Pneumatics, the portion of the fluid power industry which uses compressed air or other gases to transmit power, remain an important method of motion control in many applications.
Some of the advantages offered by pneumatic systems include their quick cycle times, lower initial cost, ease of installation, and ability to absorb shock loads. These have helped make pneumatics a common technology used in factory automation applications for manipulating products. But they are also used in medical and food processing equipment, some mobile equipment, and on-highway trucking for various vehicle functions.
In an interview with Power & Motion, Jon Jensen (no relation to author), CFPPS, CFPECS & CFPAI, Industry Projects Manager – Energy at SMC Corporation of America, said pneumatics are a good choice when you don't need the heavy loads offered by hydraulics but still want high speed and lower total cost of ownership.
While electric alternatives are replacing pneumatics in some of these applications, the incorporation of electronic control is also bringing new opportunities to pneumatics which will aid their longevity. It is helping to make them smarter and more efficient, enabling users to to improve the connectivity and overall efficiency of their own operations.
As noted by Frank Langro, Director - Product Market Management, Pneumatic Automation at Festo North America, in an interview with Power & Motion, incorporation of electronics can enable better troubleshooting by allowing failure points to be found faster.
The ability to detect failures sooner and mitigate unplanned downtime is vital to an operation of any type, and will continue to be an important capability going forward as customers look to improve productivity and efficiency.
Where is Pneumatics Technology Headed?
Pneumatic systems are not going away any time soon, and like any other technology will continue to evolve and adapt to market needs, such as through the offering of more diagnostics capabilities.
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