 | Pneumatics faces increasing competition from mechanical, hydraulic and electrical appliances on all fronts. But pneumatic devices have fundamental advantages over the other tech-nologies:
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| Easily transported
Air is available everywhere, and there is plenty of it. Since outlet air escapes into the open, there is no need for return lines. Electrical and hydraulic systems need a return line to the source.
Compressed air can be transported over great distances in pipelines. This allows the installation of central generation stations that can supply points of consumption via ring mains with a constant working pressure. The energy stored in compressed air can be widely distributed in this way.
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| Easily stored
It is easy to store compressed air in purpose-built tanks. If there is a storage tank integrated in a pneumatic network, the compressor only needs to work when the pressure drops below a critical level. And because there is always a cushion of pressure, a work cycle can be completed even if the power network fails.
Transportable compressed air bottles can also be used at locations where there is no pipe system (e.g., under water).
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| Clean and dry
Compressed air does not cause soiling or leave drops of oil if the lines are defective. Cleanliness in fitting and operation are extremely important factors in many sectors of industry, e.g., food, leather, textiles, and packing.
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| Lightweight
Pneumatic devices are usually much lighter than comparable equipment and machinery with electrical power units. This makes a big difference with manual and percussion tools (pneumatic screwdrivers and hammers).
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| Safe to use
Compressed air works perfectly even when there are great temperature fluctuations and the temperatures are extreme. It can also be used where there are very high temperatures, e.g., for operating forge presses and blast furnace doors.
Pneumatic devices and lines that are untight are no risk to the safety and serviceability of the system.
Pneumatic systems and components in general wear very little. They therefore have a long working life and a low failure rate.
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| Accident-proof
Pneumatic elements are very safe with regard to fire, explosion and electrical hazards. Even in areas where there is a risk of fire, explosion and extreme weather conditions, pneumatic elements can be used without large and expensive safety apparatus. In damp-rooms or outdoors too, there is no danger with pneumatic equipment.
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| Rational and economical
Pneumatics is 40 - 50 times more economical than muscle power. This is a major point, particularly in mechanisation and automation.
Pneumatic components are cheaper than the equivalent hydraulic components.
There is no need for regular medium changes, as with hydraulic equipment, for instance. This reduces costs and the servicing requirement, and increases operating times.
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| Simple
The design and operation of pneumatic equipment is very simple. For this reason it is very robust and not susceptible to malfunctioning.
Pneumatic components are easy to install and can be re-used later without difficulty. Installation times are short because of the simple design. The fitters require no expensive special training.
Straight-line movements can be executed without extra mechanical parts such as levers, cams, eccentric disks, screw spindles and the like..
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| Overload-proof
Compressed air equipment and pneumatic working parts can be loaded until they stop without being damaged. This is why they are considered to be overload-proof.
In contrast to electrical systems, the output of a pneumatic network can be overloaded without risk of danger. If the pressure drops too much, the work can not be done, but there will be no damage to the network or its working elements.
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| Fast work medium
The very high flow speeds allow rapid completion of work cycles. This provides short cut-in times and fast conversion of energy into work.
Compressed air can achieve flow speeds of over 20 m/s. Hydraulic applications only manage 5m/s. The pneumatic cylinders reach linear piston speeds of 15 m/s.
Maximum control speeds in signal processing lie between 30 and 70 m/s at operating pressures of between 6 and 8bar. With pressures of less than 1bar it is even possible to obtain signal speeds of 200 to 300 m/s.
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| | Fully adjustable
Travel speeds and exerted force are fully and easily adjustable. Both with linear and rotary movement, force, torque and speeds can be fully adjusted without difficulty by using throttles. |