Pneumatic Fittings

 Many times, when we think about or see a factory assembly line where many of the products we find in stores are actually created, we may tend to imagine a long line of fast hands tinkering, turning, screwing, and inspecting the many parts and components that eventually come together to make a finished product. While that might have been true years ago it's only really found in historical fiction these days. Today things are far different. In most cases modern manufacturing and assembly systems take full advantage of automated assembly equipment using pneumatics.

With production requirements set by the demand for many products, speed, accuracy, and safety are tantamount when it comes to virtually any robotic assembly system. In most cases pneumatic systems are used as opposed to electronic systems not simply because they are quiet and efficient, but because they are capable of generating more power and torque as well. Today, types of pneumatic equipment cover applications ranging from assembly to construction, and include tools such as impact wrenches, air grippers, and jackhammers.

For the purpose of this article, we will primarily consider pneumatic air tools in the context of the assembly environment with a focus on one of the critical components that keeps pneumatic systems performing as they should: pneumatic air fittings.

So, what are pneumatic fittings?

Pneumatic air fittings are typically used to connect a hose assembly or pneumatic component to a port or adapter. They are manufactured with a high degree of quality and precision in order to meet and often exceed the many stringent industrial quality requirements in place, including SAE, ISO, JIS, DOT, and DIN standards.

Because pneumatic fittings are responsible for timely directing the proper amount of compressed air where it needs to go, choosing the right fitting is essential. This leads to an extremely wide variety of sizes and shapes. These often include everything from straight fittings and elbow fittings to more complex cross fittings, branch fittings, valves, and more. In addition to being identified by their general shape or function, air fittings are identified by their compression style, how they connect, their material make-up, and how they are "barbed". All of these various factors must be considered when new air fittings are being selected to ensure the best possible connection and long-term performance. Without the proper pneumatic fittings, applications suffer from reduced power, torque, and efficiency - minimizing the benefit delivered by pneumatic systems in the first place.