What should you do when it comes time to decide if you should repair or replace your aging air compressor? There are a few things you should consider. Air compressors are like motor vehicles β if they are used continuously, hardly shutting down, they should not be expected to run for a long time without […]
Components
Why are compressed air temperature ratings important?
Question: My compressed air dryer is rated at 100Β° F inlet air temperature. What will happen if the air temperature is lower than this? Answer: Having the air temperature lower than the dryer rating is a good thing. Actually, dryers are commonly rated at 100Β° F inlet temperature, 100 psi and 100Β° F ambient temperature. […]
Beswick Engineering announces new miniature pinch valve
Beswick miniature pinch valves are now available for 1/8-in. OD and 1/4-in. OD tubing. The PV series miniature pinch valve is designed to control fluid when it is advantageous to avoid fluid contact with mechanical components and elastomeric seals. Pinch valves achieve fluid control by clamping down on the outside diameter of the tubing in […]
Compressed air: A bike tire analogy
Running out of pressure? Think about storage volume. Consider this β remember when you had your 10-speed bike with those thin tires? You could ride quite fast, but when it came to filling up the tubes to the proper pressure, all it took was a small shot on the fill valve to change the pressure […]
Spartan Scientific releases innovative 2-way solenoid valve
Spartan Scientific releases a newly engineered addition to its solenoid valve lineup. Manufactured in an all-brass form, the series 6700 provides superior flow rate for typical applications of two-way control of inert gasses, water, and compatible fluids. The series 6700 diaphragm valve provides peace of mind with its virtually indestructible build when using clean media […]
Compressed air fail: Dusty filters
A sawmill ran a set of six large air-cooled compressors to feed their various processes. To cool the compressors, the air was drawn from outdoors and mixed with indoor air to keep temperatures from freezing the compressors in winter. This facility has a tough environment for cooling air because of the sawdust. To attempt to […]
Analytics power: optimizing operations through digital transformation
Contributed by Amit Patel β’ Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Transformation at Emerson Digital technologies along with pneumatics automation can transform a facilityβs efficiency, productivity, and versatility. The digital transformation of processing and packaging operations is well underway. Manufacturers are integrating connected technologies into their operations and seeing significant results. Digital technologies have the power to […]
Are two VSD compressors a problem?
Question: Iβm a compressor salesperson. Lately, the large building tenders weβve seen have been specβd for two variable speed screw compressors to run together sharing the load. This would make sense to me if one was a 100% backup and they never ran together, but that does not seem to be the case. Everything Iβve […]
Wearable pneumatic actuators that assist human motion derive air from walking
Mechanical engineers at Rice UniversityβsΒ George R. Brown School of EngineeringΒ built a pneumatic arm-like device that can grasp and carry small objects using a textile-based energy harvesting system. This lightweight robotic limb is intended to assist individuals with limited mobility and is tough enough for everyday use. The pneumatic βarmβ consists of heat-sealable fabrics stacked together […]
ΊΪΑΟ³ΤΉΟ system upgrade preserves collegiate tradition
SMC recently updated the pneumatic system on the Boilermaker Special VII, the official mascot of Purdue University. According to the Reamer Club that cares for the train, the Boilermaker Special is the worldβs largest, fastest, heaviest, and loudest collegiate mascot. Some of these accolades can be attributed to the trainβs extensive pneumatic system, which controls […]
