Sometimes you don’t need an expensive leak detector to find leaks. There are often clues scattered around the facilities that show you where costly compressed air is escaping from your system. Consider an automotive manufacturer where a variety of common leaks were found during a recent compressed air audit: Various leaking regulators were found […]
Five supply side improvements for compressed air systems
By Ron Marshall Here are five common ways to improve your compressed air system efficiency and save electrical costs: Choose an efficient compressor — Air compressors have come a long way over the years, with many design improvements implemented. Chances are that a new compressor will be more efficient than your old unit, and if […]
Solenoid valves offer reduce power consumption in smaller footprint
Emerson has launched a range of two-way and three-way solenoid valves that support original equipment manufacturers’ need to develop more compact machines and equipment without compromising on fluid control performance. The optimized body design and internal flow path of the new ASCO series 256/356 not only provides a smaller footprint, but also reduced power consumption […]
Compressed air fail: Poor maintenance disaster
A food products company used lubricated screw compressors to produce its compressed air for the plant. Due to tight budgets, the plant maintenance manager decided to stretch the maintenance intervals on the compressors as long as he could, but this led to unexpected disaster. Within each lubricated screw compressor is an oil separator filter. This […]
Timmer launches timLIFT vacuum-handling line
Timmer GmbH, a manufacturer of pneumatic, vacuum and fluid-handling products based in Neuenkirchen, Germany, has revamped and expanded its vacuum-lifting product portfolio and rebranded it as the timLIFT family. According to company officials, the new timLIFT designs are significantly more ergonomic and quieter than previous versions. Three model ranges include: • quickLIFT — for one-hand […]
Smart pneumatics: Gateway to higher efficiency, productivity
Open and flexible IIoT systems can pinpoint leaks and faults, reduce downtime, increase throughput and, ultimately, improve the bottom line. Contributed by Nils Beckmann, Product Marketing Manager IIoT Integration • Emerson From food and beverage processing to packaged goods and factory automation, manufacturing facilities are turning to smart pneumatics for improved energy efficiency. In compressed air […]
Productivity Master embodies digital manufacturing
Last year when it became clear that in-person trade shows were not possible, Festo built its own stand for organizing virtual exhibitions and virtual customer meetings. “One of the most valuable exhibits is the Productivity Master, which helps customers deal with the global challenges of today,” said company spokesman Christopher Haug. It will be at […]
Take the compressed air systems approach
By Ron Marshall One key recommendation of the Compressed Air Challenge’s Fundamentals of Compressed Air Systems training is to take the systems approach. Improving a compressed air system is much more than just looking at just replacing an air compressor. Sometimes system problems are caused by a variety of things. When looking at system improvement […]
How to turn data into useful information
In a preview of their offerings at this year’s digital Hannover Fair, scheduled for April 12 to 16, Emerson takes a pragmatic look at today’s IoT landscape and discusses a number of new edge computing and analytics products that help manufacturers turn data into actionable insights. “We are 30 years into the concept of ‘big […]
Rectangular gripping technology ensures safe six-pack handling
After various discussions with customers from plant engineering and the beverage industry, it was clear to Piab’s experts that a gripper for the simple automatic handling of six-packs with cardboard packaging was needed. This is how beer and beer-based mixed drinks are offered and must be packaged and palletized accordingly by the beverage industry. The […]
D2-series NFPA tie rods added to NITRA air cylinders from AutomationDirect
The NITRA pneumatic product line now includes the D2-Series double-acting, NFPA heavy-duty tie rod air cylinders ideal for use where abusive conditions exist. These pneumatic air cylinders have a 250 psi operating pressure and are interchangeable with other popular brands. New models are available with and without adjustable cushions to provide end-of-stroke deceleration at both […]
Compressed air fail: Dryer spitting ice?
By Ron Marshall Recently, a reader wrote in with this question … I’m the sole maintenance technician for a distribution facility. We have a compressed air system that involves two reciprocating compressors (20 years old), alternated in use every three months, with the other kept in reserve for emergency backup. Both are connected to a […]
Compressed air fail: Why dry to -40°?
A manufacturer of industrial coatings used a heatless desiccant air dryer to process and condition the compressed air for their complete production process. This 1,500 cfm dryer consumed about 225 cfm of compressed air for its purge flow, which costs about $40,000 per year in equivalent electrical costs, and further had a 10 psi pressure […]
Multi-box aluminum enclosures for pneumatic, electrical and electronic components
Norstat Inc. now carries a full line of aluminum enclosures that are universal, sturdy and easily adapt to the installation of electrical, electronic or pneumatic components making them particularly well suited for harsh environments or wherever a rugged, well designed enclosure is warranted. Standard aluminum enclosures are manufactured with aluminum die casting or gravity casting […]
How can you achieve cylinder flow reduction?
Looking for ways to further reduce your compressed air demand? Consider investigating air cylinder actuation. Often times, air cylinders in production machinery only require significant force during a single power stroke, but still use full line pressure to return the cylinder to resting position. Let’s compare the air consumption for double acting versus a spring […]
Clippard obtains US patent for Eclipse proportional isolation valve
Clippard Instrument Laboratory Inc. announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Patent No. 10,738,904 to Clippard’s new Eclipse proportional valve. The Patent, “Flow Control Valve Using Ceramic Valve Members,” will expire in 2040. U.S. Patent No. 10,738,904 covers “a flow control valve that uses two ceramic members having conforming surfaces […]
Pneumatic valves sort diamonds quickly and gently
Diamond cutting is a task for human beings. The cutting must be carried out by a perfectly trained specialist, because — no matter how flawless the gemstones may be — an incorrectly placed cut will ruin everything. Even with perfect color and purity, the wrong cut can significantly reduce the value, which is why good […]
Keep an eye on blowing costs
Blowing with compressed air is costly, due to the poor conversion efficiency between electrical energy and compressed air power. Typically for any mechanical operation, it costs about 10 times more to use compressed air to move something — even more if that something is only minute particle, such as dust and wood chips. It is […]
Adjustable rapid pressurization valve protects pneumatic actuators
The RPV 10-32 ports, adjustable rapid pressurization valve from Beswick Engineering is used to protect a pneumatic actuator such as a chuck, press, or gripper from sudden bursts of high pressure. The internal needle valve restricts the initial movement of the actuator to a user defined speed, and then opens up upon sensing back pressure. This […]
Compressed air fail: Blowoff
A mine had a large 10,000-cfm air compressor installed to feed underground operations. Busy in its heyday, the mine operations had been reduced substantially, and the compressed air demand was on average 3,300 cfm. Unfortunately, even with the reduction in flow over the years, the electrical demand of the air compressor did not drop off […]
Rodless cylinder solutions for compact pneumatic linear motion
Designers requiring linear motion should consider rodless cylinders to realize compact packaging and other benefits for pneumatic actuation, without the cost of electrically-driven options. Contributed by Kevin Kakascik, Technical Marketing Engineer, AutomationDirect Machine and equipment automation projects — whether performed by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a systems integrator (SI), or the capital projects group at […]
Are you still cleaning with compressed air?
Too often during compressed air leak audits, high pressure compressed air personnel cleaning stations are discovered. Use of high pressure compressed air blowing (above 30 psi) is common in plants with dusty environments where workers’ clothing may become soiled. Blow nozzles with safety tips — and pressure regulators used to reduce pressure — are very […]
Compressed air fair: Blowing control
A board plant production line had a quality problem. When the sheets exited the saw that cut the product into standard dimensions, some sawdust and chips stuck to the surface. When the sheets were stacked, this debris would bind itself to the product and be hard to remove, causing quality problems. Faced with this problem, […]
Energy savings modules provide soft start capabilities, non-fieldbus economy
Festo has expanded its intelligent pneumatic energy savings platform beyond the MSE6-E2M (E2M) with two new modules — the MSE6-C2M (C2M) and the MSE6-D2M (D2M). These modules can pay for themselves in less than a year with the energy savings accrued. The platform provides actionable information that supports quality production. The modules in this platform […]
Parker’s Pneumatic Division releases PCH Network Portal
Parker Hannifin’s Pneumatic Division, as part of its global focus on factory automation, announced the release of a revolutionary network portal, The PCH Network Portal. The PCH Network Portal provides the opportunity to minimize machine costs, shorten start-up time and offers built in features to help reduce end user downtime in factory environments. The PCH […]