ABSTRACT
The "pneumatic automations" usually refers to the automation systems that base their operation on the utilization of pressurized air. The general area of pneumatic automations is very extensive, and thus this chapter focuses on the case of electro-pneumatic automations in detail, with the main emphasis on the final automation circuit. Pressurized air is produced from compressors, which are electromechanical machines that have the ability to pressurize the air into a metallic container under the desired operational pressure. In the case of single-acting cylinders, pressurized air is applied only on one of the sides of the cylinder and mechanical work is produced only in one direction during cylinder extension. The speed that the piston is translating in a pneumatic cylinder is a function of multiple parameters, resulting from the manufacture of the cylinder itself, or the control unit. Directional valves are devices that have the ability to control the direction of pressurized air in pneumatic installations.
