Slide unit actuators are a part of pneumatic machinery that moves a sliding device up and down along rails of machinery. They work by converting highly pressured compressed air into energy for linear motion. They are designed with grooves in their side to allow for mounting onto different types of surfaces, and are usually a rough rectangular shape.What are slide unit actuators used for? Slide unit actuators are common in a number of different industrial processes. This can include picking and placing of items in a warehouse and precision placement of work pieces, general low friction transport, positioning of pallets and conveyors, and in vertical movement applications.Types of slide unit actuators Slide unit actuators can differ from one another by their stroke length, which describes how far the unit can move at once, and their bore size, which represents the diameter of the pneumatic cylinder in which the piston operates. They also come in a range of different sizes, depending on the equipment they are to be fitted to, and may have differing port connections and cushioning methods.