Pneumatic Tips

By Ron Marshall Marcus, the maintenance technician, thought he had finally solved one of the plant’s biggest compressed-air problems. Over the previous several months, his team had worked steadily through a leak-repair program, tagging leaks, repairing fittings, replacing damaged hoses, and following up with ultrasonic checks. The results were obvious during production. Compressor loading dropped, […]

By Dave Henning, Business Development Manager, Motion and Control Enterprises Plant managers track labor costs, monitor production output, and scrutinize energy bills and maintenance budgets. But one of the most expensive utilities in many manufacturing facilities often receives far less attention: compressed air. For decades, compressed air has been known as the “fourth utility” because […]

By Ron Marshall When Mark, the maintenance manager at a busy manufacturing plant, approved a compressed air audit, he expected the usual findings. He assumed the auditor would identify leaks, recommend a lower operating pressure, and calculate the annual electricity savings. Energy costs mattered, but they were not Mark’s greatest concern. A critical production line […]

Across factory automation, packaging, water treatment, and automotive manufacturing, machine builders are facing a familiar challenge: higher airflow demands in increasingly compact machine designs. Moving to a larger valve platform can solve the airflow problem but introduces new complexity — different interfaces, different configurations, and disruption to established machine architectures. Emerson has developed the Aventics […]

Piab has launched the PS series, a new range of compact electronic vacuum sensors and switches designed to make vacuum-based handling more stable, efficient and predictable. The PS series provides clear feedback on vacuum levels, switching status and system performance directly at the application, helping manufacturers improve control and confidence in automated handling processes. The […]

By Ron Marshall, Contributing Editor I have spent more than two decades traveling from plant to plant performing compressed air audits, and over the years I’ve learned one frustrating truth: sometimes the hardest part of an audit was not diagnosing the system but simply getting good data. Like many compressed air auditors, I have driven […]

Smart technologies, from software-defined machines to digital integration, allow manufacturers to easily maintain machines and predict critical failures and faults before they cause downtime. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The packaging industry operates in a world where ultra-high-speed machinery reigns, manufacturers accept razor-thin margins, and versatility is required as products change frequently. From high-speed form-fill-seal machines […]

By Ron Marshall Jeff had been a maintenance technician long enough to know that low-pressure complaints rarely arrived alone. When one operator reported sluggish pneumatic cylinders, others usually followed with complaints about weak air tools, slow actuators, and inconsistent machine performance. That was exactly what happened one Monday morning in the assembly area, where production […]

ControlAir LLC has released its type 625 volume booster, a compact pneumatic relay designed to improve the speed and performance of pneumatic control valve actuators. These pressure regulation devices use pilot pressure rather than a spring or adjustment thread to provide force balance when opening the supply valve. Installed between a valve positioner and pneumatic […]

By Ron Marshall, Contributing Editor Fred had been the plant engineer at the packaging facility for nearly ten years, and he thought he understood his compressed air system well. The compressors ran, the machines worked most of the time, and whenever there was a moisture problem someone usually changed a filter or drained a receiver […]

By Ron Marshall When Sarah’s phone rang for the third time that week about water in the compressed air system, she assumed she already knew where the problem was. The maintenance supervisor reported water collecting in filter bowls, operators complained that pneumatic cylinders were becoming sluggish, and one production line had experienced quality problems because […]

AutomationDirect has added Metal Work 12 mm dual guide rod cylinders to its guided actuator lineup for packaging, material handling and industrial automation applications. Available with stroke lengths from 10 mm to 250 mm, the double-acting cylinders include dual guide rods for stability, a magnetic piston for position sensing and integrated sensor slots for switch […]

By Ron Marshall When engineers begin a compressed air audit, there is often a strong temptation to install instruments immediately. Pressure loggers are connected, power meters are hooked up, flowmeters are positioned, and data begins accumulating. It feels productive, but there is a risk: if you do not first understand how the compressed air system […]

In Class I, Division 2 hazardous locations, pneumatic actuators have typically been controlled from cabinets located in safe areas. Long wiring runs can increase installation and commissioning time, make maintenance and troubleshooting more difficult, and limit future system expansion. Festo’s VTUG-EX valve terminal provides fieldbus connectivity for use in Class I, Division 2 areas. Ethernet-based […]

By Ron Marshall Mike had walked past his compressors thousands of times. Two rotary screw compressors were installed in the corner of the plant, humming away just as they always had. He knew how to start them, how to stop them, and who to call when something didn’t sound right. Beyond that, the control panel […]

As automated machines become more capable, increasing amounts of decentralized I/O are needed. Conventional approaches often rely on multiple dedicated input and output modules, increasing hardware, commissioning, and additional components that machine builders and system integrators must engineer, stock, and support. Festo addresses this challenge with a new configurable digital I/O module for the CPX-AP-I […]

The combination of suction cups and matching adapters from Sommer-Technik creates a system which combines maximum flexibility with high performance. Whether in high-speed automation processes or when handling delicate workpieces, these components are designed to grip reliably, move safely, and position accurately. One key advantage lies in the variety of materials: from HighTemp HT to […]

By Ron Marshall When a compressed air system struggles, the compressor usually gets blamed first. Pressure is dropping at the far end of the plant. Production tools are slowing down. Another compressor is running more often than expected. The energy bill is climbing. The first reaction of management is often predictable: “We need a bigger […]

When a pneumatic system suffers a catastrophic failure, such as a blown seal, a ruptured airline, or a seized cylinder, the maintenance team must respond instantly to treat it. These unexpected ailments reduce productivity, increase costs, and work your millwrights ragged. Many pneumatic systems experience chronic unwellness, much as we humans do with cardiovascular disease; […]

Contributed by Ron Marshall Richard, the maintenance manager at a plant that manufactures powdered coatings, was used to dealing with heat. The curing ovens in the facility ran hot, and summer months always made the production floor uncomfortable. But one area of the plant seemed especially unbearable — the compressor room. Every time Richard stepped […]

By Ron Marshall When the phone rang in the summer a few years ago, Ron knew the project would be unusual. A sawmill nearly 1,000 miles away needed a compressed air assessment, but an injured knee made flying impossible. Normally, a project like this would require airports, hotels, and days spent carrying instruments through the […]

By Ron Marshall George ran the compressed air system at his plant for eleven years. If you would have asked him last spring how it was doing, he’d have shrugged and said, “Fine.” Two screw compressors, sharing the load, humming along the way they always had. Nobody calls a meeting about compressed air until something […]

Piab has expanded its suction cup portfolio with the introduction of the BLFF 42 and BLFF 55 cups, the first commercially released sizes in the new BLFF (Bellow Long Flexible Fit) family. BLFF stands for “bellow, long, flexible fit” and reflects the series’ unique combination of reach, stability and adaptability to different objects. The BLFF […]

ControlAir LLC announced the availability of the Type 385 Stainless Steel Filter, designed to provide efficient filtration and high flow capacity for demanding industrial and process control applications. The Type 385 Stainless Steel Filter features corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel construction throughout the body, housing, trim, and filter assemblies, making it ideal for offshore, chemical processing, […]