AirTAC Pen-Size Cylinders

Pen-size is the smallest cylinder family AirTAC lists: pencil-slim bodies in the 4 to 16 mm bore band, 1420 published part numbers across seven series. The bores are tiny, so available force is small by design - these are positioning and light-clamping actuators, not lifting cylinders. Their job is high-frequency motion of small parts in machines with no room for anything larger.

The double-acting series run air on both strokes. PB (619 part numbers, 4-16 mm bore) is the JIS pen-size design with a stainless steel rod and barrel, and is the mainstream choice; PBJ (246 part numbers, offered in 10, 12 and 16 mm bores) adds an adjustable extend stroke, so its forward end position can be trimmed on site; PBR (4 part numbers) completes the group, with specifications confirmed on request. The spring-return push series extend on air and retract by spring, so a lost air supply leaves the rod retracted: PSB (208 part numbers, 4-16 mm) suits compact clamping and ejecting, while PSBR (161 part numbers, 6-16 mm) is a direct front-cover mount with a SUS316L stainless barrel - the most corrosion-resistant option in the family. The spring-return pull series work the other way round: air retracts the rod and the spring extends it, so the safe state is extended. PTB (110 part numbers) and the ball-joint PTBR (72 part numbers) are the pull versions, with specifications confirmed on request.

One point on the codes: the leading P marks pen size and the S or T fixes the spring direction, but a trailing R does not stand for one shared feature across the family - on PSBR it is the front-cover mount with a SUS316L barrel, on PTBR it is the ball joint. Specify each series by its own full code.