Introduction to Industrial Automation

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Chapter 5

Elements of Electro-

Pneumatic Components

5.1   Introduction to Electro-Pneumatic Components

The term “pneumatic automations” usually refers to the automation systems that base their opera-

tion on the utilization of pressurized air. Pressurized air, even if it is a carrier of low energy, has a 

number of significant properties that make its utilization extremely popular in multiple industrial 

applications. For the use of pressurized air in industrial automation, the most commonly oper-

ated devices are pressurized air flow regulators, widely known as pneumatic valves and pneumatic 

actuators, which are devices that transform the energy of pressurized air in motion. In cases where 

the energizing of air flow valves is performed by the utilization of electrical solenoids, these pneu-

matic systems are called electro-pneumatic automations.

The general area of pneumatic automations is very extensive, and thus the aim of this chapter 

is to cover the case of electro-pneumatic automations in detail, with the main emphasis on the 

final automation circuit.