This white paper examines pneumatic design best practices and presents four basic pneumatic circuits commonly used in machine automation. The four basic pneumatic circuits examined in the paper include the air preparation subsystem, double-acting cylinder circuits, continuous cycling cylinder circuits and two-hand control circuits.
As discussed, the first basic pneumatic circuit needed provides consistent plant air pressure and flow required for pneumatic devices to operate consistently and reliably. Common in many machines, a pneumatic circuit consisting of a 4-way solenoid valve operating to automatically extend and retract a double-acting air cylinder is detailed. A circuit example of how pneumatic components are combined in a well-thought-out design to continuously cycle a cylinder is discussed, as is the pneumatic circuit for a two-hand safety control system for a press application.
There have been many innovations over the years, and the basic pneumatic components such as valves, solenoids, cylinders, hoses and fittings are well developed and mature. These devices can be combined in many ways to provide simple and reliable machine control.
The “Basic Pneumatic Circuits” White Paper can be downloaded at: https://library.automationdirect.com/basic-pneumatic-circuits-white-paper
