders are commonly constructed from aluminium, stainless steel, or a combination, with options like anodised bodies and corrosion-resistant piston rods depending on the environment.
Thanks to standardised dimensions, ISO cylinders support a wide range of mounting styles, including front/rear flange, foot mount, trunnion, clevis, and pivot mounts, depending on the standard.
Yes, that’s one of the main benefits. If your current setup uses ISO dimensions, you can swap out your cylinder with another ISO-compliant model without changing the mounting or setup.
Bore sizes vary by standard:ISO 6432: Typically 8–25 mmISO 21287: 20–100 mmISO 15552 / ISO 6431: 32–320 mm
This range allows for flexibility across different force and space requirements.