SMC Pneumatics

Pneumatics

SMC Corporation is the world's largest pneumatics manufacturer, producing over 12,000 basic product series across actuators, valves, air preparation units, vacuum equipment, and fittings - all engineered to ISO 15552, ISO 6432, and IEC 61000 standards. Operating pressures typically range from -100 kPa (full vacuum) to 1.0 MPa, with bore diameters from 6 mm to 320 mm and position-repeatability values down to ±0.05 mm on electric drive series. Valve response times reach as low as 5 ms on high-speed solenoid variants, while air preparation units deliver filtration ratings to 0.01 µm for semiconductor-grade clean-room compliance.

As an authorised SMC distributor, fluidics-equipment.com lists 72,732 SMC part numbers spanning the full product portfolio - from compact KQ2 push-in fittings and CQ2 mini-cylinders through to EX600 fieldbus valve manifolds and ITV electro-pneumatic regulators - supported by cross-references, datasheets, and series selectors. Products conform to RoHS, REACH, and applicable ISO / JIS standards, with CE-marked variants available across the core actuator and valve ranges.

SMC vs. Festo vs. Parker Hannifin vs. Norgren - Technical Comparison

Criterion	SMC	Festo	Parker Hannifin	Norgren
Basic product series	12,000+	ca. 2,500	ca. 1,800	ca. 900
Cylinder bore range	6-320 mm	8-320 mm	12-250 mm	12-200 mm
Valve response time	<5 ms	ca. 7 ms	ca. 8 ms	ca. 10 ms
Electric actuator repeatability	±0.02 mm	±0.02 mm	±0.05 mm	ca. ±0.1 mm
Air filtration rating	0.01 µm	0.01 µm	0.01 µm	0.01 µm
IO-Link support	Yes - ITV/ISE series	Yes - VUVG/SFAM	Selective	Selective
Cleanroom / semiconductor	SEMI S2/F57, ISO Class 1	ISO Class 3-5	ISO Class 3-5	ISO Class 5
Max. operating pressure	1.0 MPa	1.0 MPa	1.0 MPa	1.0 MPa

SMC Product Overview - Key Series at a Glance

Series	Application	Key Specification	Highlight
CQ2 / CDQ2	Compact pneumatic cylinders	Bore 12-100 mm, stroke 5-200 mm	ISO 6432, auto-switch ready
CM2 / C96	Standard tie-rod cylinders	Bore 32-320 mm, up to 1.0 MPa	ISO 15552, heavy-duty
SY / VQ series	5-port solenoid valves & manifolds	24 V DC, Cv 0.1-3.5, <5 ms	EX600 fieldbus compatible
LEF / LES / LEFS	Electric linear actuators	Stroke 10-800 mm, ±0.02 mm repeat.	24 V DC servo, IO-Link
ZH / ZU / ZP	Vacuum ejectors & suction cups	Vacuum to -101.3 kPa, cup dia. 2-250 mm	Cleanroom ISO Class 1
ITV / ISE	Electro-pneumatic regulators & pressure switches	0-1.0 MPa, 4-20 mA / IO-Link	IEC 61000 EMC certified
KQ2 / KJH	Push-in fittings & tubing	Tube OD 4-16 mm, 1.0 MPa rated	ISO 14743, one-touch release
AW / AFF / AFD	FRL air preparation units	0.01 µm filtration, 0.05-1.0 MPa	Modular G1/8-G3/4 ports

Typical application areas: Semiconductor wafer handling and fab automation (SEMI S2, SEMI F57, ISO Class 1-3), automotive body-in-white and powertrain assembly (ISO/TS 16949, VDA 6.3), food and beverage processing with stainless-steel actuators (FDA, EC 1935/2004), medical device manufacturing and laboratory automation (ISO 13485, IEC 60601-1), electronics SMT pick-and-place and PCB handling (IPC-A-610, IEC 61340-5-1 ESD-safe variants), general industrial automation and machine building (ISO 15552, IEC 61000 EMC), packaging and palletising lines, and intralogistics conveyor systems.

✓ 72,732 SMC Part NumbersFull portfolio: cylinders, valves, FRL, vacuum, electric