的electric motor may be the most common source of mechanical power in modern industrial environments, but that doesn’t make it the best setup for every application. Air motors are simple and won’t overheat if stopped under load … Plus they can be specified to meet motion requirements without necessitating complex controls.
ByDavid Lockett|Managing director atHuco Dynatork
Amid the buzz surrounding the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Industry 4.0, it’s easy to discount the effect of technologies that’ve powered earlier industrial transformations. Factories of the original Industrial Revolution were driven first by water and then by steam. Then they we driven by the Second Revolution and mass production — enabled by electricity (and especially the electric motor) to free industrial engineers from reliance on cumbersome line-shaft installations (and their factory ceilings full of belts) with controllable mechanical power delivered anywhere it was required. Well, almost anywhere.
Though electric motors remain the prime mover of choice in most industries, there are numerous applications for which electric-motor use is difficult, expensive, or even hazardous.
A simpler and safer alternative in many such applications is use of motors powered by compressed air. Air doesn’t ignite flammable atmospheres or contaminate most products. It’s easily distributed through low-cost pipework and in most production environments is already used and readily available. What’s more, air motors are often smaller than comparable electric motors, which is beneficial in compact machinery.
Huco的Dynatork空气电动机很安静，并以0至800 rpm或更高的速度运行，同时将扭矩传递至15 nm无齿轮。电动机配备铝，不锈钢和乙酰版本。来自Huco Dynatork的活塞型空气电动机的能源效率也高出四倍，是Vane风格的空气电动机。
Typical air-motor installations include machines subject to humid or wet conditions that can cause corrosion in electric motors. Air motors also work when submerged .. and excel in harsh washdown environments, as they can withstand high-pressure water and cleaning solvents. Air motors also withstand installation inside vibrating equipment. Still another application is in explosive atmospheres where sparks generated by motors (and their associated switchgear) present unacceptable risk of ignition.
在这些应用中，工业工程师通常必须采用替代技术。例如，在某些情况下，他们可能会将电动机安装在安全的距离之外，然后使用轴和机械传输组件将电源馈送到需要的位置。
A list of the most common air motor applications includes paint mixers and agitators, paint shop automation drives, conveyor drives, winding and unwinding systems, oilfield down-well cable and hose reel tensioning, and back flush filter drives. Food packaging machinery is also a common application where compact air motors can precisely start and stop rolls of printed plastic bags used to package meat, poultry, and cheese. Air motors also run axes in packaging machines that fill precision-metered quantities of sauces into pouches.
Two air motor technologies
现代航空发动机两种技术之一。的first — vane motors — operate like turbines with bladed wheels that spin in the flow of air induced by a pressure gradient between the motor housing’s inlet and outlet. Most vane motors run at high speed and produce low torque, especially when rotating more slowly than their design speed. That makes them most common in applications needing relatively narrow rpm ranges.
Much like a diesel or gas engine, piston air motors use reciprocating pistons to turn a central shaft. They generate maximum torque at startup so improve the performance of applications that necessitate frequent stops and starts — especially under load. In contrast, if a brake holds an ac or dc electric motor, that motor is at risk of quickly burning out. Under such braking, an air motor will simply stop and then seamlessly operate again upon brake release.
Huco Dynatork活塞气电机通常安装在汽车油漆线上。空气电动机安装在油漆搅拌器的顶部，以保持恒定的搅拌器玻璃杯。反过来，这使得表面表面效果更好，运行成本较低，以及更安静的操作。
Efficiency of air motors (and the two main variations)
空气电动机的效率远不如其电动机。但是，在空气电动机是必不可少的地方，活塞空气电动机的效率高于叶轮型空气电动机。这是因为它们表现出更少的空气泄漏。最终，总体电动机效率取决于压缩机的空气供应的完整性。活塞电动机的消耗量比具有相似动力输出的叶轮设计少80％。
Nearly instantaneous stop-start-reverse also allows very accurate control of the rotary position of the shaft, which is suitable for indexing applications or other automation tasks where precision is required.
Air-motor installation considerations
适当的空气电机操作的最高要求是稳定的压缩空气供应。可靠的压缩机通常是最佳来源，但是电动机也可以从压缩气缸中运行。空气应通过标准的在线过滤器过滤，气压通常在4至6 bar之间。也就是说，有些型号的压力可以降低到1 bar。
Air motors can operate with or without lubrication in the air. Tip: Applications that rely on cleanliness (such as paint sprayers) always need clean and unlubricated air.
的simplicity of air motors and their air-supply systems (compared to electric-drive equivalents) makes installation and maintenance easy. The motors are also lightweight and compact so it’s possible to lift and maneuver during routine maintenance. Connecting and disconnecting the air supply is straightforward.
考虑一些制造商的空气电动机如何将0到800 rpm的速度和扭矩超过800 rpm，至15 nm无齿轮。一些电动机配备了铝，不锈钢或乙酸盐……后两种选择适合于苛刻的洗涤环境（由于它们对苛性酸和氯化消毒剂的高度耐药性），而乙酸则特别适合用于食品和饮料加工。
HUCO向全球汽车制造商使用的自动油漆亭系统的主要建造者提供空气电机。电动机在垂直安装的驱动系统上工作，该系统通过蠕虫变速箱连接起来，以驱动将涂有油漆容器的旋转木马驱动到喷涂机器人。系统构建器使用空气电动机在停止启动的情况下立即获得高扭矩，即使以800 rpm的速度也是如此。空气电动机在这里也很合适，因为电动机产生的火花将在潜在的爆炸油漆亭环境中呈现出重点的重大风险。照片：Istock
Because air motors don’t directly depend on electricity, they don’t generate electromagnetic fields when running. Special motors produced without magnetic components are used in a number of specialized applications, including MRI scanners, scientific equipment and military applications that must eliminate electromagnetic emissions.
实际上，即使经过数十年的技术，活塞空气电动机都满足了行业4.0自动化需求 - 具有高智能可控性（使用气动传感器或电子传感器的反馈），因此可以通过当今的远程监视和控件提供连接。
Huco Dynatork |www.huco.com
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Filed Under:TECHNOLOGIES + PRODUCTS,Manufacturing,Gears • gearheads • speed reducers,Pneumatic equipment + components
