Compact cylinders
The compact cylinder is always used if the space available for a standard pneumatic cylinder proves insufficient.
As the name compact cylinder indicates, this cylinder is compact in size and is usually shorter than a standard cylinder.
Contents
ISO 21287
Up until 2003 there was no standard for this special cylinder. Therefore there are very different cylinders with very different dimensions on the market. There has been a standard especially for compact cylinders since 2004 (ISO 21 287). The Festo compact cylinder which fulfils this standard is the ADN (double-acting) or AEN (single-acting).
Compact cylinder ADN / AEN
Variants
The compact cylinders ADN/AEN are produced in very different cylinder variants. These variants can be configured according to requirements thanks to the modular product system.
Cylinder mounting options
All compact cylinders ADN/AEN can be mounted directly through the housing without any additional mounting pieces. Both end caps (bearing and end caps) are fitted on the cylinder barrel with two or four screws each. These screws have female threads for mounting the cylinder. The cylinder can also be mounted with screws that pass completely through the cylinder. The screw sizes for mounting the cylinder are listed in the table.
| Cylinder diameter |
Thread in the cylinder |
Screw size for through screws |
|---|---|---|
|
12 |
M 4 | M 3 |
|
16 |
M 4 | M 3 |
|
20 |
M 5 | M 4 |
|
25 |
M 5 | M 4 |
|
32 |
M 6 | M 5 |
|
40 |
M 6 | M 5 |
|
50 |
M 8 | M 6 |
|
63 |
M 8 | M 6 |
|
80 |
M 10 | M 8 |
|
100 |
M 10 | M 8 |
|
125 |
M 12 | M 10 |
Compact cylinder weights
Although their design is compact, this doesn't mean that compact cylinders are automatically considered to be the lightest of cylinders. However, the short design of these cylinders does save a substantial amount of weight, which is why these components are very popular in weight-relevant applications.
How much do cylinders in the ADN/AEN series weigh?
| Cylinder diameter |
Basic weight [g] |
Weight per 10 mm stroke [g] |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 77 | 12 |
| 16 | 79 | 14 |
| 20 | 131 | 21 |
| 25 | 156 | 23 |
| 32 | 265 | 30 |
| 40 | 346 | 37 |
| 50 | 540 | 51 |
| 63 | 722 | 59 |
| 80 | 1300 | 79 |
| 100 | 2154 | 98 |
| 125 | 2880 | 117 |
Compact cylinder dimensions
Different dimensions are requested fairly frequently.
ADN/ AEN stroke allowances
| Cylinder diameter |
Stroke allowance max. [mm] |
|---|---|
| 12 | + 0.8 |
| 16 | + 0.8 |
| 20 | + 1 |
| 25 | + 1 |
| 32 | + 1 |
| 40 | + 1 |
| 50 | + 1 |
| 63 | + 1 |
| 80 | + 1 |
| 100 | + 1.2 |
| 125 | + 1.2 |
Yoke plates
What are the overall dimensions of the yoke plates for ADNGF?
The overall dimensions of the yoke plate are the same as those of the cylinder.
Square piston rods
Are the surfaces of the piston rod aligned with the outside cylinder surfaces on a compact cylinder ADN with square piston rod?
Yes, the parallelism tolerance of the rod bearing to the bearing cap is 0.2 mm. 
Stroke lengths
Are Festo compact cylinders only available in the listed standard stroke lengths?
Most compact cylinders can be produced with any stroke length up to the specified maximum stroke.
Thread size in the cylinder barrel
Which tapping drill is required to cut the threads in the cylinder barrel of a cylinder ADN / AEN?
The flange screws that connect the bearing and end caps to the cylinder barrel are designed as self-tapping screws. That means that the thread is formed by the flange screw itself as it is screwed in.
Different variants
Single-acting cylinders as double-acting cylinders
Can single-acting cylinders from the AEN-... series also be used as double-acting cylinders?
The design of the AEN cylinder series does not enable these products to be used as double-acting cylinders.
Multi-position cylinders
Can compact cylinders be used to travel to more than two defined positions?
Up to four positions can be approached by connecting two cylinders. The two cylinders are attached at the bottom using a multi-position kit DPNA.
However, the compact cylinder ADN is also available as the variant "multi-position cylinder ADNM", so that the installation of single cylinders is no longer necessary.
High-force cylinders
How can the force on a cylinder be increased?
If pressure reserves are still available and if the permissible maximum pressure on the cylinder has not yet been reached, the simplest method to increase the force is to increase the pressure.
If sufficient space is still available, further cylinders can of course be installed parallel to the first cylinder.
Another method is to use the variant "high-force cylinder ADNH". This cylinder is longer, but has the force of several cylinders (please note: higher force only with the advance stroke).
Position sensing The high-force cylinder ADNH and the multi-position cylinder ADNM are comprised of several cylinder chambers. Only the foremost piston (piston rod side) has a magnet for sensing, so position sensing can only ever occur in the sensor slot area on the foremost profile barrel.
