Pneumatic actuators are essential workhorses for machine and equipment motion. Here are some pointers about different styles for control and monitoring. Contributed by Pat Phillips, Product Manager, Fluid Power and Mechanical Product Division, AutomationDirect Pneumatic actuators are commonly used in countless types of equipment and machinery because they provide a simple, cost-effective and durable way […]
Actuators
Lightweight PA series NFPA actuator offers flexible mounting configurations
The PA series NFPA actuator from Bimba provides a versatile, cost-effective solution to a variety of applications. Its lightweight aluminum construction and modern extruded design are only matched by its flexible mounting configurations and a number of standard features. PA series actuators offer a highly consistent and reliable way to convert pneumatic energy into linear […]
Firestone demonstrates intelligent air spring sensor
Firestone Industrial Products, a leading manufacturer of advanced air springs with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, has developed a system that helps eliminate vibration in transportation applications. In collaboration with Knorr-Bremse, it introduced what is reportedly the first-ever fully integrated intelligent air spring sensor at the 67th Bi-Annual IAA Commercial Vehicles Conference in Hannover, Germany. According […]
High-precision sliders from Koganei
Koganei mini guide sliders are compact, high-precision actuators. The MGA units reportedly offer a smaller physical size as compared to competitive units with the same bore and stroke. And they are more rigid to torque moments in roll, pitch and yaw. The products feature high-precision mounting with running parallelism of 0.005 mm and mounting parallelism […]
Pneumatic actuators and grippers
AutomationDirect’s line of NITRA pneumatics includes rotary actuators and pneumatic object grippers. NITRA rotary actuators are available in four body sizes with or without shock absorbers. All are double acting and have an adjustable travel range from zero to 190°. Anodized aluminum bodies include integral mounting slots for position switches and a durable ball-bearing hub, […]
Soft robotics design winners announced
The third annual Soft Robotics Design and Research Competitions rated projects that exhibited novel and innovative approaches to soft robotics components and research. Winners of the contest have just been announced. The competition is sponsored by the Soft Robotics Toolkit, a team that grew out of research at Harvard University and Trinity College Dublin and […]
Pneumatic design 101: Go with the flow
The benefits of pneumatic power can be realized by following some basic pneumatic design rules for specifying air preparation units, actuators and valves. Contributed by Chip McDaniel, Educational Specialist at AutomationDirect Compressed air use by industrial machines is a close second to the use of electricity in terms of cost, and well ahead of other […]
Soft pneumatic actuator generates cyclical motion
A new study has demonstrated the advantages and potential applications of an innovative multi-chambered soft pneumatic actuator. Researchers described how the actuator generates cyclical motion and characterized its trajectory and force output in an article published in Soft Robotics. Coauthors Alar Ainla, Mohit Verma, Dian Yang, and George Whitesides of Harvard University detailed the actuator’s […]
Safe pneumatic system design
Consider the following safety and design choices for control of pneumatic systems in automated equipment. By Pat Phillips • Product Manager, Fluid Power & Mechanical Products at AutomationDirect A safe pneumatic system design starts at the connection to a machine’s air preparation hardware and continues to correctly pairing valves with cylinders. This article reviews the […]
Air actuators isolate disruptive vibrations
Even in harsh conditions involving a lot of dust and permanent vibrations, air actuators from ContiTech continue to work reliably, especially in construction machinery. “With these properties, they offer added value compared with steel spring bearings or hydraulic cylinders, as disruptive vibrations are largely minimized,” said Douglas Duesing, sales manager of industry and off-highway air […]
