Designed to deliver longer service life, the control heads have been specifically developed to seamlessly assemble with commercial hygienic butterfly valves, ball valves as well as mix-proof, double-seat and single-seat valve configurations.

The 8681 control heads feature relatively short distances between the pneumatic actuator and the pilot valve, minimizing consumption of control air and switching times. Moreover, mounting the control heads directly to the actuator significantly reduces the number of required connection, providing a clear advantage in installation, planning, start-up and maintenance.

Meanwhile, its decentralized automation concept increased operational reliability as it offers an easy-to-monitor and clearly structured system design.

The Burkert Type 8681 control heads also features a chemically resistant and smooth IP65/67 enclosure that can be easily cleaned, making it suitable for washdown areas. Its contactless internal positioning system effectively eliminates manual overrides and internal wear on the pneumatic pilots.

Offering up to 85 mm control strokes with three positions and 200 l/min pneumatic air for every pilot valve, the ATEX Cat. 3, Zone 2/22 certified control heads are also suitable for use even in explosive environments.

Featuring amber, green and red position indication LEDs, the Burkert Type 8681 control heads are ideal for use in hygienic processes such as in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, food/beverage and dairy industries.

Pneumatic Tips

If that wasn’t enough sci-fi news for pneumatics, some students at Brigham Young University recently made news when they created a Batman-inspired wall scaling system that uses a compressed air cannon to shoot a grappling hook up several stories. Fun stuff!

There seems to be a lot of stuff happening in pneumatics the past few weeks. Tata Motors has been all over the news with the viability tests of their proposed compressed air car being completed. BodyShop Business reports that CAGI, the Compressed Air and Gas Institute, has a re-designed website. Looks nice, check it out at CAGI.org. Airline Hydraulics Corp. and SMC Corp. of America recently signed a distribution agreement covering New England. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao took a whirlwind tour of Europe recently, and his stops included Festo Corp. and Bosch Rexroth. British compressor manufacturer Mattei has stated that the new international standard ISO 11011, Compressed air – Energy efficiency – Assessment, will help compressed air users to save energy, while also standardizing energy audits. And, hey! Pneumatic shipments are up, says the NFPA.

Product news includes extra large suction cups from PIAB, modular safety lockout valves from Ross Controls, a way-cool robotic hand from Festo Corp., and a gage “instrument doctor,” who is now on call from Ashcroft.

In the online realm, check out this nice EXAIR blog on the parts of a compressed air system. And Festo Corp. has been pushing engineers to its Facebook page as of late. Look at this interesting video of a soft pneumatic gripper developed at Harvard. And speaking of videos, here’s a fun one from the Engineering Exchange, a chitty chatty bing bang compressed air GoKart.

I love this offbeat story about John Smith, president and CEO of Ross Controls Co., who is apparently also a big shot in the banjo world. Interface Devices will be appearing on the “World’s Greatest!” TV show. And in the maybe-not-appropriate-for-work department, it was reported that the new Vibrator Museum opening in San Francisco includes a compressed air version of the, um, self-help devices, called The Detwiller Pneumatic, from 1906.

Looking for a job? Steiner Electric Co. in the Chicago area is searching for a Pneumatics Product Manager. And Camozzi Pneumatics wants a Regional Sales Manager in the Dallas area.

Lastly, we have a free webinar on lockout/tagout information for pneumatic systems on May 30th. Sign up now!
Hot Tweets of note:

@SMCCorporation Excellent view of how automatic leak detection works vimeo.com/39710287and a great cool gadgets video… fb.me/1uBib8xYZ

@TheNFPA [EL] Correct sizing of pneumatic cylinders helps save $300K per year bit.ly/JbaQ0R via Compressed Air Best Practices

@acecontrols ‘More could be done’ on Olympic Park motion control: Vibration is one element of motion control that was overloo… bit.ly/K0xCoA

Pneumatic Tips

The sub-bases of the MPA-L valve terminals are manufactured from polymer and not from metal to save weight and cost, and can be retrofitted and configured in the field one at a time. The all-new terminals are primarily intended for cost sensitive applications requiring configuration expandability and flexibility, such as in biotechnology, factory automation and food processing industry.

Meanwhile, the complementary CPX-L digital I/O modules are high channel density units, cost optimized and targeted at I/O intensive automation control systems.

Providing increased design granularity, the modular valve terminals, which are based on Festo’s MPA-S terminals, simplify system integration with its wider range of electrical connection options. Aside from being compatible with the company’s CPX modular automation platform, the MPA-L valve terminals are also offered with various hard wired control schemes.

Directly connecting the valve terminal sub-base to a CPX terminal provides access to a range of Industrial Ethernet and fieldbus products, as well as technology and analog modules.

The MPA-L terminals have been equipped with generously proportioned air ducts to ensure reliable switching and maximize flow of multiple valves. With isolated ducting accommodating different pressure zones, a simple selector mechanism allows the pilot air supply of the valve to be derived externally or internally in high or low pressure applications. The terminals’ exhaust air can be ducted to an external outlet or fed through high efficiency surface silencer, making them suitable for use in clean environments such as food processing area.

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Attendees can expect to learn:

- What OSHA’s Top 10 most frequently violated standards were in 2011
- What OSHA and ANSI standards are most applicable to Pneumatic Safety
- What the “Best Practices” are for safety while maintaining industrial machinery
- How to audit existing Lockout/Tagout procedures to insure you are providing the highest level of protection for your workers

Join Editorial Director Paul Heney as he explores this topic on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. EDT. Register here.

Pneumatic Tips

With an advanced rotor profile, the CPS 750 JD7 Tier 4a employs a new and improved air end that offers the capability to reduce the horsepower needed to generate the 750 CFM. Meanwhile, its air pressure can be adjusted from 58 psi to 100 psi.

To reduce the NOx emissions, the John Deere engine utilized Exhaust Gas Recirculation technology, which cools the exhaust gasses and reintroduce them to the engine cylinders, reducing NOx formation and peak combustion temperature. In addition, the portable compressor employs a particulate filter to remove the high amount of particulate matter to meet the Tier 4a emission standards.

At 100 percent load, the water-cooled, electronically controlled engine, variable speed fan as well as Chicago Pneumatic air end significantly reduces fuel consumption to 8.2 gallons per hour. With a fuel capacity of 78-gallon, the operator benefits to over a full eight-hour day at full load.

Seamlessly fitting into a fast-track, single-axle enclosure, the CPS 750 JD7 Tier 4a features surge hydraulic brakes, an A-frame drawbar and torsion bar suspension, which offers stability, durability and remarkable road performance when in tow.

Available in support-mounted configuration, the CPS enables operators to conveniently complete maintenance routine as its steel, gull-wing enclosures provides easy access to all service points as well as to the engine.

Pneumatic Tips

Custom designed, the low maintenance actuators are suitable for use in various applications. The company has provided users with the selection of either a scotch yoke mechanism for on/off duty or a double crank mechanism for modulating control.

The actuator with the double crank mechanism delivers negligible backlash, high run torques and low friction, while the actuator offering scotch yoke mechanism provides users with the benefits of high end torques.

Field reversible from clockwise-to-close to clockwise-to-open, the actuators feature a Namur mounting for positioners or switch packs on the transfer case lid and on the top shaft.

The pneumatic piston design of the actuator allows it to be engineered and fitted to most valves with a torque of up to 250,000 Nm. With a square drive, users can mount the actuators in line with or perpendicular to the pipe work, while the adjustable end stops are adjusted externally within seven degrees in both the open and closed position.

Meanwhile, the single spring design of the actuator helps users easily assemble as well as disassemble it, and for easy maintenance, the pressure seals feature simple ‘O’ rings design.

PSV Mitech’s all-new actuators are ideally suited for use in various applications including petrochemical, power generation, pulp and paper, mining as well as iron and steel industries.

Pneumatic Tips

The all-new pneumatic tools provide a UL Listed connection that will cater to a vast variety of Burndy connectors and splices that range from #22 to #4 AWG.

In order to serve the varying application needs and requirements of customers, Burndy offered the Y6NCP pneumatic crimping tools in two different variants.

The first variant is the Y6NCP1. Utilizing the Burndy J-Die system, this variant comes with an extended wire that range from #22 to #4 AWG and offers pull-out forces that surpass Mil-Spec/SAE. This makes the Y6NCP1 pneumatic tool ideally suited for applications demanding higher wire pull-out forces such as those used in high vibration environments.

Meanwhile, the second variant is the Y6NCP1-SD. Equipped with an industry Standard Die envelope, the Y6NCP1-SD pneumatic tools are capable of crimping #22 to #10 AWG wire for insulated as well as uninsulated splices and terminals. Providing the same profile as the BURNDY MRE-Ergonomic hand tools, the Y6NCP1-SD is perfect for customers looking for a reasonably priced UL Listed “system” termination solution.

In addition, the Y6NCP1-SD offer two die sets that can cover #22 to #10 AWG wire range for both uninsulated and insulated splices and terminals. The J-Die systems are sold separately.

Aside from the pneumatic tool, the Y6NCP tools are also packed with clear safety guards, air hose, jaw assembly and fittings.

Pneumatic Tips

Ideal for manufacturing automation, the DSM-HD swivel module eliminates the need for additional guidance or bearing system while seamlessly combining a precision heavy duty bearing with a high performance semi-rotary vane drive to conveniently rotate larger loads via adjustable angle up to 270 degrees.

From a standard compressed air supply of 1.5 to 10 bar, Festo’s DSM-HD pneumatic swivel module delivers significant torque output and accommodates higher moments of inertial and high radial and axial forces. This makes the swivel module suitable for use in demanding applications with offset or large loads as well as in semi- or fully-automatic manufacturing handling and assembly automation that may require the application of added force to its flange during the operation.

Festo offers customers with a selection of six DSM-HD swivel modules, with frame sizes ranging from 12 to 63 and higher load capability than other alternative products. All six modules feature a compact design to facilitate machine integration.

With a caged precision ball bearing race on the periphery, the DSM-HD swivel modules can maintain running accuracy even when subjected to high cantilevered and thrust forces.

Unlike comparable swivel modules, the DSM-HD has been specifically developed to be easier to integrate. For easy control of attachments such as gripper or clamp units, the vane drive’s hollow shaft allows air tubes or electrical cables to be routed through the drive’s body. Meanwhile, the body features three mounting holes on the sides and on the front and rear faces, effectively providing a flexible mounting arrangement that enables the module to be securely fitted in any desired position.

Pneumatic Tips

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Presented for the first time at Hanover Fair, the ExoHand from Festo is a solution for future human-machine cooperation in industrial environments based on soft robotics. It is designed to meet the challenge of an aging population by functioning as an assistance system for assembly tasks in production. As a force feedback system, the ExoHand can extend people’s scope of action in production environments. It can also be used as a platform for the development of new applications in service robotics as well as personal assistance systems.

The ExoHand is an exoskeleton that is individually adapted to the human hand. The fingers can be actively moved and their strength amplified. The hand movements can be registered and transmitted to robotic hands in real time. The exoskeleton is a structure that supports the human hand externally and simulates the physiological degrees of freedom of the hand.

Eight pneumatic actuators move the exoskeleton. Sensors record the forces, angles and distances. Servo pneumatic open- and closed-loop control algorithms allow precise movement of the individual finger joints. The ExoHand thus supports the various possibilities for gripping and touching which a human hand has. The pneumatic components allow highly flexible and ergonomic control of the individual finger joints. High forces can thus be transmitted precisely in a small space and with a low weight without the system becoming rigid and restrictive. This flexibility is crucial in human-machine interaction, as it minimises the risk of injury.

Despite a high level of automation, there are still many assembly tasks in industry that can only be performed by humans. Many of these are repetitive tasks that cause fatigue and can be particularly challenging for older members of the workforce. The ExoHand helps operators to remain working longer without incurring permanent physical damage. It can be used as an assistance system, providing enhanced strength for assembly tasks.

When used for remote manipulation of a robotic hand in an industrial environment, the ExoHand allows complex activities in for example dangerous or hazardous environments to be carried out from some distance away. Because all joints and their actuators exist in the form of an exoskeleton outside of the actual hand, the ExoHand can be worn over a human hand or an artificial hand made from silicone. The ExoHand performs two functions here—acting firstly as an interface between the operator and the control system and secondly as a robotic hand. This allows the control of a complete artificial hand with virtually all of the relevant degrees of freedom.

With a single system it is thus possible to design an innovative scenario that combines robotics with orthotics. Forces can be transmitted to the hand as force feedback from another environment, creating an ability to feel shapes. This technology offers enormous potential not only for remote manipulation, but also for navigation in the virtual world.

Synergies in service robotics and rehabilitation
With the ExoHand, Festo has not only developed an effective solution for industrial automation, but also established itself as a pioneer in the area of service robotics. When the ExoHand is used in combination with a robot in domestic or medical environments, human-like characteristics are absolutely essential. The flexibility of pneumatic systems in particular ensures reliable human-machine interaction.

The solution also offers benefits in rehabilitation. In stroke therapy, for example, this hand orthosis can be used to help treat the first signs of paralysis in patients. The ExoHand can be used together with a brain-computer interface to create a closed feedback loop. It can help stroke patients who are showing the first signs of paralysis to restore the missing connection between brain and hand. An electroencephalography signal (EEG) from the brain indicates the patient’s desire to open or close the hand. The active hand orthosis then performs the movement. The result is a training effect, which over time helps patients to move their hand again without any technical assistance. Festo is working together with the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience at the University Hospital Tübingen on this subject.

Festo Corp.

Pneumatic Tips

Ashcroft

Pneumatic Tips