The Development Of Pneumatic Valve Actuators
Pneumatic valve actuators are used to transform energy, typically that of compressed air. The motion that decompressing air produces can, by the application of a few fairly simple principles, be converted mechanically into linear or rotary motion, depending on the type of application intended.
Pneumatic valve actuators include grippers, rodless actuators with mechanical linkage, vacuum generators, rotary actuators, and even pneumatic artificial muscles. These last, the antecedents of which first started to appear in the mid 1950’s, have since evolved into the sophisticated air muscles found in the humaniform robot hands produced by Shadow in Britain. The Shadow Dextrous Hand can in principle reproduce any movement that the human hand can, though, as of this writing, it has only 42 motion pre-programmed into it at sale.
Valves can be either electromechanical or manual in terms of the ‘prime mover’ in the system. In the case of manual valves, the turning or linear motion required to open or close the valve is initiated by human intervention, or by some other, purely mechanical means. These are pretty much the kind of valve you’ll find in your home, in the gas and water conduits that make hygienic, civilized living possible. At the core, their desirability over electromechanically operated valves lies in their reliability. Indeed, one of the great things about hydraulic and pneumatic technologies, from the perspective of a factory owner or manager, is that these machines can continue to run for some time without the need for electricity, meaning that productivity can remain unaffected even with large-scale cuts in the energy-use budget of a manufacturer. .
The motion of an electromechanical pneumatic valve actuator, on the other hand, is initiated by means of a solenoid or other device used to produce a linear motion, which in turn drives open or closed a globe, diaphragm, gate or, in the case of a butterfly valve, a disk. Rotary motion pneumatic motors move those globes or disks a quarter turn (i.e. ninety degrees) between the open and closed positions.
There are a wide variety of types of pneumatic valve actuators. Piston valve actuators are considered to be a particularly dynamic type, as they’re good for both rotary and linear motion type valves. Link and lever actuators are typically conjoined to a slotted valve shaft, which translates the direct linear movement of a piston cylinder or diaphragm into rotary motion.
One of the most prominent manufacturers of actuators, Trutorq, a company that has been in operation for over three decades, has been known for the quality of its pneumatic valve actuators since 1985, when it released its first line of Regmatic pneumatic actuators. With its ISO 9000-approved processes and focus on producing both automated and manual actuators that are perfectly balanced and fine tuned for safety, durability and power, it’s not too hard to see why Trutorq continues to lay claim to a large share of the market, attracting customers from just about every industry with its lines of HD-type actuators and butterfly valves, as well as its C-type, E-type and S-type actuators.
