With the trend of Industry 4.0 and carbon neutrality, the pneumatic industry injects new momentum

Intelligent manufacturing is an important development strategy and main direction for a manufacturing powerhouse. With the development orientation of intelligent, digital, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly automation industry advocated by Germany's "Industry 4.0" and "Made in China 2025", as well as the continuous improvement of penetration rate of intelligent production methods such as robots, unmanned factories have completed a transformation from scratch in China in recent years, and workers in factories have staged a transformation from scratch, The relationship between "having" and "not having" witnesses the butterfly transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry.

02

Pneumatic technology is an important means to achieve various production control and automatic control, and pneumatic components are key components of industrial automation

Pneumatic is the abbreviation for "pneumatic technology" or "pneumatic transmission and control". Pneumatic technology is a modern practical technology that uses an air compressor as the power source, and the compressed air generated is processed by the air source processing element as the working medium. The control element (directional control valve) changes the frequency, speed, and direction of the compressed air, and the executing element (cylinder) converts the compressed energy of the compressed air into kinetic energy to complete the predetermined action.

Pneumatic technology is an important means to achieve various production control and automatic control, which has the advantages of energy conservation, pollution-free, efficient, low-cost, safe and reliable, and simple structure. Pneumatic components, as key components of automation equipment, are widely used in various production equipment and production lines. The expansion of the application of pneumatic technology is a symbol of the development of the pneumatic industry and a necessary path for global enterprises to upgrade their industries.

A typical pneumatic system consists of main components such as execution components, control components, air source processing components, and sensing components. Their working principles are as follows:

(1) Executive component, cylinder: The cylinder is the executive component of a pneumatic system, which is generally composed of a body, upper and lower covers, pistons, piston rods, seals, and fasteners. By pushing the gas, the piston rod inside the cylinder can be extended or pulled back, and combined with the design of the mechanism, actions such as operating a robotic arm, lifting platform, and braking can be achieved. It can also be applied to tools and equipment such as nail guns, drills, and punches.

(2) Control components, valves: In pneumatic system applications, valve type components, namely airflow control components, are the basic components that achieve the operation of pneumatic systems. These components use obstacles to block the flow of fluid to achieve control pressure, direction, and flow. According to their functions, they can be divided into pressure control valves that control airflow pressure, directional control valves that control airflow flow direction, and flow control valves that control airflow flow rate. The control of the valve adopts various driving methods, such as manual, electric, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc; Under the action of pressure, temperature, or other forms of sensing signals, it can act according to predetermined requirements, or simply open and close, thereby changing the size of the flow channel area to achieve control functions. The application of control components can form switches for pneumatic circuits, control the speed of movement, and control between multiple pneumatic systems.

(3) Air source processing element: Before air is transmitted to the equipment end for use, it must be removed from the water and impurities in the air through an air filter. Then, the pressure of the pipeline is adjusted by a pressure regulator, and finally, oil mist is sprayed into the lubricator to mix with air to lubricate the pipeline. The above filtering, pressure regulation, and lubrication equipment are collectively referred to as air source processing elements. The function of this element will improve the accuracy of air pressure and the lifespan of the pipeline.

(4) Inductive components: In factory automation practice, it is often necessary to monitor and provide real-time feedback on the position of actuating components such as cylinders and the pressure values in the gas circuit to achieve open or closed circuit control. This type of sensing element includes digital pressure switches that use pressure sensors to sense and feedback switch or analog signals, as well as magnetic induction switches that use the principle of magnetic induction to sense cylinder position and feedback switch or analog signals.