Metal Pneumatic Pumps for Chemical-Handling Applications
Almatec announced the availability of its latest metal pneumatic diaphragm pump, the Almatec CHEMICOR Series, for use if the handling and transfer of chemicals.
The Almatec CHEMICOR Series
The heart of the CHEMICOR pumps is their product chambers, which have been designed to meet the sensitive needs of chemical handling thanks to their soft contours, smooth flow channels and absence of dead spaces. CHEMICOR pumps are available in three volume sizes: 75-lpm/20-gpm (AD 20), 150-lpg/40-gpm (AD 32) and 400-lpm/100-gpm (AD 50). The CHEMICOR’s components have been chosen with chemical compatibility in mind, including a stainless-steel, precision-cast housing, diaphragms of EPDM and PTFE, and ball valves consisting of EPDM and PTFE.
Additional features include a compact solid design, easy start-up, an absence of drives, rotating parts and shaft seals, gentle displacement, dry-running and self-priming operation, no diaphragm discs, an integrated muffler, and a patented maintenance-free air-control system (PERSWING) without a dead center. Optional features are a pulsation damper, draining system, barrier-chamber system, diaphragm monitor, stroke counting and extended special ports for sanitary connections.
GF Piping Expands Double Eccentric Butterfly Valve Size
GF Piping Systems has announced expansion of its large diameter size range for the Type 567 Butterfly Valve to include sizes 14-16. The new size range features a unique double eccentric off-center design and excellent chemical compatibility. Suitable applications include landfills where large size valves are required for drainage of underground leachate. Other applications include industrial water treatment, potable water treatment, swimming pools, water parks and waste water systems in such industries as chemical, chemical distribution, electroplating and power plants.
GF Piping Systems Expands Double Eccentric Butterfly Valve Size, Offering up to 16 Inches
The 567 Valve’s unique double eccentric design features an off-center shaft that allows the disc to completely disengage from the disc seal, even when partially open. This results in reduced seal friction for longer service life and minimal maintenance compared to non-eccentric valve styles. The double eccentric design requires only about half the torque of a traditional boot design, which decreases wear on the disc seal to further enhance product life. Other advantages of this design include easier manual operation, compatibility with smaller actuators for reduced installation cost, and better protection against pressure surges.
The new large size valve features industry-standard ISO flange mount for easy electric or pneumatic actuation with most actuators. Other features include bi-directional capability, pressure rating of 90 psi at 70°F, and hand wheel. The valve is available with either EPDM or FPM seals, 304 or 316 Stainless Steel stem, and a Polypropylene body.
http://www.us.piping.georgefischer.com
Hazardous Environments Actuator Reduces Costs
PneuMagnetic, a manufacturer of valve operating solutions and solenoid valve actuators, announced an actuator design that achieves dramatic cost reductions in the installation of valves used in hazardous environments. The patented PneuMagnetic Actuator reduces installation cost by almost 50% in intrinsically safe (IS) installations, and by almost 20% in explosion proof (EX) installations.
The PneuMagnetic Actuator can reduce costs up to 50% in Hazardous Environments
The PneuMagnetic Actuator, a pneumatic magnetic replacement for OEM coils on direct acting solenoid valves, was designed by engineers because of the current of high costs, complexities and poor reliability of traditional valve actuators.
The PneuMagnetic Actuator’s U.S.-patented design is a complete, self-contained pneumatic magnetic device that provides the same powerful on/off magnetic field as the original coil. It is unique in five ways:
1) Unlike typical pneumatic actuators, its use is not restricted to factory-built pneumatic valves. Rather, it can be used as a direct drop-in replacement for the OEM coil on any direct acting solenoid valve. The PneuMagnetic Actuator is fully compatible with any original hermetically sealed valve.
2) The PneuMagnetic Actuator substantially reduces the cost of valve installations in hazardous environment. Valves converted to PneuMagnetic are operated by an inexpensive air pilot using a small diameter, flexible pneumatic line. No field wiring, conduit, or intrinsically safe (IS) barriers and no electricity at the valve are required.
3) The PneuMagnetic Actuator’s sealed design, combined with the fact that it works with hermetically sealed (packless) direct acting valves, allows it to offer extremely high reliability.
4) By essentially converting solenoid valves to pneumatic valves, PneuMagnetic technology dramatically expands the variety of valves available to the user.
5) The PneuMagnetic Actuator is less bulky than either pneumatic rotary actuators or pneumatic valves, reducing space requirements.
Speaking to the dramatic cost reduction inherent to PneuMagnetic’s solution, Altonji said “Direct acting solenoid valves require wiring and conduit installations that meet national and local codes. These requirements are typically several times the cost of the valve.”
Altonji noted that in hazardous installations including explosion proof (EX) and intrinsically safe (IS), this cost and complexity can be avoided if direct acting solenoid valves are converted to operate with the PneuMagnetic Actuator.
“Traditional electric installations require extensive material, labor, space, and time to install” said Altonji. “When compared with explosion proof (EX) or Intrinsic Barrier (IS) designs, the PneuMagnetic Actuator offers the lowest installed cost”.
The PneuMagnetic Actuator is available for use with a wide range of valves including ASCO, SMC USA and Parker-Skinner solenoid valves.
Pneucon Selfeeder Portable Pneumatic Drilling Units
October 19, 2009 by Pneumatics Editor
Filed under Equipment
Sugino Corp. introduces its entry into portable pneumatic drilling units specifically designed for the aerospace industry. The Pneucon Selfeeder (TM) Family is currently being developed with cooperation of some of the World’s largest aerospace manufacturers to streamline drilling applications on large wing and fuselage assemblies. The portable air powered Pneucon Selfeeders are designed to provide very tight T.I.R. less than .0006” and deliver .0008” repeatability on depths. The typical nose mount unit to be used in fixtures with precision collet holders and clocking bushing fixtures.
The prototype units released incorporate a requested design feature from Sugino’s field tested Double Hydro-Speed Regulator technology which will produce fine holes without burrs. The rapid approach of the drill is slowed when the primary control feed rate regulator is engaged prior to entering the part, as the drill approaches its preset depth, the secondary control feed rate regulator further slows the drilling unit to virtually eliminate burrs on breakthrough. Pneucon Feeders have a precision spindle and a built-in guide bar to create tighter tolerances vs. the existing pneumatic drills used in the industry and offer through the tool coolant delivery.
Pneucon Feeders have a precision machined turbine for smooth operation without vibrations. They operate with positive air pressure in both forward and reverse directions. Pneucon Feeders are operated exclusively on compressed air for ease of use and safety. One key advantage is the unit is equipped to provide cutting oil directly at and through the tooling to the tool tip where lubrication is most needed; this feature can extend tool life and provide superior drilling capabilities.
Sugino
www.sugino.com
::Design World::
Universal Air Filter Products Support Green Initiatives
October 16, 2009 by Pneumatics Editor
Filed under Air Preparation
UAF filters can be designed and configured to maximize surface area to reduce pressure drop and promote increased service life. Low-pressure drop filters allow more airflow to help dissipate heat, resulting in the use of smaller cooling fans. Smaller and/or fewer cooling fans equal less money spent on energy to run the fans for equipment cooling.
UAF’s filters also keep dust from accumulating on circuit cards within equipment cooling applications, allowing the product to operate under decreased heat conditions. This enables the system to run at a higher efficiency and therefore extends the life of the product.
Reusable filter frames allow customers to replace only the air filter media rather than the entire air filter assembly. UAF’s clamshell and thin envelope air filter frames can be cleaned and reused to reduce waste as well as lower maintenance costs. These filter frame designs are manufactured to fit in tight spaces less than 6.35 mm or 0.25 inches thick and can be removed for service while continuing to reduce the risk of disturbing dust loaded on the filter. The frames also open for easy access to the media for simple cleaning and substitution. The media is designed to meet NEBS standards, which require a UL Classified framed filter assembly within telecom and/or datacom chassis.
UAF’s Quadrafoam filters lower insurance cost by helping to reduce the chance of requiring extensive product replacement due to smoke and/or fire damage. The flame-resistant Quadrafoam media, which meets UL 94 HF-1, will self-extinguish to minimize fire propagation and help limit and contain flame spread to adjacent equipment.
www.uaf.com
::Design World::
Elastomer Ensures Smooth Operation
October 13, 2009 by Pneumatics Editor
Filed under Seals
Endoscopic surgical instrument insertion and retraction through a seal must feel smooth and easy. The more the material “grabs” and adheres to the shaft of the instrument, the more force it will take to manipulate the instrument (not something you want to experience even if you are under anesthesia). A new process, known as F-treat, promises to reduce friction and deliver a permanent low coefficient of friction surface that will not dissipate with wear. Unlike topical modifications that can be washed or worn away, F-treat is a modification of a compound so that if abrasion or wear occurs, a low friction surface will always be present.
Surgeons report that medical devices such as endoscopes with the F-treated seals respond better to their touch than non-treated elastomer seals. Medical product designers claim custom F-treated seals improve nasal and liposuction canula.
Laboratory studies of a broad range of elastomer materials show the reduction of coefficient of friction of F-treated molded components. Since the modification occurs as a reaction with the polymer, the most dramatic improvement is seen with low hardness, polymer-rich elastomers such as a 55 Shore A compound.
Minnesota Rubber and Plastics
www.mnrubber.com
::Design World::
Designing a Cryogenic Pump Controller
October 9, 2009 by Pneumatics Editor
Filed under Equipment
Cryopumps or cold traps are used to condense gases and vapors onto a cold surface. It is reported that they can lower the gas pressure in a space to a near-perfect vacuum more effectively than mechanical roughing pumps. Controlling the pump cycle and regeneration sequence (where the trapped gases are re-evaporated to remove them from the trapping surface) necessitates specific timing and feedback requirements to create an efficient system. Further, it requires input from a number of specialized sensing elements such as silicon diode temperature sensors which are accurate to temperatures below 10° K (-263° C), and thermocouple vacuum sensors which provide measurements for gas pressures to below 1 micron (1 millitorr).
In addition to the details of high-quality vacuum sensing, larger components such as pump motors and system valves have to be controlled. Safety can be an issue, too. What’s more, subtleties such as timing sequences, general I/O, and communications must be monitored by a microcontroller, and the system must be able to operate reliably in harsh industrial environments.
While many of these functions could be controlled by traditional programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the system would be expensive and complex. Hence, a need arose for a reliable, rugged controller that could be standardized, mass-produced, and be relatively inexpensive.
Our customer needed a working pump controller prototype within eight weeks. The company was using a 20-year old laboratory-grade local continuous replication (LCR) bridge. The design team studied the case and generated a development plan for the product that would modernize the bill of materials (BOM), reduce costs, and improve functionality and operability. However, the mechanics and the user interface had to be backward-compatible with the original design.
Orchid designs cryogenic equipment that monitors and regulates temperatures between 4° and 70° K.
Some of the other design challenges included addressing low-total harmonic distortion precision sine wave generators, phase-balanced analog amplifiers, low-noise power systems, and high-accuracy 18-bit analog-to-digital conversion circuitry. The designers used Windows CE to update the processing power. They worked with DR DOS and MS DOS operating systems to address the backward-compatibility issues.
Designers compacted the discrete logic integrated circuits to a single modern field programmable gate array (FPGA), along with other size-reducing techniques. Then, they reduced the confusion of boards, cables, heat sinks, and standoffs to a concise, easier-to-build, and more reliable product that consisted of a single instrument board. The design team used the board layout and copper pour areas to conduct heat out through the bottom of the board that eliminated the need for the large number of discreet heat sinks and spreaders in the old design. The new cooling system deals with the heat in a more efficient manner.
The team used the digital signal processing (DSP) host port for communication with the CPU. A newly added universal serial bus (USB) runs the original DR DOS and MS DOS operating systems.
Orchid Technologies Engineering & Consulting, Inc.
www.orchid-tech.com
::Design World::
EXAIR Catalog Features Blowoff And Cooling Products
October 1, 2009 by Pneumatics Editor
Filed under Equipment
EXAIR’s new Catalog 23 is a full color, technical guide offering solutions to common industrial cooling, drying, conveying, blowoff, cleaning, and static electricity problems.
The expanded 160 page catalog features products that can help companies conserve compressed air and reduce dangerous noise levels. New E-Vac(r) Vacuum Generators, efficient Super Air Knives, Super Air Nozzles, Super Air Wipes, Vortex Tubes and Cold Gun tool coolers are also featured. A detailed technical explanation, performance data, application photos, and dimensional drawings are provided for each product. A price list is also included.
EXAIR Corporation
www.exair.com
::Design World::
