Pneumatic processes are standard practice in all sectors of industry. They also use a lot of energy, not least because compressed air is often wasted for various reasons. To remedy this situation and allow operators to benefit from other advantages, SMC has developed a new digital module for compressed air management with the Air Management System in ¼ to 1-inch connection sizes. Combining the regulator, hub and shut-off valve lets operators do more than simply monitor the pressure, temperature and flow of the air feed. By defining base parameters, operators can also make use of predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring, ultimately reducing compressed air consumption by up to 62%.
Compressed air is one of the most common energy sources in industry, and also one of the most expensive. That’s because only around 10% of the electricity used by an air compressor is supplied to the compressed air network in the form of effective output. This turns every cubic metre into a valuable asset and waste needs to be avoided. With this in mind, automation specialist SMC developed the new Air Management System in ¼ to 1-inch connection sizes. Above all, it helps to reduce compressed air consumption by up to 62%. In this respect, the digital module particularly impresses with its monitoring of pressure, temperature and flow as well as the programmable automatic pressure reduction and shut-off. PROFINET or EtherNet/IP can be used to connect to higher-level controllers. The integrated OPC UA server also supports operation entirely without a PLC while still benefiting from the Air Management System. What’s more, additional systems can be wirelessly integrated into the solution. This makes it quick to install and the system can be easily retrofitted, even in brownfield plants.
