
In such situations locks can sometimes serve as a safety mechanism in case of loss of air supply (or its pressure falling) and, thus remedy or abate any damage arising in such a situation.

Pneumatic systems are often found in settings where even rare and brief system failure is unacceptable. A study at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, concluded that the accuracy is about ± 30 nm, which is still within a satisfactory range but shows that the compressibility of air has an effect on the system.

Under a vertical load, a case where the cylinder takes on the full load, the precision of the cylinder is affected the most. Many studies have been completed on how the precision of a pneumatic cylinder can be affected as the load acting on the cylinder tries to further compress the gas used. One major issue engineers come across working with pneumatic cylinders has to do with the compressibility of a gas. Consequently, the piston becomes displaced. Once actuated, compressed air enters into the tube at one end of the piston and, hence, imparts force on the piston.

