Hydraulic cylinders, known for their high force at an affordable cost, have been widely used in factory automation equipment and other special automation equipment for decades. Hydraulics are rugged, relatively simple to deploy, and provide a low cost per unit of force.
In recent years, electric rod actuators (cylinders) have become more flexible, precise, and reliable with increasingly larger force capacities. These advancements have created an ongoing debate over hydraulic cylinders and electric actuators—specifically, which one of them offers the best overall approach for an assortment of motion-control applications.