A pneumatic circuit uses compressed air to move things. A compressor fills a receiver tank, a filter-regulator cleans the air and sets the pressure, and a valve steers it into a cylinder. Follow the air from the compressor to the exhaust.
A pneumatic circuit is a loop of parts that uses compressed air to do work. Air is squeezed, stored, cleaned and then released in a controlled way to push pistons and turn air motors. It is the go-to choice for fast, light, clean actions such as gripping, indexing and packaging.
Air is invisible, so a pneumatic system is hard to picture: pipes appear to do nothing until something moves. Drawing the circuit as a cutaway shows where the air is made, where it is stored and cleaned, and how a small valve decides which side of the cylinder it drives.
A compressor pulls in ordinary air and squeezes it into a much smaller space. Squeezing packs more air into the same volume and raises its pressure, so the machine now has a store of energy it can release later.
The air is pushed into a receiver tank. The tank holds a reserve so the compressor can run steadily, and it also lets the air cool, so water vapour condenses out where it can be drained away.
Before the air reaches the machines it passes through a filter-regulator. The filter traps dirt and water droplets, and the regulator holds the outlet pressure steady so every cylinder stroke is repeatable.
The solenoid valve is a directional valve driven by an electromagnet. An electrical signal slides its spool and opens a path, so air is admitted to one end of the cylinder while the other end is connected to exhaust.
Air pushing on the piston drives the rod out. When the valve reverses, air enters the other side and the rod retracts. The used air is not recirculated: it escapes through a silencer that keeps the noise down.
It is a loop of parts that uses compressed air to do work. A compressor makes the air, a receiver stores it, a filter-regulator cleans it and sets the pressure, and valves send it to cylinders or air motors that move things.
Air is springy and much lighter. It is faster and cleaner but cannot push as hard as oil, so pneumatic circuits suit lighter, quicker jobs like clamping, packaging and pick-and-place handling.
The filter removes dust, rust and water droplets that would wear the valves, while the regulator holds the pressure steady so every stroke of the cylinder behaves the same whatever the compressor is doing.
Unlike oil, air is not recirculated. Once it has pushed the piston, it is released to the atmosphere through a silencer that lowers the hiss and traps any oil mist.
It is a directional valve moved by an electromagnet instead of a hand lever. An electrical signal shifts the spool to send air to one side of the cylinder or the other, letting machines be controlled automatically.