Fluid Power Journal

Partnering with Manufacturers to Achieve Energy Savings

SMC Corp. of America, a supplier of factory automation components, has been working with manufacturers for nearly a decade to reduce their compressed air …

Reducing Carbon Footprint with the Right Vacuum System

The most common vacuum technology for handling sealed materials today utilizes air-driven vacuum ejectors. The handling system is quite often based on a robot …

Problem: Standard Size Cylinder 3

Deadline past. Not available for submissions. Winner: Robert Justin Allison, CFPS, Butler, PA, Rotork Hiller Answered Correctly: George Fling, CFPS, Dallas, …

Problem: Pushing the Button

What will the cylinder do if the push button is pushed and held? What will the cylinder do if the push button is pushed and released with a 50-psi load on the …

Problem: Necessary Pressure

If the rotary actuator has four 4″ diameter cylinders as shown, what would be the necessary pressure to rotate the shaft with a torque of 5000 lb. in.? …

Problem: Size an Air Compressor and Receiver

A company has a machine that uses 50 cfm at 100 psi. Size an air compressor in SCFM that will have a duty cycle of 40%. Then size an air receiver in gallons …

Designing and Building a Machine for Energy Conservation

(and Convincing a Customer it is Worth it!) Machine builders and their customers are often at odds over machine pricing and how to address the costs associated …

Problem: Sheet Metal Shear

This month’s problem is to convert a manually operated sheet metal shear to operate on pneumatics. Looking at the diagram, you will see the placement of the …

Problem: Standard Size Cylinder

The figure shows a door to open with an air cylinder pushing at a 45-degree angle. The door is 48 inches high and weighs 100 pounds. It needs to open 90 …

Problem: Size An Accumulator

Size an accumulator that will supply the total flow to a cylinder for one cycle in and out. Give the answer in gallons. Given information: 4″ x 20″ …