Stainless Steel Cylinders

The KA/802000 uses a round-barrel construction (not a conventional profile extrusion) — the cylinder body is a uniform stainless steel tube with robust end-cap fixing. This allows 1-16 bar operating pressure on Ø 32-200 mm vs. the typical 1-10 bar. Useful in B2B when higher-pressure pneumatic operation is required (high-thrust clamping, compressed-air-driven applications where no hydraulics are available). Higher pressure also lets you choose a smaller bore for the same thrust — more compact installation.

The two product lines ship with different seal materials: KM/8000 = PUR rod seal, NBR piston and cushion seals, NBR O-rings; KA/802000 = FPM (Viton-type) rod seal and O-rings, PUR piston seal (Ø 32-125 mm) or NBR (Ø 160-200 mm), NBR cushion seals. PUR: better mechanical wear resistance, lower cost; avoid with aromatic or chlorinated hydrocarbons. FPM (Viton): broader chemical compatibility (aggressive acids, aromatic media, high temperature), more expensive. KA/802000's FPM rod seal is clearly optimised for the chemical/food/high-temperature combination. For specific media, always check a seal-material compatibility table.

ACS = Adaptive Cushioning System — a built-in air bleed that automatically adapts end-of-stroke cushioning to moving mass and velocity, with no manual adjustment. On the KA/802000 ACS is only available on Ø 32-125 mm; Ø 160-200 mm uses manually adjustable cushioning (a needle screw on the end cap, classic pneumatic cushioning). This matches the ACS range on the standard RA/802000 — the same technical limit. For very large bores with heavy workpieces, manual cushioning often gives finer control than the adaptive system.

Not always — depends on the contact level. Direct food contact: stainless mandatory (KM/8000, KA/802000). Splash zone (cylinder might be hit by food during normal operation): stainless strongly recommended. Wash-down zone but no food contact (cylinder is washed during cleaning but doesn't touch product): stainless recommended for longevity (anodised aluminium is technically OK but corrodes from the cleaners over time). Outside the wash-down zone: standard cylinder is fine. The decision is environmental, not just regulatory.

AISI 304 (1.4301) is the standard food-industry stainless — handles caustic cleaners, mild acids, salt spray. AISI 316 (1.4404) adds molybdenum for better resistance to chlorides and aggressive acids — required for marine offshore, chlorinated process water, and pharmaceutical WFI (Water for Injection). Norgren KM/8000 and KA/802000 are AISI 304-based (end covers and piston rod are AISI 303 / 1.4305 on KM/8000, AISI 304 / 1.4308 on KA/802000; all catalogue variants are 304-family). AISI 316 is NOT a standard catalogue option in this cylinder family — for aggressive chloride/marine/WFI applications, a custom order or alternative vendor is required. The KM/KA range covers most food and general corrosion applications.

Yes — there's no functional downside, only the higher cost (typically 2-3× anodised-aluminium price). Some sites specify stainless throughout for standardisation (one part-number list, reduced spares variety) or for future-proofing if the area might be re-purposed for food/pharma later. Standard-industry installations don't *need* stainless, but it's a defensible engineering choice.