Electro pneumatics

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 Contents

1) Introduction
2) Basic components of basic electropneumatics
 Power supply
 Manually actuated switches
 Sensors
 Solenoid operated valves
 Relays
 PLC

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 1. Introduction

 Electro pneumatic system = electronics +

pneumatics system
 Combined in a way that results an integrated system.
 Application area
– Widely used for large number of applications.
– Commonly used in many areas of industrial low
cost automation.
– Found extensively in production, assembly,
pharmaceutical, chemical and packaging
systems.
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 Advantages of electro pneumatic controllers

Electropneumaticcontrollers have the following advantages

over pneumatic control systems:
Higher reliability (fewer moving parts subject to wear)
Lower planning and commissioning effort, particularly for
complex controls
Lower installation effort, particularly when modern
components such as valve terminals are used
Simpler exchange of information between several controllers

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 Components

 Electro pneumatic system consists of electronic system

controlling and operating pneumatic power systems.
 It involves basically the following components
– Solenoid valves are used as interface between the
electrical and pneumatic systems.
– Electrical switches/pushbuttons are used for as
an input component.
 Electrical limit switches and proximity
sensors are used as feedback elements.
– Electrical relays or PLCs are used as a signal
processor.
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 Voltage level

 In electropneumatic systems
– The signal medium or the control signal is
electrical and uses either of
 DC source - Operating voltages commonly
12V/24V
 AC source – Commonly 110/220 V
– Working medium is compressed air.

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 Relay vs. PLC

 There is a significant change in controls systems.

– Relays have increasingly been replaced by PLCs in
order to meet the growing demand for more flexible
automation.
– PLC offers a whole series of inherent advantages
such as
 Greater reliability and longer service life
 Faster control development
 Simpler monitoring of stations
 Less project planning work

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 Pneumatic vs. electropneumatic

 The greatest advantage of electropneumatics over the

pneumatic system are:
– The integration of various types of proximity
sensors and PLC for very effective control.
– As the signal speed with electrical signal, can be
much higher, cycle time can be reduced and signal
can be conveyed over long distances.

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 Pneumatic control system versus Electro pneumatic control system

 In contrast to a purely pneumatic control system,

electro pneumatic controllers
 are not shown in any single overall circuit diagram,
but in two separate circuit diagrams - one for the
electrical part and one for the pneumatic part.
 For this reason, signal flow is not immediately clear
from the arrangement of the components in the
overall circuit diagram.

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  In a pneumatic control pneumatic components are used, that is,
various types of valves, sequencers, air barriers, etc.
 In an electro-pneumatic control the signal control section is
made up of a electrical components, for example with electrical
input buttons,proximity switches, relays, or a programmable
logic controller.
 The directional control valves form the interface between the
signal control section and the pneumatic power section in both
types of controller.

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 2. Basic components in
electropneumatics

 The basic electrical devices commonly used in the

control of fluid power systems are:
– Power supply
– Manually actuated switches
– Sensors
 Limit switches and proximity sensors
 Pressure to electric (PE) converters or switches
– Solenoid operated valves
– Electrical relays, timers, counters
– PLCs
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 Power supply

 Low voltage is the

operating voltage
range of electronic
control system. The
standard operating
voltage are a 12/24V
DC and 110/130 or
220/230 V AC.
 The power module of
DL 0405 PTS
provide 24V DC
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 Manually actuated switches

 There are two types based on the operating mechanism:

– Pushbutton operated with spring return and
– Pushbutton operated with detent mechanism.
 They can be classified into
– Single pole single throw (SPST) switch and
– Single pole double throw (SPDT) switch (change over
switch).
 Depending on their operation/action they can be
classified into
– Break switch (normally closed) or
– Make switch (normally open).
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 Manually actuated switches

 Their standard symbols

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 Manually actuated switches

 The pushbutton module DL 0405 PTS and its symbol

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 Position sensors

 For sensing the position of pneumatic piston rod we can

use
 Mechanical position sensor commonly called limit switch
and
 Non-contact sensors commonly called proximity
switch such as
– magnetic,
– inductive,
– capacitive and
– optical sensors.

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 Limit switches

 Any switch that is actuated due to the position of a fluid

power component (usually a piston rod or hydraulic
motor shaft or the position of load).
– I.e. a limit switch is actuated when a machine part or
workplace is in a certain position. Normally, actuation
is effected by a cam.
 The actuation of a limit switch provides an electrical
signal that causes an appropriate system response.
– I.e. limit switches perform the same function as push
button switches. Push buttons are manually
actuated whereas limit switches are mechanically
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 Limit switches- structure and
symbol

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 Limit switches

 Limit switches are normally change over contacts. They

can then be connected – as required- as a normally
open contact, normally closed contact or change
over contact as shown in figure below.

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 Pressure switches
 Pneumatic-electric signal
converter.
 Used to sense a change in
pressure, and opens or closes
an electrical switch when a
predetermined pressure is
reached.
 Bellow or diaphragm is used to
sense the change of pressure.
They expand or contract in
response to increase or
decrease of pressure.
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 Pressure switches

 FESTO: Analog pressure  DL 0405 PTS: Digital

sensor pressure switch

P1

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 Solenoid operated valves

 Electrically actuated directional control valves form the

interface between the two parts of an electropneumatic
control. Their task is switching supply air on or off thus
extending and retracting the cylinder drives.
– They are switched with the aid of solenoids, thus called solenoid
operated valves.
 They can be divided into two groups:
– Single acting valves - only remain in the actuated position as long
as current flows through the solenoid otherwise the spring returns
it to the initial or original position.
– Double acting valves - retain the last switched position even
when no current flows through the solenoid. They (two position)
have no clear initial position, as they do not have a return spring.
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 Solenoid operated valves

 The DL 0405 PTS solenoid valves

 5/2 way single solenoid valve

 5/2 way double solenoid valve

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 Relays

 The entire signal processing needs of an

electropneumatic control system can be implemented
with relays.
 Even though, now a days PLCs are replacing them they
are still in use in industries especially in emergency stop
switching device and system.
 The principal advantages of relay control systems are
– the clarity of their design and
– ease of understanding their mode of operation.

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 Relays – structure and operations

 They are an electromagnetically actuated switch.

 When a voltage is applied to the solenoid coil, an
electromagnet field results.
 This causes the armature to be attracted to the coil core.
 The armature actuates the relay contacts, either
closing or opening them, depending on the design.
 A return spring returns the armature to its initial position
when the current to the coil is interrupted.
 A relay coil can switch one or more contacts.

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 Relays- structure

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 Relays

 DL 0405 PTS relay module and symbol

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 Relays with delay (Timer)

 In many applications it is necessary for the piston of a

pneumatic cylinder to remain at a certain position for a
set length of time.
 There are control systems which are purely affected by
time or combination of path scanning and time. This is
the case for the drive of a pressing machine, for example,
which presses two workpieces together until the adhesive
has set.
 Thus control systems which are assigned a particular
timing sequence must be equipped with electrical time
delay relays.
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 Relays with delay (Timer)- types

 Time-delay relays, which are usually electronic time

relays nowadays, have two basic types of timed
response. They are referred to as
– On-delay timer- time-delay relays with energizing or
switch-on delay and
– Off-delay timer- de-energizing or switch-off delay

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 On-delay timers

 Their timing diagram

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 Off- delay timers

 Their timing diagram

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 DL 0405 PTS timer module (and its
symbol

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