So the zero point of your actuators is having them all the way up, right? And the connecting bar above the actuators, which then press down into the cylinder.
So far so good. I trust you to get actuators which can provide the required force, distance and speed.
Now how are you going to measure the exerted force by the actuator or the pressure inside the cylinder?
When you have that, and the appropriate control electronics for actuators, it's a matter of setting up a feedback loop to get to the appropriate pressure or force.