Vacuum cups grip a workpiece by evacuating air from the space inside the cup, creating a partial vacuum at a pressure below ambient. In simple terms one can size a vacuum cup based on the load, available vacuum and cup area. But engineers should consider several other factors when sizing vacuum cups for a given […]
Engineering Basics
Vacuum cups: Key uses
Vacuum cups, or suction cups, are often used as grippers in manual or automated handling applications. They can secure and help move a wide range of products—everything from bottles and bags to bricks and wooden boards, and sheet metal, pipes and glass windows. In essence, they’re the interface between a vacuum system and the workpiece. […]
What are air brakes and clutches?
Air brakes serve as the main brake to provide parking and E-stop braking functions in a variety of applications, including draglines, grinding mills and shovels in mining, drawworks for drilling rigs, and marine winches. They provide the quick actuation and stopping times that are necessary in emergency situations or to stop large industrial machines for […]
Critical safety functions within pneumatic systems
As machine builders become more adept at the science of applying newer safety standards—such as ISO 13849—to their designs, they’ve started to take a deeper look at safety within their systems. Here are five of the most common safety functions within pneumatic systems. 1. Protection against unintended startup Potentially the most common of all pneumatic […]
What are air springs?
![Air-Actuator-1002[Originals]](https://12n75h3jgovx288by52ejzxw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Air-Actuator-1002Originals-150x150.jpg)
Air springs have been used in heavy duty vehicle suspension systems for nearly a century, where they have been able to provide usefulness by taking advantage of the compressed air required for vehicle braking systems. Air springs have provided a two-fold advantage over mechanical leaf- or coil-springs. One advantage with air suspension is the extra […]
The benefits of pneumatics
By Josh Cosford Most people don’t consider that air is also a fluid and rests within the boundaries of fluid power motion control. Hydraulics and pneumatics are similar in principle—merely different in execution. Hydraulic actuators have high power density; that is, they produce a lot of force from a small package. However, hydraulic fluid is […]
What are vacuum components?
In the simplest sense, vacuum is pressure that is lower than atmospheric. At sea level, atmospheric pressure is usually 14.7 psia. Therefore, any pressure lower than that constitutes a vacuum. In a vacuum system, the difference between atmospheric and vacuum pressure creates the ability to lift, hold, move and generally perform work. The essence of […]
What is pneumatics?
Pneumatics is the technology of compressed air, but in some circles, it is more fashionable to refer to it as a type of automation control. Pressurized gas—generally air that may be either of the dry or lubricated type—is used to actuate an end effector and do work. End effectors can range from the common cylinder […]
Pneumatic valves: How do they work?
Compressed air pneumatic systems require methods of safe and precise control of the actuators unique to their accoutrement. Although the medium is fluid, just as hydraulic or process water systems, the execution of control is different in many ways than with a liquid. What is shared in the conduction of any fluid power medium is […]
What are air compressors?
Compressors supply the air flow for all equipment in a system. Air compressors work in two phases: the compression operation and the release operation. There are two types of compressors, positive displacement and dynamic (also called centrifugal). The rate at which a compressor can deliver a volume of air is noted in cubic feet per minute […]
