Pneumatic actuators are essential components of the industrial processes for many types of different industries. They can be defined as sources that provide motion using pressurized gas or pressurized air. Through a pneumatic actuation system, with the gas or air under pressure the pneumatic actuators convert the energy generated into linear motion or rotary motion.
They can be applied to many industries and businesses. Nevertheless, the most appropriate uses of pneumatic actuators are when there is a need for repeated or regular opening and closing of valves. In this sense, pneumatic actuation systems are mostly used for controlling the valves that guide the trajectory of fluids in the process and chemical industries. They are chosen widely for application in these industries and more, because they are highly reliable, very safe and extremely efficient.
Types of pneumatic actuation
There are many different models of pneumatic actuators, depending on their specific design, the industry they are employed in and their particularities. Widely speaking, pneumatic actuations systems can be divided into two categories, depending on the design and style of the pneumatic actuator. These can be single-acting pneumatic actuators and double-acting pneumatic actuators. What differs between them is the number of ports that each has to allow air or gas to enter the cylinder.
As their names indicate, the single-acting pneumatic actuators have one port, while the double-acting pneumatic actuators have two ports. Pneumatic actuation systems that employ the double-acting pneumatic actuators are more recommended for uses in industries that need high strength and a lot of speed because, due to the double port, they allow for more strength, and at a faster rate. They also tend to last longer, and do not need replacement of parts as often as single-acting pneumatic actuators might do.
Amongst these two general types of pneumatic actuators, there are also several different styles and specific types of pneumatic actuators that have different uses. To mention a few, some of the main types of pneumatic actuation systems are:
- Pneumatic artificial muscles
- Grippers
- Rotary actuators
- Vane motors
- Pneumatic motors
Why choose a pneumatic actuator for your industry
A pneumatic actuation system is a great choice for your industry because it consists of a safe, efficient and trusting way to drive several types of processes. Whenever there is a need for creating motion, a pneumatic actuation system can do this. As we mentioned before, they can be employed in several types of industries, but they are mostly used when there is movement of fluids or chemicals involved. This is because their precision and guaranteed high safety ensures that the fluids, liquids or chemicals will be protected and will be guided throughout their trajectory.
Pneumatic actuators are highly reliable and tend to last for a long period of time without needing to replace parts too often. Moreover, they do not require ignition nor electricity, which is what makes them so safe, especially when operating with inflammable fluids. If you want to get to know more about the uses, advantages, details and operational specificities of pneumatic actuation systems, duxvalves.com has all the information that you require.