An instrument built to measure stroke time — extension and retraction — of a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, connecting to the end-of-stroke sensors already present on the customer's equipment (reed or inductive), not to a specific model or brand. The stroke-time trend over time is an early indicator of seal wear and internal bypass, before the cylinder loses enough force to affect production. Available on request, delivery in about 15 working days.
A sudden failure stops the line. Stroke time gradually lengthening, cycle after cycle, is a symptom that precedes failure by weeks — if you can measure it continuously.
Calibrating a flow-control valve by eye, watching the piston move, is imprecise and not repeatable. A measured stroke time gives an objective reference.
Dedicated instruments on the market today are tied to the sensor groove of a single cylinder brand. With mixed cylinders on the floor, you'd need one instrument per brand — or none.
A continuous linear position transducer (magnetostrictive) gives the full motion curve, but costs an order of magnitude more: built for process control, not for a routine check on the floor.
Whoever sells cylinders also sells end-of-stroke sensors for a few euros. But a brand-independent instrument, built to measure — not to control a process — is nearly absent from the market.
SMC sells a "Cylinder Speed Checker" (IN574) that measures exactly speed and stroke time — but it only works on SMC cylinders with a magnetic piston and proprietary sensor groove.
A magnetostrictive transducer (e.g. Balluff BTL7) costs in the thousands of dollars: built to be integrated into a PLC, not for a quick maintenance check.
Only ad-hoc implementations exist (university theses, Arduino forums) using reed switches and timers: they prove the measurement is simple, but no ready, robust, universal product exists.
Yes, TC-1 is available on request with delivery in about 15 working days. The exact price depends on configuration and quantity: request a quote for your specific case.
Yes, the measurement principle (two proximity sensors at the end-of-stroke positions plus timing) is the same regardless of the fluid: pneumatic or hydraulic. The practical differences concern sensor mounting and environmental protection, not the measurement logic.
No, as standard TC-1 connects to the end-of-stroke sensors already present on your cylinder or already in your equipment: that's why it isn't tied to a specific brand, unlike the closed instruments already on the market. If you don't have compatible sensors, we can supply them together with the instrument on request.
They're two products in the same instrumentation family but independent: TC-1 is a portable meter for a spot or continuous check on a cylinder already installed, Ciclo BC-1 is a programmable bench for repeated test cycles in a workshop.
Moxá Design, an electronics design studio in Cavezzo (Modena), the same team behind the patented SailSensor sensor ecosystem.
If your department has pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders and you'd like an objective check on their wear, tell us the context: number of cylinders, brands, environment. Request a quote tailored to your department.
Request a quoteIf your use case is different, we design dedicated instrumentation.
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