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Have you ever seen the compressed air coming out of your pressure reserve wasn’t strong enough to trip an actuator? This can be frustrating, especially if you’re working with a piece of equipment that’s already being pushed to its limits.

Considering the fact that so many people use air compresses that are powered by electricity, you might be under the impression that electro-pneumatic technology doesn’t go any further than this. That being said, when technologists use the name electro-pneumatic control system, they normally mean a class of components that incorporate both electrical and compressed air-driven technology on a particularly close level.

Solenoid valves are a combination of two different technologies that operate in tandem in order to ensure the best processing of any workpieces your organization has to deal with. Whenever they’re applied correctly, these units leverage the power of both electrical and pneumatic technology to get the job done.

Are you using the right kind of pneumatic valve on each compressed air-driven system you have installed in your workshop? You might be surprised to learn that there are countless options regarding each type of pneumatic valve you’re likely to find.

Are you operating your pneumatic equipment the best way you know how? Many small business owners are looking for ways to cut costs and improve safety. Representatives of larger organizations have often expressed concerns that people are deferring maintenance and not operating things as well as they could be.

Technicians will sometimes work to develop an advanced level of skills in almost every aspect of pneumatic technology yet save the basics for last. You certainly could do things this way, but it makes the learning process that much more difficult. Learning about the basics of pneumatic air preparation before you work with a pneumatic circuit will make things much easier to configure in the long run.

If you’ve been involved with compressed air-driven machinery for any length of time, then you’ve surely heard about some engineers who’ve debated back and forth whether air lubricators are still as important as they used to be. Those who are in favor argue that lubrication helps to reduce friction between sliding surfaces as well as improve efficiency and the speed at which individual pneumatic components cycle.

Have you ever been looking through a catalog or schematic and found that you don’t recognize a pneumatic part? The same problem happens to those who are trying to connect electrical equipment and even hydraulic gear. In any of these situations, it can stop you right in your tracks and even be a little embarrassing,

Are you ever stumped by the measurements written out on diagrams that spell out how different pneumatic installations are supposed to be connected? Don’t feel embarrassed if that’s the case. It happens to the best of us.

How different do you think electrical switches are from pneumatic ones? In theory, they’re not all that different at least as far as their underlying working principle goes. The concept of either device is to deflect the flow of something from one potential path to another. Fortunately, it doesn’t take long at all to master the basics of how a pneumatic switch operates.

Have you ever looked at a pneumatic blueprint and felt that your eyes are just glazing over? Pretty much everyone has had that kind of issue, especially if they’re working with plans developed by someone other than their own crew.

Do you think of pneumatic equipment as only ever providing flow in one direction? In a majority of cases, you’ll usually see compressed air-driven equipment that’s designed to accept positive pressure and experience airflow moving forward but never backward. On the other hand, though, there’s a whole world of tools out there that are designed to work the other way.

We have a quick question for you; do you really know how much air your current pneumatic installation consumes? Chances are that you don’t and you’ve been winging it. As a result, you may end up spending far more on the power you’re using than you’d ever have to. You shouldn’t need to use all that much, considering that compressed air-driven equipment is some of the most efficient and safe stuff you can normally get your hands on.

Would you like to deploy a system that doesn’t really do anything at all besides sit there? Unfortunately, that’s what a compressed air-driven circuit would be like without individual system components!

How would you like a type of actuator on the market that was easy to install and maintain? What if this hypothetical actuator was also very quiet? As you may have guessed, it’s an electric linear actuator.

There’s an old saying that significantly advanced technology will end up seeming like magic if you don’t know how it works. While pneumatic air cylinders might seem magical, they’re actually based on a very simple engineering principle. This simplicity is what makes them so remarkably reliable.

Chances are that you’ve heard a ton of talk about how pneumatic actuators are safe, effective and even clean. You’ve probably heard people gush about how they can help with workplace automation and do many other things. However, chances are also that you may not know fully what people are talking about when they use these terms. You may know that an actuator is a device, but not its uses.

Pneumatic equipment has a reputation for being squeaky clean, but air leaving a compressor can be hot, moisture and even soiled. Over time, this can dramatically reduce the life of any downstream equipment. You need to remove oil, water droplets, and other contaminants.

Technicians often think of pneumatic systems only in terms of positive pressurized airflow, but if this sounds familiar then you’re only thinking of half the equation. On top of this, you’re going to need to consider the complete other direction. Namely, you’ll want to keep in mind that there are countless ways that vacuum air circuits could also bring massive benefits to your organization.

Pneumatic air filters, also known as compressed air filters or air dryers, are an important component of your machine. They work with the rest of your system to ensure that contaminants do not enter your system. That way you have clean air. Many industries that implement pneumatics have compressed air filters, from pharmaceuticals to agriculture. They also have to abide by regulations to deliver products fit for consumers.

We all want a safe workplace with efficient operations. The same applies when you are a manager of a workplace that uses pneumatics. Compressed air may be safe, but you still need to implement standard guidelines. Do you know how to practice basic pneumatic system maintenance and preventative care?

Pneumatics is the process of using compressed air to create pressure. Due to the nature of how gases work, decreasing the volume of a gas will increase its pressure and that in turn will generate a force. You can reduce gas volume by enclosing the molecules in a small space and forcing them closer together. The whole process runs on air-related physics.

Pneumatic systems are a cost-effective means of manufacturing the items that you sell and keeping quality control consistent in the food and medical industry. Operators appreciate the low learning curve and relatively easy maintenance. You have to replace parts on pneumatics air machines less often than you need to for hydraulic machines, and the parts overall cost less.

SMC offers Pneumatic Hoses and Tubing for your machines. Order the lengths and diameters you need, and the colors you want. SMC Pneumatics can help you find the right tubing for your machine.

SMC Pneumatics USA, powered by Orange Coast Pneumatics, talks about the difference between hydraulics and pneumatics.