Pneumatics uses pressurised gas to produce mechanical motion whereas Hydraulics uses pressurised fluids to produce mechanical motion
The main difference is that Hydraulics can handle a far higher pressure:
Both pneumatics and hydraulics are applications of fluid power. Pneumatics uses an easily compressible gas such as air or a suitable pure gas—while hydraulics uses relatively incompressible liquid media such as oil. Most industrial pneumatic applications use pressures of about 80 to 100 pounds per square inch (550 to 690 kPa). Hydraulics applications commonly use from 1,000 to 5,000 psi (6.9 to 34 MPa), but specialized applications may exceed 10,000 psi (69 MPa).
Uses of Pneumatics
The most common Pneumatic systems used in industry are with compressed air because this system proves to be cheaper, safer, reliable and flexible. Many other areas, e.g dentistry, medical, packaging, material handling, entertainment and even robotics use Pneumatic applications, also in mining where a stray spark could mean disaster and lost lives. Below find a short list of some Pneumatic systems such as…
- Air brakes for buses, trucks and trains
- Air compressors
- Pipe organ
- Air engines for pneumatically powered vehicles
- Cable jetting, a way to install cables in ducts
- Compressed-air engine and compressed-air vehicles
- Inflatable structures
- Air guns
- Exercise machines
- Pneumatic cylinder
- Main systems
- Jackhammers
- Nail gun
- Pressure regulator
Why Pneumatics
Fixed installations, such as factories, use compressed air because a sustainable supply can be made by compressing atmospheric air. In most cases the gas used is just air, therefore is extremely safe. Other gases may cause an asphyxiation hazard and really do not offer any advantage over air.
Compressed Carbon Dioxide is frequently used for containers, e.g. fire extinguishers, soda stream and hobbyist applications. Care should be taken when using carbon dioxide as improper use as it is an asphyxiant.
The Advantages of using Pneumatics include…
- Reliability – Very little maintenance, longer operating life
- Safety
- Simple design and control
Future of Pneumatics
New installations use electronic or digital control systems because they are smaller, cheaper, more powerful and offer greater precision. On the other hand pneumatic systems are very expensive to replace, safer than the digital system in certain instances plus compressed air is still the most viable energy source
Pneumatic Seals
- Symmetrical
- Rod
- Piston
- Wiper
- Wear Ring
- Back-up
- Static
Fuzion Trading prides itself on manufacturing durable pneumatic seals. Utilizing advanced materials we can offer our customers the widest array of seal and material options plus competitive pricing to meet an industry’s needs.
Fuzion Trading offers a facility to manufacture, both metric and imperial custom pneumatic seals for any application.