Pneumatic Tips

A simple example of explaining a self-relieving pressure regulator is to imagine having a balloon with two normally closed ends. Call the ends supply and exhaust. Assume the balloon is empty and you ask for more pressure in the balloon. The supply end opens until the balloon pressure equals the requested pressure, then the supply […]

Nitto Kohki USA has introduced a standalone vacuum pump device that is ideal for a range of pick–and–place applications, and is particularly useful when house air is not available. The LV–125A (Linicon) vacuum pump is compact, lightweight, and features an oil–less design to fit perfectly into clean room assembly operations. It has an extremely low […]

Winning entries in the 2021 LEAP (Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program) Awards were announced by WTWH Media today in 12 categories, including Pneumatics. This year’s winners were chosen by an independent judging panel of 12 engineering and academic professionals. For each category, judges could award Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mentions. The 2021 Pneumatics category winners […]

An automotive plant was having trouble with a finishing tool.  The device was sluggish and would easily stall.  It had no power.  It even sounded weak.  It didn’t have that nice “Vrrip, vrrip!” sound like a normal air tool.  A compressed air auditor was called in the investigate. The auditor took one look and frowned.  […]

Lincoln Electric’s Air Vantage system is a critical piece of equipment for many operators in tough terrain, offering a welder, generator and air compressor. But the Air Vantage wouldn’t exist without VMAC, a mobile air manufacturer that provides compact yet powerful air compressor technology. “Lincoln Electric and VMAC have successfully worked together for the past […]

Ross Controls, which recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary, officially opened its new global headquarters on August 26, 2021. The event was attended by all employees in the area along with a number of guests including Ferndale Mayor Melanie Piana. The new headquarters is also home to Ross Decco, a coil and solenoid manufacturer Ross acquired […]

Pressure regulators, as the name indicates, control the pressure in a pneumatic circuit.  Setting and maintaining pressure in a system is important for safety and energy efficiency of individual actuators, tools and instruments as well as for the complete circuit. A typical manufacturing facility has plant air pressure from the compressor set to around 110 […]

Question from a reader: I was wanting to estimate my compressed air leakage level in my plant.  I watched my 100-hp compressor and saw that it was loaded for 87 seconds — and unloaded for 64 seconds on the weekend with no production.  How would I calculate leakage flow? Answer from Ron Marshall: You are […]

By Frances Richards, contributor Pneumatic cylinders are a clean and cost-effective option for achieving reliable linear motion in many industrial environments. Because they are lighter weight and lower maintenance than their hydraulic and electric counterparts, they are an excellent choice in applications from factory automation and transportation to packaging and life sciences. Two main styles […]

An automotive parts manufacturer wants to better control the air compressors.  They installed a system of permanent monitoring and discovered the following (a quote from the Maintenance Engineer) “You should see what the datalogging revealed … 73% of the time, the system was operating over 30kW/100cfm.  For only 5% of the time below 25 kW.  […]

If an air compressor ran uncontrolled at full load all the time during periods of light load, the system pressure would rise until something popped.  Manufacturers have built-in ways to prevent overpressure, the simplest of which is start/stop and load/unload control, using pressure switches.  But for large fixed-speed screw type air compressors, there are two […]

Exhibiting in booth #SL 6307, Emerson will present the new integration of AVENTICS series 652/653 air preparation units with AF2 flow sensors. The combined solution enables more efficient air consumption and versatility for packaging lines. The expanded capabilities of the newly combined solution provide a clearer picture of air consumption in pneumatic systems and deliver valuable […]

This question came from the manager of a large manufacturing plant:  Question: We have a bank of parallel refrigerated air dryers. All the air dryers are showing very good dew point, yet almost every day we have water forming in our compressed air pipes. This water causes product spoilage and is a major problem. What’s […]

A large mine had a compressed air assessment done to gauge the efficiency of its system. The complex had more 14 large air compressors feeding underground operations. The assessment results showed their many compressors were running at superior efficiency; in fact, the numbers were so good they could not possibly be true. In previous years, […]

Siemens has announced the availability of a new enclosed drive system, the SINAMICS G120XE, designed specifically for demanding compressor, fan and industrial pump applications operating in rugged conditions. Built around the popular SINAMICS G120X infrastructure drive, this new enclosed system is suited for fast design and commissioning in industries such as oil-and-gas, mining, petrochemical, refrigeration […]

A small sand blasting company was incurring very large electrical bills totaling $48,000 per month, even though they ran their compressors on average only 8 hours per day. A look at their compressor hour meters showed the compressor was only running at 50% load. The company had been sold on a large 250-hp compressor, due […]

By Vicki Burt, Contributor One of the benefits in choosing a compact cylinder is getting effective motion in a small footprint. These short-stroke, low-profile, air cylinders are designed to fit into tight spaces and are available in a variety of mounting options. Pancake cylinders are a trademarked line of compact air cylinders from Fabco-Air Inc. […]

By integrating pneumatics technologies, consumer packaged goods companies can reduce their carbon — and equipment — footprint. Contributed by Mark Densley, Director Business Development Factory Automation, Emerson Customer demand, as well as a sense of environmental responsibility, is driving consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. While many companies seek ways to make […]

The event is slated for Las Vegas Convention Center September 27-29. PACK EXPO Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging EXPO 2021, slated for September 27-29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, are ready to welcome the industry back together at the only comprehensive packaging and processing event in the world this year. “We continuously monitor the industry, […]

Here is a question from a past (and possibly future) client of a compressed air auditor. Q: I managed to get a co-op student to help with compressed air leaks management/audit for the summer and we were also lucky to have had an opportunity to do the test you recommended a couple of years ago […]

The M35 series valve from Ross Controls is designed to supply air to a zone or entire machine/system until signaled to shut off and exhaust residual downstream pneumatic energy from the machine. This reduces the hazards associated with the presence of residual energy during employee access and/or minor servicing. The safety function of the M35 […]

The new ACD FRL unit from SMC USA features a modular design with uniform body style, better visibility and environmental resistance. Featuring a 2-layer construction, the bowl is covered with a transparent bowl guard. The bowl guard with windows has been replaced with a polycarbonate transparent bowl guard. Now, even if the environment changes and […]

Contributed by Vicki Burt In a rodless air cylinder — also called a rodless slide — motion is transmitted through the body length by an internal piston moving with the cylinder, driven by compressed air. The piston is attached to a shuttle or carriage, which supports the load and moves it in a linear direction […]

A large industrial manufacturer has three large compressors running constantly in the plant.  Occasionally during hot summer days, moisture problems occur downstream, so personnel outfitted each compressed air component with timer style condensate drains. All three compressor have drains on the water separators — this is where most of the water squeezed out of the […]

A small automotive service shop was looking for new compressors.  The old compressors were reaching the end of life and required constant overhauls.  The shop owner was persuaded by a compressor salesperson to go with a screw compressor instead. The existing 10-hp units put out about 35 cfm each, one was the lead unit, the […]