We calculate the Casimir force at a finite cut-off Λ by summing the forces induced by the all fluctuation modes. We show that the Casimir force is independent of the cut-off function in the limit LΛ → ∞. There is a correction in the order of (LΛ) −2 , when LΛ is finite and large. This correction becomes remarkable when L is comparable with the microscopic length scale Λ −1 . It has been demonstrated that the Casimir force at a finite cut-off should be defined by summing forces of all fluctuation modes, instead of the derivative of Casimir energy with respect to L where an additional derivative of the cut-off function has been introduced.

We study the Casimir force between two pistons under different boundary conditions inside an infinite cylinder with arbitrary cross section. It is found that the attractive or repulsive character of the Casimir force for a scalar field is determined only by the boundary condition along the longitudinal direction and is independent of the cross section, transverse boundary conditions and the mass of the field. Under symmetric Dirichlet-Dirichlet, Neumann-Neumann and periodic longitudinal boundary conditions the Casimir force is always attractive, but is repulsive under non-symmetric Dirichlet-Neumann and anti-periodic longitudinal boundary conditions. The Casimir force of the electromagnetic field in an ideal conductive piston is also investigated. This force is always attractive regardless of the shape of the cross section and the transverse boundary conditions.