Hydraulic versus air

[Norm W]

Realize that using air is like using a giant spring. Hydraulic will stop when the flow stops. Air will push till the limit is hit. A buffer at the end if the stroke will help to limit the amount of stress caused by the ram hitting the end of it's stroke.

 

[SmallChange]

Just a thought from an industrial mechanical design viewpoint -- that sounds like an unsafe application for pneumatic actuation right from the start. Because air cylinders are springs, if you build up much force in trying to make a cut, and it suddenly breaks loose, there's an enormous release of energy. It's like adding a huge spring to a pry bar. When you pry something difficult, and it suddenly comes loose, you've got explosive mechanical action. Hydraulics have very little of this because there's not much compressibility.

We don't like big stored energies that can release suddenly, if they're not specifically required for the job.