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A drive generating lifting and gripping movements from compressed air. It is the norm in handling technology: compliant rather than rigid, insensitive to dust and damp, inherently overload-safe through the compressibility of air and usable in explosive atmospheres without elaborate ignition protection. It demands treated air and costs more to run than an electric drive.
A pneumatic cylinder converts pressure into force: pressure times piston area gives the force at the piston rod. For rotary movement an air motor does the job. In a balancer or manipulator the pressure is regulated so that the cylinder force exactly equals the weight of the load – the load floats.
An operating pressure of around six bar is usual. A pressure regulator on the unit keeps the working pressure constant even if the pressure in the network fluctuates.
Air is compressible. What would be a drawback on a positioning axis is desirable on a hand-guided device: the drive yields rather than holding rigidly, and the operator moves the load against a soft air cushion.
Compressed air from the network contains particles, water and oil. ISO 8573-1 classifies air quality by these three contaminants; the manufacturer of a unit states which class it needs. A service unit with filter and pressure regulator upstream of the unit is basic equipment.
Moist air is the commonest cause of faults: condensate makes valves stick and seals swell. Anyone buying pneumatic equipment therefore checks the air treatment in the network first.
Compressed air is an expensive energy carrier. Of the electrical energy the compressor draws, only a fraction arrives as mechanical work at the cylinder; most becomes heat. Leaks in the network cost extra, around the clock.
For a handling device this matters less than the figure suggests: it consumes air only while moving, not while holding. Whether compressed air or an electric drive is cheaper depends on the cycle rate – and on whether a compressed air network exists anyway.
If the air supply fails, the load must not drop. Pneumatic lifting units therefore hold the pressure in the cylinder with check valves; the load stays where it is and can be lowered in a controlled way.
In potentially explosive atmospheres compressed air is widespread because electrical ignition sources are absent. That does not make a pneumatic unit approved by default: under the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU non-electrical equipment also needs an ignition hazard assessment and marking for the zone in question.
What Entracon offers here is on the matching page.
See what we offer| Criterion | Compressed air | Electric drive |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviour | Compliant, soft | Stiff, precisely controllable |
| Overload | Stalls | Needs monitoring |
| Approaching defined positions | Only with extra effort | Readily possible |
| Energy costs | Higher | Lower |
| Infrastructure | Treated compressed air | Power connection |
| Explosive atmospheres | No electrical ignition source, assessment required | Only in an approved type of protection |
Around six bar at the unit connection is usual. The manufacturer’s specification governs. If the network pressure is lower, the usable capacity falls accordingly.
Check valves shut off the cylinder and the load stays at its height. Lifting is then no longer possible; lowering takes place in a controlled way as soon as the operator initiates it.
That depends on the unit. Many current pneumatic components are designed for oil-free air and lubricated for life; once they have been run with lubricated air, this has to be continued. The operating manual states the requirement.
When there is no compressed air network, when fixed positions are to be approached accurately, or when energy costs become significant at a high cycle rate.
One short conversation usually settles more than three quotations. Call or write — you will reach an engineer directly.
Start typing – for example “balancer”, “SAP” or “pipe stress”.
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