An air cylinder uses pressurized gas to generate force through a moving piston and suction/discharge channels. Pneumatic cylinders have advantages over hydraulics and are used in various applications. Gas is pressurized using a pump, and the cylinder is controlled by a valve. Pneumatics have advantages such as easy access to air and no environmental problems, but require high pressure and clean air. Examples of devices using pneumatics include nail guns, bicycle pumps, and air brakes.
An air cylinder is a type of device used to generate force from the energy of pressurized gas. The basic pneumatic cylinder consists of a bore with a moving piston and suction and discharge channels. When compressed air or other gas is pumped into the bottom of the cylinder, the gas expands, pushing the moving piston up and generating force. Pneumatic cylinders, also known as pneumatic cylinders, have advantages over hydraulics in some cases and are used in a wide variety of applications.
To operate the cylinder, a gas, such as air, must first be pressurized. This can be done using a pump. Since air usually exists at atmospheric pressure, pumps are used to force a certain volume of air into a smaller space, causing its pressure to rise above atmospheric level. Pressurized air stores the energy used to compress it. When allowed to expand, this air will tend to depressurize back to its original atmospheric pressure.
A pneumatic cylinder works according to this principle. The air is compressed and then fed into the bore under a movable piston. The pressurized air exerts a force against the base of the piston, causing the piston to move up through the hollow cylinder. A rod extends from the base of the piston to the top of the cylinder. When compressed air expands in the given space and moves the piston up, this rod also moves, providing a way to move other mechanical elements.
The position of the piston in an air cylinder is controlled by a valve which directs compressed air to the top or bottom of the cylinder. When the rod end, or top, of the cylinder is filled with pressurized air, the piston moves down and the air below the piston is expelled through an exhaust tube. Pressurized air entering the base moves the piston up and the air above the piston is forced out. This system allows the cylinder to be operated repeatedly to generate force.
Pneumatic systems have several advantages over hydraulics, which use water or another fluid to generate mechanical motion. The exhaust air from a pneumatic cylinder can be released into the surrounding air without any environmental problems. Air is easy to obtain and pressurize. Also, leaks are not a problem for pneumatic systems. Disadvantages of pneumatics include the need to operate such systems at high pressure, which can be dangerous, as well as the need to keep the air clean and filtered.
Several familiar mechanical devices use pneumatics. Nail guns, used in construction to drive nails into wood or concrete, draw their force from one or more pneumatic cylinders. Other examples include bicycle pumps and air brakes used on buses and trucks. In addition to consumer applications, pneumatic cylinders are also widely used in industrial settings, such as packaging plants and machine shops.
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