Imagine that you’re a technician who repairs pneumatic systems for a living. You’re regularly asked to swap worn parts out and make sure that everything attached to an air circuit is working properly. The systems fail on a regular basis despite your customers doing all they can to maintain their property. They become worried about the increased costs, and possibly having to replace the whole system.
You notice that several valves or regulators are bad. After checking your supply stocks, you realize that the parts you have on hand aren’t compatible with the equipment you’re repairing. That means telling your customers that they have to wait until you can order the part, and they have to pay for that as well as labor. They will not be happy about that.
The process gets more complicated. Once you deliver the bad news, then you have to spend time haggling and hearing customers mutter about overpriced repairs. Once that’s done, you have to order the part, and choose from where you’re going to pick up the needed valve or regulator.
People usually invest in systems for the long run and wish for them to last a decade. That means that sometimes parts become obsolete, due to companies wanting to encourage consumers to buy new systems entirely.
While this process might seem like a nightmare, it’s a scenario that plays out constantly in almost every industry that makes use of this kind of equipment. The difference is that in pneumatics, parts are more interchangeable. You don’t just have to give up after missing a valve in your toolbox.
That’s why it’s so important to work with a good online distributor of pneumatic parts. Local stores will not have what you need at the right price. You need to know about all of your options. That means knowing what you can get online at a moment’s notice and how much you will pay in money as well as time.
Pneumatics Online
As a technician, you want to make your job easier. You have brilliant know-how and expertise in pneumatic systems, maintaining a reliable amount of supplies is important. Having efficient management of supplies is more important than ever so that you can supplement your expertise with time efficiency and having the parts that you need on hand.
If you need to order an unusual size or a specialty part, then SMC Pneumatics has you covered. We make sure to have ample stocks of everything we carry at all times. All of our components are tested to ensure that they’re compatible with one another as well, which is particularly important for those who find themselves regularly installing new equipment from scratch.
What’s more, if a product becomes obsolete, we will notify you and our experts will suggest a replacement. Reduce the odds of having to tell a customer they may need to invest in a new system entirely and take advantage of pneumatics’ flexible qualities.
Take a look at a few of the categories which our replacement parts cover. Some are perfect for lubrication to ensure that everything rotates in good order. Others are great for when your filters get too clogged.
Check Valves
This seems like common sense on the surface. Check valves open and close to regulate air pressure and flow. They ensure that the whole machine gets the air that it needs to function. In this way, they are similar to the valves within our body, which also regulate flow.
When they are closed, the cylinders cannot rotate and the actuators within a pneumatic device cannot receive the power that it needs. If the valves open at the wrong time, they can reduce air pressure beyond the needed point to help your machine work. Overstrain can ensue.
Many pneumatic technicians don’t put much thought into the kind of check valves they use until they fail. Often we take these devices for granted because they work most of the time. This speaks to the power of pneumatics when we don’t notice flaws early on and instead let them function until the bitter end.
Check valves do something of a thankless job. They’re relied on to allow media to flow in one direction but not the other, yet almost nobody gives them the time of day. We need to appreciate them more to reduce machine failure. Otherwise, we may have very frustrated customers on hand.
You’ll eventually want to order some new ones, so it’s best to take the time and consider the issue now. We offer several different options, which should make the choice much easier even if you haven’t taken the opportunity to research the kind of valves installed in your workshop recently.
Our integral-fitting non-return valves are compact and simple to use. All you have to do to install them is push your tubing into the fitting. They can handle any pressure level from -14.5 psi all the way up to 145 psi.
If you need something more durable, then you should take a look at our NAK series metal valves. They’re strong enough to post 217 psi proof pressure numbers and can take 3 psi of cracking pressure. They’ll even work in conditions as hot as 60°C.
Compact Cylinders
Our compact pneumatic cylinders are offered in two different form factors. Either of these can generate force by making a reciprocating linear motion without taking up too much space. Most use cases will call for single-acting cylinders, but we also offer double-acting modules for companies who value this choice. Depending on the specific use, we might even be able to deliver more esoteric solutions that fit certain situations.
We love compact cylinders because they live up to the name. Rather than occupying an ample amount of space in a machine, they are designed to fit in tight spaces. This is great for when you have to work with tinier machines.
Regardless of which type of model you pick, our cylinders provide a consistent motion without producing any fluid drip that could contaminate the surrounding area. That’s precisely why the medical and food packing industries rely so heavily on this kind of equipment. Having the right size means that you can abide by federal regulation and keep patients and food lovers from getting poisoned.
Vacuum Valves
Whether you need to manage larger enterprise-level factory and plant equipment or just want to maintain a few small watercraft, vacuum valves are a critical component that you’re going to need to have on hand. They’re vital when dealing with a wide variety of pneumatic systems. Keeping a few spares around will ensure that you don’t have to worry about downtime should something happen.
SMC Pneumatics ensures that each of the valves we stock will hold up to plenty of reasonable usages, though, so you shouldn’t need to replace them very often. They can withstand quite a bit as long as you ensure that the solenoid valve is lubricated with something like class 1 turbine oil.
Best of all, our vacuum valves are resistant to vibration. Tests indicate that they won’t experience significant malfunctions between 45 Hz and 1 kHz. That’s quite a range considering that vibrations usually cause problems for vacuum valve installations. Perhaps more impressive, however, is the fact that they’re also resilient against mechanical shocks and vibrations.
Electronic Pneumatic Regulators
Our ITV2000 electronic regulators offer stepless control of air pressure that’s in direct proportion to an electrical signal that it receives. Air consumption is very close to 0 L/min ANR at the desired set pressure, and your technicians won’t have any difficulty reading the bright LED display. They are meant to specifically control solenoid valves or the two high-speed servos. More and more, companies develop regulators for the latter.
We like electronic regulators for how they maintain pressure and serve as a control for your pneumatic machine. They use internal sensors to measure when changes occur, and the proximity means that the recordings are quite accurate. You can get either an analog or a digital model for your machine.
These units switch an air supply solenoid valve whenever the input signal rises. The exhaust solenoid valve switches to the off position at the same time. This causes supply pressure to pass through the supply valve and enter the pilot chamber. Each of these controls will swap position the moment that it senses the signal fall.
Always make sure that you have the right sizes for regulators. The openings can determine how efficiently the air volume is controlled. Too small a regulator and you can have a valve doing wasteful actions, which is called “buzzing”. Such overwork can strain a machine and waste what would other be efficient energy.
They also do more than regulate pressure, which means regulators have multiple benefits for your machine. You can also manage how the cylinders move during rotations, and streamline your machine function.
Easy Change Pneumatic Manifolds
Since they use patent-protected Easy Change fitting technology, our modular pneumatic manifolds and aluminum air manifolds are incredibly easy to swap out. These fittings allow your components to mount closer to one another than you ever thought possible.
The increased flexibility makes a huge difference. You’ll no longer have to rotate anything into position. That will save on labor for yourself and time for the customer.
Simply wrench the valve or other components onto the hex-style fitting and seal it with the included ring. You’re ready to go and your customers will be happy. The reduced strain also means that the machine will last longer.
Standard fittings from ?-½” NPT are available as both male and female adapters. Our technicians are more than capable of putting together special sizes as well. If you’re in the process of installing an entirely new piece of pneumatic machinery, then you might also want to opt for these quality manifolds in standard size from the start. This will make any future expansions a breeze.
Order Pneumatic Parts From An Online Distributor
While you might be worried that you’d have to wait on hold for a long time for someone to pick up the phone, SMC Pneumatics has a fully-functional eCommerce site available for anyone who needs to order parts for compressed air-driven tools. We also keep up to date on which model series and parts become obsolete and find the appropriate replacements for them.
All you have to do is contact us online today and we’ll get you in touch with an experienced expert. They will make a recommendation on what you need for your parts supply, and for the next repair job. Don’t worry about sitting through a sales pitch, because we know you’re not here for that. You can expect nothing more than advice from someone you can trust and who knows the business all too well.