Two of the most common designs for pneumatic control valves are the poppet and the spool. A poppet valve consists of an orifice that is opened and closed by raising and lowering a sealing surface onto the orifice. It usually has an internal spring that holds the valve in the closed position. When the spring force is overcome, the sealing surface lifts off the orifice and the valve opens.
It is commonly understood that nearly every pneumatic device creates a flow restriction in the system. But… By how much? The measurement and expression of that flow restriction is not always as straightforward as it may seem. This article outlines the common methods that manufacturers utilize to express flow capacity.
Clippard uses acrylic manifolds in a variety of standard and custom applications. Customers may be familiar with Clippard's "VA" pneumatic circuits, which use modular valves mounted on acrylic manifolds to create single-function pneumatic circuits.
Selecting the appropriate valve for any application is imperative to ensure proper direction of flow, flow rate, exhaust function, and even basic valve functionality. In pneumatics there are so many terms for valves that it can seem overwhelming. Knowledge of valve function, porting, and actuation is key to obtaining the correct valve for the application.
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Technical Sales Specialist Mike Kettering highlights some of the features and benefits of Clippard pinch valves and provides a demonstration of their versatility.
What is hysteresis? Is it important for your application? What effects could it have? Generally speaking, hysteresis is a lag in reaction to a force. It can be found everywhere—from physics and engineering to biology, chemistry, and even economics. In this article, we explain the fundamentals and complexities as we explore how hysteresis affects the proportional control of fluids.
Every solenoid valve has a nominal actuation voltage, which is usually based on common power supply voltages such as 12 VDC, 24 VDC, 110 VAC, or 220 VAC. The nominal voltage is typically printed somewhere on the valve body or coil and is the voltage required to actuate (shift) the valve. Applying less than the nominal voltage will result in undervoltage and may result in a slower "on" response time or the valve not actuating at all.
It's no surprise that the cleaner your valve is, the less it will leak. However, cleanliness is also important in other ways, such as for medical applications where fluid flowing through the valves may be entering a person's body or for applications in the food and beverage industry. In these cases, the valves must not only be cleaned of any particulate matter, but also of any harmful substances used in the normal machining or assembly process.
