Pneumatics have been used in automated machines for well over 100 years, with pneumatic technology developing and evolving for over a thousand years in some form or another, for example as boat sails.
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.
This white paper examines pneumatic design best practices, and then presents four basic pneumatic circuits commonly used in machine automation. While there are many variations, these pneumatic circuits combine basic pneumatic components to create functional and reliable pneumatic circuits.
Table of Contents
Pneumatic Design Best Practices
Air Preparation Subsystem
Double-Acting Cylinder Circuit
Continuous Cycling Cylinder Circuit
Two-Hand Control Circuit
