customization. Special features are easily added to the cylinder body, including special ports, custom mounts, valve manifolds, and so on. The smooth outer body of welded cylinders also enables the design of multi-stage telescopic cylinders. Welded body hydraulic cylinders dominate the mobile hydraulic equipment market such as construction equipment (excavators, bulldozers, and road graders) and material handling equipment (forklift trucks, telehandlers, and lift-gates). They are also used by heavy industry in cranes, oil rigs, and large off-road vehicles for above-ground mining operations. Piston rod construction The piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder operates both inside and outside the barrel, and consequently both in and out of the hydraulic fluid and surrounding atmosphere. Coatings Wear and corrosion-resistant surfaces are desirable on the outer diameter of the piston rod. The surfaces are often applied using coating techniques such as Chrome (Nickel) Plating, Lunac 2+ duplex, Laser Cladding, PTA welding and Thermal Spraying. These coatings can be finished to the desirable surface roughness (Ra, Rz) where the seals give optimum performance. All these coating methods have their specific advantages and disadvantages. It is for this reason that coating experts play a crucial role in selecting the optimum surface treatment procedure for protecting Hydraulic Cylinders. Cylinders are used in different operational conditions and that makes it a challenge to find the right coating solution. In dredging there might be impact from stones or other parts, in saltwater environments, there are extreme corrosion attacks, in off-shore cylinders facing bending and impact in combination with salt water, and in the steel industry, there are high temperatures involved, etc. There is no single coating solution that successfully combats all the specific operational wear conditions. Every technique has its own benefits and disadvantages. Length Piston rods are generally available in lengths that are cut to suit the application. As the common rods have a soft or mild steel core, their ends can be welded or machined for a screw thread. Distribution of forces on components The forces on the piston face and the piston head retainer vary depending on which piston head retention system is used. If a circlip (or any non-preloaded system) is used, the force acting to separate the piston head and the cylinder shaft shoulder is the applied pressure multiplied by the area of the piston head. The piston head and shaft shoulder will separate and the load is fully reacted by the piston head