Manufacturing Automation Engineering

[MME 2256]

Dr. Gururaj Bolar

Assistant Professor – Selection Grade
Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
Flow control valves:
• The operational speed of an actuator is determined by the fluid flow
rate

• Speed control in the pneumatic system (actuator) can be brought by

means of flow control valve.

• Done by constricting or throttling a flow passage so that part of the

air supply is obstructed in the area of constriction.

• Flow control valves are available in two modes

i. Fixed flow control

ii. Variable flow control

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Fixed flow control valves:
• Air flows through a constricted passage

• In fixed flow controlling, the control passage is not adjustable

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Variable flow control valves:
• In variable control valve, an adjustable control needle is positioned
at any place of the flow passage to regulate the flow as per need of
flow quantity.
• Used when there is a need of infinite speeds of cylinders and motors
or where a cylinder or motor is to run at constant speed under
changing loads.
• Done by screwing a taper needle inside the control passage to vary
flow configuration in comparison to requirements.

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Air throttling:
• The speed of a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator can be controlled by
adjusting the rate at which a fluid is admitted to, or allowed out from,
a device.

• This requires the inclusion of a check valve.

• A restriction check valve (often called a throttle relief valve in

pneumatics) allows full flow in one direction and a reduced flow in
the other direction.

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Throttle valves:
• A restriction check valve (often called a throttle relief valve in
pneumatics)

• Allows full flow in one direction - air can flow freely through the
opened check valve

• Reduced flow in the other direction – check valve closed

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Air throttling:
• Fundamentally, there are two types of throttling circuits for double-
acting cylinders:

• Supply air throttling

• Exhaust air throttling

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 Supply air throttling:
• In supply air throttling the one-way flow control valves are installed
so that the air entering the cylinder is throttled.

• Exhaust air can escape freely through the check valve of the throttle
valve on the outlet side of the cylinder.

• A load in the direction of movement of the

cylinder accelerates the cylinder beyond the
set value.

• Therefore supply air throttling can be used for

single-acting and small volume cylinders.

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Exhaust air throttling:
• In case of exhaust air throttling the one-way flow control valves are
installed so that the air exiting the cylinder is throttled and

• Air can enter freely through the check valve of the throttle valve into
the cylinder.

• Thus, arranging throttle relief

valves in this way contributes
substantially to the
improvement of the feed
behaviour.

• Cushion effect – used with

double acting cylinder

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Time delay valve:
• Pneumatic time delay valves are used to delay operations where
time-based sequences are required.

• Similar in construction to a 3/2 way pilot-operated valve, but the

space above the main valve is comparatively large and pilot air is
only allowed in via a flow reducing needle valve.

• There is thus a time

delay between
application of pilot
pressure to port X
and the valve
operation

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Time delay valve:
• The time delay is adjusted by the needle valve setting.

• The built-in check valve causes the reservoir space above the valve
to vent quickly when pressure at X is removed to give no delay off.

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Time delay valve:
• The compressed air is supplied to the valve at connection P.

• The control air flows into the valve at X through a one-way flow control valve
and depending on the setting of the throttling screw, a greater or lesser
amount of air flows per unit of time into the air reservoir.

• When the necessary control pressure has built up in the air reservoir, the
pilot spool of the 3/2-way valve is moved.

• This allows flow from P to A.

• The time required for pressure

to build up in the air reservoir is
equal to the control time delay
of the valve.
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Fast exhaust valve:
• Used to vent cylinders quickly.

• Used with spring return (single-acting) pneumatic cylinders.

• Consists of a movable disc

which allows port A to be
connected to pressure port P or
large exhaust port R.

• Fast exhaust valves are usually

mounted local to, or directly
onto, cylinders and speed up
response by avoiding any delay
from return pipes and control
valves 13
THANK YOU

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