How much can vex5 pneumatics lift

Does anyone know how many pounds a Vex piston can lift, and if it would be enough to lift a 16-18 pound robot?

Less than 10 Tons

By rough calculations I estimate for 100 psi and 0.5 inch diameter cylinder expect around 15-20 Ibs of force from the cylinder.

3 Likes

From the product page on the vex website:

It’s got roughly 12 pounds of force at 100 psi (keep in mind this is not how much it can lift, just how much it can hold without getting overpowered)

4 Likes

I’m not the smartest guy, but does that mean that if I have one tank, and two cylinders, I can lift around 20-25 pounds?

Yes. That means either do:

  1. Make pneumatics push a gear ratio
  2. Make pneumatics push a lever that gives it more force
  3. Make the pneumatics release a system that already has potential energy to apply larger, near-infinite force (i.e. releasing a mechanism powered by rubber bands)
1 Like