There is a strange taboo in Europe, which is absent in the USA—that of comparative advertising about hydraulic cylinders.
In fact, even to simply list the major differences between products from different manufacturers can be considered offensive. But strangely enough, it seems there are no problems when it comes to comparing cars, bikes or other everyday items.
That is why Vega decided to start writing these articles, so as to give our customers and agents further insight on several specific products.
Such articles are meant to be helpful in choosing the most suitable cylinder for your applications!
The following table shows off some of the main differences between Vega V450 CM and AHP Merkle BZ 500 cylinders.
Vega V450 CM |
AHP Merkle BZ 500 |
Bores up to 100 mm |
Bores up to 200 mm |
Nitrocarburated rod for better tribologic behavior |
Hardened and Chrome plated rod |
For a given bore size, rod is generally smaller. More pulling force |
For a given bore size, rod is larger. Less compression |
Above bore 50, body length and width are smaller |
Below bore 50, body length is smaller |
Recessed clamping screws for saving space (keyway) |
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More compact mechanical switches |
/ |
/ |
Proximity switches available |
Small oil supply holes for less impact forces |
Large oil supply oil for greater speed |
One-piece cartridge for better precision |
Sometimes a bronze bushing is in the cartridge |
Keyway and screws positions often don’t match |
Keyway and screws positions often don’t match |
Screw size at rod end often don’t match |
Screw size at rod end often don’t match |
Oil ports position and sometimes size don’t match |
Oil ports position and sometimes size don’t match |
Shaft height (keyway version) different from bore 63 |
Shaft height (keyway version) different from bore 63 |
Rod protrusion is different |
Rod protrusion is different |
Double rod as a special version |
Double rod in the catalogue |
For more information on our V450 CM block cylinders, feel free to browse our catalog, and read the article Compact Cylinders—V450CM Switch Regulation on this blog in case of problems with our compact switches.
We also warmly invite you to watch the following video to learn more about Vega and how we work!