3 Proven Practices to Extend the Life of Your Pneumatic Equipment
Pneumatic systems are critical to industries like manufacturing, material handling, agriculture, and packaging.
1. Control Contamination by Selecting the Right Filter
Contaminants like water, dirt, dust, and oil are common in compressed air systems and can cause damage over time. As air is compressed, these particles become more concentrated, increasing the risk of wear and system failure.
To prevent this, air preparation is essential. Selecting the right filter is just as important as having one in your system. Choosing a filter that’s too fine may increase pressure drop and strain your system. One that’s too large might not filter contaminants effectively.
Here’s a basic guide to filter types:
Match the filter type and micron rating to your application to maintain proper airflow, protect equipment, and minimize unplanned downtime. As contamination builds in the system, production efficiency decreases, and maintenance costs increase. Proper filtration is a critical first step in preventing these issues.
2. Stick to a Maintenance Schedule
Filters need to be replaced on a routine basis to stay effective. As filters collect contaminants, their ability to function properly decreases, leading to higher pressure drops and potential equipment issues.
Here are general guidelines for filter replacement:
Pressure drop indicators, found on both Excelon® and Excelon® Plus General Purpose and Coalescing filters, signal when replacement is needed. Also, using automatic drains is highly recommended. These prevent contaminants from building up and reentering the system, which helps keep the filtration process effective and reduces manual maintenance tasks.
3. Regulate Pressure
Running pneumatic systems at higher pressure does not mean better performance. In fact, excessive pressure can lead to premature wear and component failure.
Maintaining the right pressure helps save energy, lower costs, and improve system longevity.
Here are some additional suggestions to help regulate pressure effectively:
Air preparation plays a vital role in keeping your pneumatic equipment running efficiently and reliably. By staying ahead of contamination, selecting the right filters, following a maintenance schedule, and regulating pressure, you can extend the life of your system and avoid costly downtime.
These best practices make the difference between reactive repairs and long-term reliability. To learn more tips about optimizing your pneumatic equipment's air preparation system, watch our in-depth webinar.
Made from high-performance materials that meet NSF, FDA, and BfR standards, our valves are engineered to deliver leak-free performance essential for controlling cold, hot, and carbonated water, as well as steam and aggressive processes.
With our innovative design, we prevent limescale build-up for a more hygienic dispensing process, extend the life of dispense equipment, and reduce maintenance with our premium components.
Our small footprint and manifolding options also allow equipment manufacturers to simplify their designs, optimizing both fluid and electrical connections. Our valve manifolds can also be integrated with pressure and flow sensors to fully automate the central system providing essential feedback to the user on the fluidic system performance.
Visit our website: https://www.norgren.com/en
1. Control Contamination by Selecting the Right Filter
Contaminants like water, dirt, dust, and oil are common in compressed air systems and can cause damage over time. As air is compressed, these particles become more concentrated, increasing the risk of wear and system failure.
To prevent this, air preparation is essential. Selecting the right filter is just as important as having one in your system. Choosing a filter that’s too fine may increase pressure drop and strain your system. One that’s too large might not filter contaminants effectively.
Here’s a basic guide to filter types:
- General Purpose Filters (5–40 microns): Remove dirt, dust, and moisture
- Coalescing Filters (0.01 micron): Catch oil droplets
- Vapor Removal Filters: Eliminate oil vapor down to 0.003 mg/m³
Match the filter type and micron rating to your application to maintain proper airflow, protect equipment, and minimize unplanned downtime. As contamination builds in the system, production efficiency decreases, and maintenance costs increase. Proper filtration is a critical first step in preventing these issues.
2. Stick to a Maintenance Schedule
Filters need to be replaced on a routine basis to stay effective. As filters collect contaminants, their ability to function properly decreases, leading to higher pressure drops and potential equipment issues.
Here are general guidelines for filter replacement:
- General Purpose Filter: Replace every 6 to 12 months
- Coalescing Filter: Replace every 6 months
- Vapor Removal Filter: Replace after 1,000 hours of use
Pressure drop indicators, found on both Excelon® and Excelon® Plus General Purpose and Coalescing filters, signal when replacement is needed. Also, using automatic drains is highly recommended. These prevent contaminants from building up and reentering the system, which helps keep the filtration process effective and reduces manual maintenance tasks.
3. Regulate Pressure
Running pneumatic systems at higher pressure does not mean better performance. In fact, excessive pressure can lead to premature wear and component failure.
Maintaining the right pressure helps save energy, lower costs, and improve system longevity.
Here are some additional suggestions to help regulate pressure effectively:
- Use pressure regulators to maintain consistent pressure throughout the system.
- Install sensors to monitor and control pressure at key points.
- Lock regulator knobs to prevent accidental or unauthorized adjustments.
Air preparation plays a vital role in keeping your pneumatic equipment running efficiently and reliably. By staying ahead of contamination, selecting the right filters, following a maintenance schedule, and regulating pressure, you can extend the life of your system and avoid costly downtime.
These best practices make the difference between reactive repairs and long-term reliability. To learn more tips about optimizing your pneumatic equipment's air preparation system, watch our in-depth webinar.
Made from high-performance materials that meet NSF, FDA, and BfR standards, our valves are engineered to deliver leak-free performance essential for controlling cold, hot, and carbonated water, as well as steam and aggressive processes.
With our innovative design, we prevent limescale build-up for a more hygienic dispensing process, extend the life of dispense equipment, and reduce maintenance with our premium components.
Our small footprint and manifolding options also allow equipment manufacturers to simplify their designs, optimizing both fluid and electrical connections. Our valve manifolds can also be integrated with pressure and flow sensors to fully automate the central system providing essential feedback to the user on the fluidic system performance.
Visit our website: https://www.norgren.com/en