The 8 types · side-by-side
Distributor-facing reading. Each row gives best-for, key trade-off, capacity, price band, and how many of SPC's tier slots carry an option at that product type.
Product type
Best for
Key trade-off
Typical capacity
Price band
Brands SPC carries
ISO 15552 Standard European dimensional standard · interchangeable across makers
The default on new builds.OEM machine builders, European-spec equipment, any new install where dimensional interchangeability across brands is a future-proofing requirement. AIGNEP is the value-tier ISO bench; SMC C95 is the spec-tier option.
Not a drop-in for NFPA legacyDifferent bolt pattern, different rod-end dimensions, different mounting-foot footprint than NFPA tie-rod. Don't quote ISO 15552 as a replacement for an existing Parker or Bimba tie-rod cylinder — the mounting won't line up.
Bores 32–320 mm · strokes to 2,000+ mm
ISO 15552 dimensional standard
ISO 15552 dimensional standard
$ – $$
3 / 5 · AIGNEP value + SMC spec + YPC
NFPA Tie-Rod North American dimensional standard · drop-in for Parker / Bimba / Numatics
Replacement on existing North American machines.Retrofit on legacy installs where the machine was built around Parker 2A/2H, Bimba, or Numatics tie-rod cylinders. NFPA tie-rod dimensional standard means the new SMC drops into the existing mounting without bracket changes.
Heavier and longer than ISO 15552Tie-rod construction adds footprint and weight versus the ISO profile-extruded body. On new builds with no legacy constraint, ISO is the lighter and shorter spec; NFPA wins only when drop-in interchangeability is the binding requirement.
Bores 1.5"–8" · strokes to 60"+
NFPA dimensional standard
NFPA dimensional standard
$$ – $$$
1 / 5 · SMC only
Compact Short body · same bore · for tight-envelope work
When the machine has no room for a full-length cylinder.Pick-and-place stations, indexing tables, end-of-arm tooling, any jig where the cylinder has to fit in less envelope than a standard body allows. SMC CQ2 is the most-spec'd compact in the SMC catalog; YPC is the value option for high-volume OEM builds.
Limited stroke · limited side-loadTrades stroke length and rod stiffness for envelope. If the application needs more than ~100 mm of stroke or any meaningful side-load on the rod, step up to ISO 15552 or heavy-duty cast — the compact body won't carry it.
Bores 12–100 mm · strokes typically < 100 mm
ISO-compatible mounting available
ISO-compatible mounting available
$ – $$
2 / 5 · SMC + YPC
Rodless Long stroke · short envelope · piston-internal design
Long stroke where envelope is the constraint.Material-handling slides, gantry pick-and-place, transfer lines, anything that needs 500 mm+ of travel without doubling the cylinder's installed length. SMC MY is the workhorse rodless platform.
Higher precision spec · narrower benchMagnetic-coupled and cable-style rodless designs need tighter alignment than rod-style cylinders and don't tolerate side-load as well. Premium pricing per stroke-inch versus a long ISO cylinder; only quote rodless when the envelope is genuinely the binding constraint.
Bores 16–80 mm · strokes 100–2,500 mm
magnetic-coupled · mechanical-coupled
magnetic-coupled · mechanical-coupled
$$ – $$$
1 / 5 · SMC only
Heavy-Duty Cast Cast body · high side-load tolerance · long-cycle duty
Press work, clamping, anywhere the rod takes side-load.Stamping presses, large clamps, hold-down jigs, any application where the rod-end load isn't purely axial. SMC CA2 is the platform — heavier body resists bending the rod under off-axis load that would destroy a tie-rod or compact cylinder.
Weight + costCast iron and ductile-iron bodies are heavier than tie-rod or ISO extruded designs and price 20-40% above an equivalent-bore ISO cylinder. Don't quote heavy-duty when an ISO 15552 will carry the load — the customer pays for capability they don't need.
Bores 40–200 mm · strokes to 1,500 mm
foot · flange · clevis mount
foot · flange · clevis mount
$$ – $$$
1 / 5 · SMC only
Non-Rotating Indexed rod · twin-bore or square-rod design
When the load can't be allowed to spin on the rod.Tool holders, fixture mounts, end effectors that need to maintain angular orientation through the stroke. SMC MB is the twin-bore platform that delivers ±0.05° of rotational tolerance through full stroke — what you spec when a standard round-rod cylinder would let the tool rotate under load.
Wider footprint · single-supplierTwin-bore design takes more lateral envelope than a round-rod cylinder of the same bore. SMC is effectively the only bench at SPC for this configuration — and the design is rarely a drop-in for any other maker's non-rotating standard.
Bores 16–63 mm · strokes to 300 mm
twin-bore · square-rod
twin-bore · square-rod
$$
1 / 5 · SMC only
Rebuild Kit Seals + wear bands + rod scraper · OEM cross-reference
The right answer 80% of the time a cylinder "fails."Any cylinder leaking past the piston seal, weeping at the rod gland, or losing stroke speed — almost always a seal-pack problem, not a cylinder problem. SMC and AIGNEP kits cross to the original cylinder part number; 15-25% of new-cylinder cost gets another five years out of the install.
Labor + downtime to rebuildRebuilding takes 30-90 minutes of millwright time and pulls the cylinder out of the machine. If the cylinder body or rod is scored, a rebuild kit won't fix it — quote the new cylinder. Always confirm bore size and rod diameter before quoting the kit; wrong-size seals destroy the cylinder on the first stroke.
Matched to OEM cylinder model
NBR · FKM · food-grade
NBR · FKM · food-grade
$
2 / 5 · AIGNEP + SMC
Position Sensor Reed switch · solid-state · groove-mount
Closes the position-feedback loop to the PLC.Any cylinder feeding a PLC-controlled cycle that needs end-of-stroke confirmation, mid-stroke position, or interlock with downstream motion. SMC sensors mount in the cylinder groove and signal piston position via the magnetic ring built into every SMC cylinder body.
Brand-matched to the cylinderThe sensor groove profile differs across makers — SMC sensors snap into SMC cylinders, not into AIGNEP or YPC. Match the sensor to the cylinder brand at spec time. Reed switches are cheaper but wear out on high-cycle duty; solid-state is the right spec above ~2 Hz cycling.
PNP / NPN / NO / NC variants
2-wire · 3-wire
2-wire · 3-wire
$
1 / 5 · SMC only
Reading the brand bench column — the bar shows how many of SPC's tier slots (Industry Leader · Emerging · Economical · adjacent) carry an option at that product type. A deep bench means a price-driven and a spec-driven option both close cleanly; a narrow bench means the available brands map closely to the technical requirements and the comparison stops being a tier choice.