Pick and place mechanisms are extremely common in automated machinery. Despite the strides that pneumatic component suppliers such as Festo and SMC have made in developing actuators that combine air cylinders with guiding mechanisms in a user friendly package, we find that by using discrete components (separate air cylinders and guide mechanisms such as THK rails) we can produce stiffer, more robust mechanisms that are often more compact as well. The discrete components are often more economical as well as most of the components have become commodities. The extra effort involved in designing in these discrete components pays off many times over during the life of the machine.