What a Typical Pneumatic System Looks Like

The following picture represents a typical pneumatic system.

As we go through this course, we will break down each component in this system and talk about what each component does. Each component has a particular job, and without each component doing their job, you cannot have a good operating pneumatic system.

The Components

All pneumatic systems consist of 5 basic components:

- Power Input Device - This is the pump that provides pneumatic power to the system. In pneumatics, this pump is called an "air compressor". The air compressor draws air from the atmosphere, compresses it, and pushes it into the supply line.
- Control Devices - Valves control direction, pressure, and flow rate of the pressurized air of the pneumatic system.
- Power Output Device - This is where the pneumatic power is converted to mechanical power. These output devices are called actuators. Two types of actuators are motors and cylinders. The motor creates rotary motion as the air flows through it. The cylinder creates straight-line motion when air flows into it.
- Conductors - To transmit the air, conductors (pipes, tubes, or hoses) are needed. The main line in a pneumatic system is called the supply line. The supply line provides a flow of air to the actuators. The air leaving the actuators is exhausted to the atmosphere.
- Gas - This is our power conducting medium. Typically, this is air from the atmosphere, but other gases are sometimes used.

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