RHK’s Guide to Hydraulic Cylinders
RHK’s Guide to Hydraulic Cylinders
At RHK Hydraulics, we specialize in manufacturing and servicing hydraulic cylinders. We pride ourselves on working closely with our partners to provide custom solutions for our clients’ specific needs. Whether it’s a new installation or repairs and maintenance, our team is eager to work with you to develop innovative solutions. Over three decades of experience in the industry has provided us with the necessary product knowledge and cross-sector awareness to think critically about our projects, ensuring our clients receive exactly what they need when they need it.
Hydraulic cylinders are an essential part of many different industries. A variety of specific, and often custom hydraulic cylinders, provide the power to operate cranes, construction equipment, and other machinery that clients rely on to get the job done.
We are passionate about what we do. We believe in trying new things and chasing innovation. We share ideas and we want to work with you to make an impact. To learn more contact our team today!
Keep reading to learn more about the variety of products that we manufacture and service.
RHK Welded Cylinders
RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Services are proud to offer decades of experience in developing custom solutions for our clients. When the off-the-shelf solutions don’t meet your needs, RHK rises to the occasion to develop an innovative solution for your problem. Our in-house design and fabrication capabilities mean we can provide custom solutions fast.
At RHK we offer our clients welded design cylinders, welded telescopic cylinders, welded leveling cylinders, welded SMART cylinders, and welded big bore cylinders. Each of our products is designed and manufactured to the client’s specific specs and needs.
RHK also has the capability to service welded cylinders. We commonly see a variety of issues that arise from poorly manufactured or misused welded cylinders including:
- Fluid Contamination: Foreign particles in the hydraulic fluid can scratch the cylinder bore and cause corrosion.
- Side Loading: When an external force is applied perpendicular to the cylinder, it creates wear. Excessive side loading can cause a bent or broken rod.
- Rough or Scored Rod: A scored rod will damage the seals, causing difficulty to maintain pressure, reduce life, and requiring frequent replacement.
- Over-Pressurizing: Repeatedly handling more pressure than it is designed for causes snap rings to dislodge and become dangerous to operate.
To speak with a member of our experienced team regarding your welded cylinder needs, contact us today!
RHK Telescopic Cylinders
A telescopic cylinder features an outer barrel and 2-6 nested stages (sometimes called sleeves) that decrease in diameter and fit inside each other. As hydraulic pressure is applied, the largest sleeve extends until fully extended. Then the process repeats until the final sleeve (also known as the rod or plunger) is extended, resulting in the total cylinder extension.
The advantages of a telescopic cylinder include:
- Telescopic cylinders, also known as multi-stage cylinders, can achieve a longer stroke than a single-stage cylinder while maintaining a short retracted length.
- Telescopic cylinders are helpful in space-constrained environments such as the dump body of a dump truck.
Single and Double-acting Telescopic Cylinders
RHK offers both manufacturing and servicing for both single and double acting cylinders. A single acting telescopic cylinder uses hydraulic pressure to extend an external force, such as gravity to retract. A double acting telescopic cylinder uses hydraulic pressure to both extend and retract. A single/double acting combination cylinder uses hydraulic pressure to retract only a portion of the stroke, maintaining design simplicity and reducing overall cost.
RHK Smart Cylinders
RHK specializes in incorporating electronic positioning sensors into our custom RHK cylinders. Adding these sensors creates SMART cylinders, designed to increase productivity, reduce maintenance and downtime, and limit operator fatigue. A “SMART” cylinder is a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator that incorporates a linear transducer (sensor) that can be mounted internally or externally. The sensor provides instantaneous feedback on position and velocity and can be outputted to various analog and digital formats.
What are the advantages of a position-sensing SMART cylinder?
The advantages of using a SMART cylinder equipped with a position-sensor include:
- Through electro-hydraulic control, various equipment functions can be automated to improve overall performance and efficiency.
- SMART cylinders will reduce maintenance requirements and downtime.
- SMART cylinders provide repeatability, lockout and safety, dynamic self-adjustment, and remote adjustability.
Position sensors can be added to most existing cylinders while an internal sensor can be installed if there is ample room for the sensor head in the endcap. To learn more about how RHK can work with you to install these innovative solutions to your cylinders, contact a member of our experienced team.
RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Repair and Service
At RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Services we know that you have a job to do and that downtime costs money. We are committed to working efficiently and with extraordinary attention to detail to ensure your machinery is back to operating effectively, as soon as possible. From leaky seals to complete rebuilds, RHK can have your hydraulic cylinder restored to OEM specs and back in service fast!
The typical scope of work for our repair services included disassembly and inspection of the following:
- Gland / Piston Condition
- Seal Condition
- Mounting Connection
- Barrel / Bore Condition
- Porting Connection
- Rod / Stage Condition
When you work with you can rest assured that your cylinder will be completely inspected, and a repair estimate will be provided for approval before we commence repairs. All recommended repairs and service is covered by a full warranty and by understanding a customer’s needs, we can modify a cylinder to better suit the application.
RHK Hydraulic Services Commitment to Excellence
With more than three decades in the cylinder industry, RHK, established in 1990, is a privately owned company dedicated to manufacturing and servicing hydraulic cylinders. We are committed to be known and admired for our innovative spirit, our commitment to our customers, and our expertise in fluid power. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, RHK has built a reputation for delivering high quality products and services to a wide range of clients worldwide in industries such as oil & gas, construction, agriculture, heavy machinery, forestry, mining, transportation, and utilities.
What sets us apart from others in the industry?
- Experience: Founded in 1990, RHK has continually evolved alongside the industry. Today our experienced team occupies 30,000 sqft of shop space and 2000sqft of office space in Edmonton, Alberta. We are committed to always learning from our peers, and treating our team, clients, and suppliers with respect.
- We can repair anything: RHK offers our clients the capabilities of custom fabrication and design, hard chrome plating, honing, and general cylinder manufacturing and servicing. In addition to these capabilities, we also stand by our work. All RHK repairs and services are covered by a full warranty.
- Efficient: Our experience and in-house fabrication and design capabilities allow us to provide industry-leading efficiency. RHK has worked with clients across sectors, and we know that one thing is true across all industries, downtime costs money. We strive to work as efficiently as possible while still ensuring the integrity of our work and your product.
- Innovative and custom solutions: At RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Services we pride ourselves on finding and developing innovative solutions. We are not off the shelf, cookie cutter thinkers. We want to work with our clients to find the right solution for their unique challenges. We are able to do this because of our years of experience and industry expertise.
RHK In-house Capabilities
RHK manufactures a variety of components for various industries. We are proud to have worked closely with our clients from across sectors to develop unique solutions to their industry specific challenges. RHK’s versatile manufacturing process accommodates low and high volume orders of varying sized cylinders. Every component is rigorously measured, tested, and held to RHK’s Quality Assurance program. Using ERP software progress is monitored ensuring every order is fulfilled accurately and on time. Once assembled and tested, completed cylinders are primed light grey for rust protection while in transport. Full painting services are also available. No matter how simple or complex, our efficient manufacturing process will help you focus on what you do best.
Our custom capabilities include:
- Custom Design and Engineering
- CNC Machining and 4th axis Milling
- Welding, Fabrication and Flame cutting
- Hard Chrome Plating and Polishing
- Production Honing
- Painting and Packaging
RHK Resources & Worksheets
If you are interested in working with RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Services, we encourage you to begin the process by completing our online design sheet. These design sheets provide RHK with a better understanding of the products and services you are interested in and how we can best serve you. While you do not need to fill in every section of the design sheet, the more information you provide the more efficient and informed the process will be.
RHK Hydraulic Cylinder Services looks forward to working with you to solve your complex challenges. Please contact a member of our team to learn more today.