Pneumatics Newsletter

ndustry Trends & Events . . . Integration Improves and Simplifies Pneumatic Control Conventional pneumatic control systems can have significant downsides due to their complexity, notes the author of this article from Product Design & Development. Conventional systems, he argues, normally include more than a dozen different components for each actuator function. Citing the advantages of reduced system size, lower energy consumption, and better speed control, the author presents the case for a new product that integrates valve and actuator control.   Nylon 11 Tubing — in Stock and Ready to Ship Freelin-Wade Company Simple and Compact Solution for Work Holding MFP Automation Engineering You can now shop for — and pay for — flexible plastic tubing day or night, and Freelin-Wade will ship your order the next business day! Their entire catalog of polyurethane, nylon, polyethylene, and pvc tubing is online. Purchase with a major credit card. Another worry-free service from Freelin Wade! Learn more! The HPC Series air-powered hydraulic clamp unit from MFP Automation Engineering provides machinery builders and users a simple and compact solution for work holding offering long life, minimal maintenance, and low operating costs.

Check Valves . . .

New Miniature 10-32 and M3 Check Valves Beswick Engineering Co., Inc.

Beswick's brass and stainless steel check valves are ideal for medical devices and diagnostic machines which require a low cracking pressure (less than 0.5 psig). These check valves are designed with an elastomeric duckbill/umbrella and can withstand up to 250 psig in the checked direction. Barbed connections and various elastomers are available. Call 800-354-5014 for information on our latest design, a new adjustable cracking pressure check valve.

Cylinders & Actuators . . . Learn More Robotic Device Extends a Hand Design News describes the ExoHand, a robotic glove designed to serve as an extension of a human hand,providing extra strength and endurance. The device includes eight double-acting pneumatic actuators, which open and close the robotic fingers. A video link shows the device in action. Alternatives to Air Cylinders Offering dimensions and form factors consistent with ISO metric pneumatic actuators, these roller-screw actuators are designed as replacements for air cylinders. Mountable to most motor types, the actuators include a standard nickel-plated rod with a 304 SS rod-end insert for improved wear resistance. Maximum rated input is 5000 rpm, with maximum allowable force ranging from 675 to 1800 lb-in. Valves & Valve Manifolds . . . Learn More Play It Safe with Actuator Control Valves A manufacturer reports that many of its actuator control valves are now certified as able to support SIL (safety integrated level) 3 capability. Designers in process industries are increasingly specifying SIL3 control valves to protect personnel and equipment. SIL3 valves also help engineers comply with the risk-reduction requirements in IEC technical safety standards. Valve Controller is Battery Powered This battery-powered wireless field deviceis designed to control pneumatic valves in hazardous locations such as oil and gas wells. Featuring a technology called progressive pulse control, the device helps users deploy wellhead automation systems that eliminate the need for wiring plus related trenching and maintenance.   Clean Water Simply and Effectively Central Air Compressor Co. New Miniature Differential Pressure Transmitters Orange Research, Inc. The S-Series1 is not your typical oil water separator. Its advanced design and unique environmentally-friendly STERLING oil absorbing filtration media takes separation technology to a whole new level. No messy carbon bags. No settling tanks full of untreated condensate. No external oil collection containers. Just simple and effective condensate treatment. These low-cost models are the better alternative to over-sized, over-priced products. The complete story. With proven sensor designs they have features best suited for popular OEM filtration, level, flow, and heat exchanger applications. They offer line pressure to 3000 psig and transmitters with current or voltage output. See their specifications and configurations. Compressed Air & Vacuum . . . Learn More Green Machine Builders Can't Go Wrong Compressed air is one of the subjects addressed in this feature about green machines and sustainable production lines. Learn how suppliers to Volkswagen areoptimizing compressed-air use in hundreds of pneumatic actuators operating throughout several of VW's European automotive production plants. (Scroll to Factory-Wide Sustainability.) Vacuum System Lets Them Eat Cake A commercial bakery wanted to remove a major production bottleneck: the manual transfer of cakes from conveyor lines to cartons. The bakery decided to automate the process with a vacuum pick-and-place handling system. But cake is a difficult material to handle. How did the bakery do it? Hydraulics & Pneumatics explains... Sensing & Measurement . . . Learn More Brewery Turns to Pneumatics Here's a brewery that used mass flow instrumentation to slash its energy costs. The instrumentation measures mass flow rates of steam, which flows through a control valve and a flowmeter before reaching a kettle. A module in an electro-pneumatic positioner accurately regulates air flow to pressurize and depressurize the control valve. Result: a significant reduction in steam used. Transducer Tracks Cylinder Position A noncontact linear displacement transducer (LDT) is said to provide accurate and continuous position feedback during pneumatic cylinder actuation. The LDT has no moving parts that can wear out and does not experience problems common to linear potentiometers. The device is reportedly accurate to ±0.03% of stroke, with repeatability to 0.001%.   Simplify Your Control Piping Conant Controls, Inc. New Flow Meter Measures Up IC Flow Controls, Inc. Take your complex piping arrangements and simplify them with a Conant Controls stack selector valve. Stack selector valves offer the designer the ability to combine multiple flow streams, up to 25, into one valve while maintaining system integrity and isolation. Eliminate operator error and improve safety. VSE engineers have set a new standard with the innovative design of"RS" series helical screw meter. Utilizing the latest design technologies, significant mechnaical and electrical improvements have been achieved. Flows from 0.3 liters up to 1000 liters per minute with 6000 psi rating.