Pneumatic industry application

Factory automation is the largest sector for pneumatics technology, which is widely used for manipulating products in manufacturing, processing, and packaging operations. Pneumatics is also widely used in medical and food processing equipment. Pneumatics is typically thought of as pick-and-place technology, where pneumatic components work in concert to perform the same repetitive operation thousands of times per day. But pneumatics is much more. Because compressed air can have a cushioning effect, it is often called on to provide a gentler touch than what hydraulics or electromechanical drives can usually provide. In many applications, pneumatics is used more for its ability to provide controlled pressing or squeezing as it is for fast and repetitive motion. Moreover, electronic controls can give pneumatic systems positioning accuracy comparable to that of hydraulic and electromechanical technologies.

Pneumatics is also widely used in chemical plants and refineries to actuate large valves. It’s used on mobile equipment for transmitting power where hydraulics or electromechanical drives are less practical or not as convenient and in on-highway trucking for various vehicle functions. And of course, vacuum is used for lifting and moving work pieces and products. In fact, combining multiple vacuum cups into a single assembly allows lifting large and heavy objects. Following are case histories housed on websites of industry publications describing the use of pneumatics in a variety of applications:

Food & Beverage: 
Pneumatics Ensures Food Processing Reliability 
Pneumatics Moves Hard-to-handle Foods

Other industries where pneumatics is advantageous:

• Factory Automation

• Material Handling 

• Medical

• Off- and On-highway Vehicle Systems

• Packaging

    Through the use of case studies and illustrations, this guide explains how pneumatics automation could
    reduce manufacturing costs with a minimum of investment and complexity.