eHANDBOOK

How to select
pneumatic valves
and actuators
 www.controldesign.com

How to select pneumatic

valves and actuators
Handle with care: PLC-controlled pick-and-place machine can’t
damage fragile parts in the event of an air dump

By Mike Bacidore, editor in chief

A Control Design reader asks: We are adding a pneumatic pick-and-place to a machine as

part of an upgrade to automatically load the parts. The pick-and-place mechanism replaces
a manual operation on a six-second-cycle-rate machine, picking and placing a small, fragile
plastic part.

The pick-and-place mechanism consists of a horizontal pneumatic actuator, vertical pneu-

matic actuator and pneumatic gripper actuator, each with end-of-travel sensors, that will
be controlled by a small PLC. I’m a bit confused about what type of pneumatic valves I
should use to control the mechanism. Single solenoid vs. double solenoid, two-position vs.
three-position, center exhaust vs. center pressure are clouding my decisions. What do you
recommend I use for each actuator? To complicate the selection process even more, I’m
concerned that dumping air under an emergency will cause the mechanism to lower and
damage the fragile part, so I am looking at ways to minimize this scenario.

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 2


ANSWERS
KNOW THE CENTER
The machine designer is
adding a pick-and-place
robot to his machine and is
confused about the type of
pneumatic valves he needs
to use. The machine has
three actuators—a horizon-
tal actuator, a vertical actu-
ator and a gripper. The ma-
chine will be controlled with
a small PLC and will have
end-of-travel sensors on the
actuators. Cycle time on the
machine is six seconds, and
one of the concerns is that
dumping air might damage
the part. When designing
any machine, there will al-
ways be more than one way
to design it, and there will
be many different options
of what to use. The machine
designer is confused about
all of the options available
with the pneumatic valves,
and he mentions three dif-
ferent parts of a pneumatic
valve, the solenoids, the
positions and the exhaust
and is wondering which to
use in his application. The
pneumatic valve directs air
into the pneumatic actua-
www.controldesign.com
Double Solenoid, 4-Way, 3-Position Directional Valve
Spool
Solenoid Spring EA A P B EB Spring Solenoid
Ports: P – Pressure
A – Work Port
B – Work Port
(Source: Womack Machine)
EA – Exhaust A
EB – Exhaust B
THREE-POSITION VALVE
Figure 1: When the solenoid on the left actuates, it pushes the
spool to the right and air will flow from Port P to Port A and from
Port B to Port EB, which will either extend or retract the pneumat-
ic actuators on the machine.
tors so that actuator will will flow from Port P to Port
extend and retract. The A and from Port B to Port
valve controls the air by EB, which will either extend
a spool in the valve and is or retract the pneumatic
moved by an armature that actuators on the machine.
is controlled with a coil. The When both solenoids are
armature-and-coil combi- turned off, the springs cen-
nation is called a solenoid. ter the spool and block all
Figure 1 shows a cutaway of the ports from air flow.
view of a four-way, three-
position directional valve To turn this valve into a
with double solenoids. two-position valve, a so-
When the solenoid on the lenoid and a spring are
left actuates, it pushes the removed; now, the valve
spool to the right and air is either flowing from Port
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 3
 www.controldesign.com

P to Port A and Port B to Single Solenoid, 4-Way, 2-Position Directional Valve

Port EB or flowing from Spool

Port P to Port B and Port

A to Port EA (Figure 2).
The difference between the
two-position valve and the
Solenoid Not Energized
three-position valve is that,
on a three-position valve,
two outputs will be required

(SOURCE: WOMACK MACHINE)

from the PLC and the valve
can be turned off, whereas
the two-position valve will
always be actuated with
either the solenoid or the
spring. On this application, Solenoid Energized
a two-position valve could
be used for the horizontal TWO-POSITION VALVE
Figure 2: The difference between the two-position valve and the
pneumatic actuator and the
three-position valve is that, on a three-position valve, two outputs
gripper actuator, and this will be required from the PLC and the valve can be turned off,
whereas the two-position valve will always be actuated with either
will save outputs on the
the solenoid or the spring.
PLC. However, the vertical
actuator may need a three- Vertical Acuator

position valve. There was a Horizontal Acuator

concern about the mecha- Gripper Acuator

nism lowering and damag-

ing the fragile part; if the
machine had to be stopped,
Single Solenoid Double Solenoid
the three position valve 4-way Valve 4-way Valve
2-position 3-position
could “center,” blocking all
of the ports to the actuator
and stopping it from falling Flow Controls

and damaging the part.

Air Supply

The last concern was PNEUMATIC SCHEMATIC

Figure 3: A proposed pneumatic schematic for the pick-and-place
whether to use center
addition of the machine.
exhaust or center pres-

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 4


sure; this is referring to the ports. The
center pressure port valve is the most
common, and the advantage to using it
over the center exhaust is that meter-out
flow controls can be installed in the dual
exhaust ports and can be used to control
the speed of the pneumatic actuators. A
center exhaust valve’s advantage is it can
have dual pressures going into the valve.
A center pressure valve can be converted
to a center exhaust valve, if the valve
can have pressure on ports EA and EB;
this converts the valve from a four-way
valve to a five-way valve. In the machine’s
design a center pressure port would be
recommended. Figure 3 shows a proposed
pneumatic schematic for the pick-and-
place addition of the machine.
Kent Darnell, CFPAI, CFPHS
business unit leader, hands-on training department
Womack Machine Supply, Farmers Branch, Texas
www.womack-machine.com
SAFETY-DRIVEN SELECTION
We can narrow your design options fairly
easily. However, while the application
is fairly straightforward, there are a few
design criteria that you did not call out
in your submission. These will need to be
addressed before a final design can be
determined. The primary additional con-
cern is human interaction with the equip-
ment and how that relates to operator and
maintenance personnel safety. To begin,
we can look at what we do know about
your question.
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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First, we should look at the basic pneu-
matic components that will be required.
You are designing a three-axis, pick-and-
place machine using one horizontal and
one vertical axis with a pneumatic gripper
on the end of the vertical axis. In order to
control this machine, you will need two
travel cylinders and one pneumatic grip-
per. For control you should use one valve
per cylinder controlled by the machine
PLC. This is where your question comes
into play: What types of valves should be
selected? You ask about two-position and
three-position valves, single and double
actuators and center configurations. Let us
look at the number of valve positions.
Both two-position and three-position
valves will work in this application, but
the behavior of the machine will differ
depending upon your design choices.
The major difference that you will experi-
ence is in the two travel axes. The two-
position valves will allow you to control
the direction of travel (up and down or
forward and back) but will not allow you
to stop the equipment midstroke of the
cylinder through PLC control. In other
words, once you start a cylinder in motion
it will travel to the end stop of that axis
unless you shut off air to the machine.
A three-position valve will allow you to
stop midstroke. From a normal opera-
tion perspective, this may not seem like a
problem until you take human safety into
consideration.
5

The second part of the question is whether
a single- or double-solenoid valve (single-
acting or double-acting) is better for this ap-
plication. The number of solenoids on a valve
determines how the equipment will behave
when the PLC output turns off. Standard
valve design will give you a one- or two-
solenoid option for two-position valves, but
three-position valves typically require two
solenoids. A single-acting valve will use a
PLC output to initiate travel in one direction
when the PLC output is turned on. When
the PLC output is turned off, the cylinder
will return to the original position. A double-
acting, two-position valve will initiate travel
in one direction with the first PLC output. To
reverse direction of travel, the first output
is turned off and a second output turned
on. If the valve is three-position, turning off
both outputs will cause the valve to shift to
the center position. These differences can
be very important when it comes to human
safety and machine interaction. A common
safety-circuit design involves cutting output
power to control devices in the event of an
emergency stop or safety gate entry. The
loss of output power is the same as turning
off an output. Therefore, using a single act-
ing valve can result in unintentional move-
ment as a result of using a safety device
intended to stop equipment movement.
The final two parts of your question revolve
around what type of center configuration
to use if you select a three-position valve.
You would like to protect a fragile part
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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from damage while also controlling motion
of the machine correctly. This is where we
get back to the missing design criteria that
I mentioned earlier. You should look at the
possible human interaction with the equip-
ment before making this determination. A
pressure-center or closed-center valve will
give you the most protection for your part,
but it can also leave a person trapped in a
pinch point with the actuator under pres-
sure. An exhaust center will almost cer-
tainly drop your part, but it would prevent
a person being trapped under pressure. It
would also create the potential for the verti-
cal axis to drop creating a pinch point from
a gravity-stored potential energy hazard. As
you do not specify the size of the parts or
actuators, it is difficult to recommend the
appropriate blend of part protection and
human safety without additional informa-
tion. If the machine is large and carrying
heavy parts to or from a human worksta-
tion, you would choose differently than if
the machine is lightweight, well-protected
and isolated by safety devices and distance
and has no direct human interaction.
Obviously, it is not possible to give you the
completed design specification from the
information contained within your question.
However, based on what I already covered,
I can make a few recommendations. First,
understand the safety impact and make
that your primary driver of design selection.
Second, double-acting valves will give you
more control of the equipment under ab-
6

normal situations than single-acting valves.
Finally, closed or pressure center valves
will help to protect your part, but they may
introduce a safety concern.
Chico Marks
maintenance manager
Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA), Lafayette, Indiana
www.subaru-sia.com
MAKE IT A FOUR-WAY
Double-solenoid, four-way valves would be
the best consideration for these double-
acting cylinders used in pick-and-place
mechanisms. An answer for the vertical
actuators and gripper, considering the need
to control emergency loss of air, would be
to use double-solenoid, four-way, three-
position, all-ports-blocked center valves.
When air pressure is lost, the valve will
center and block exhausting air. Depending
upon the position of the vertical cylinders
in the stroke, some residual motion may oc-
cur; however it should be much slower than
normal speed. Also, this motion may be due
to cylinder-piston area differential and pos-
sible leakage at fittings or components.
George Edwards
chief engineer
Fabco-Air
www.fabco-air.com
LET’S EXPLORE THE OPTIONS
The selection of pneumatic components, in
this case valves, typically comes down to
a few key points about the individual ap-
plication. It is these key points that help to
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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narrow down the selection from a vast ar-
ray of possibilities to one that will achieve
the specific machine actions required by
the application.
As a starting point for this example, a wide
variety of solenoid-operated valves can be
chosen to operate a two-axis pick-and-place
machine operated by a PLC. However, it is
the specific requirement that the fragile part
not be dropped or damaged under a loss of
power that guides the valve selection.
Our logic for valve selection for this appli-
cation involves a few steps. First, making
the assumption that the pneumatic cylin-
ders are both double-acting cylinders the
reader should focus on four-way valves,
which are typically used to control double-
acting cylinders.
Second, we need to consider the require-
ment to hold position under a loss of elec-
tric power or pneumatic pressure. Pilot-op-
erated, single-solenoid valves with a spring
return will shift to the default state under
spring pressure in the event that supply
pressure is lost. This is sometimes desirable
for safety purposes, but in this application
the downstream pressure would vent back-
ward through the valve to atmosphere, and
this could cause the gripper to lose holding
pressure on the part and the vertical-axis
cylinder could drop under the force of grav-
ity. Therefore we should focus on double-
solenoid valves.
7

As you might expect, double-solenoid
valves are available in a number of configu-
rations.
Two-position double-solenoid valves work
similarly to single-solenoid valves, but
the most common of these have a “de-
tented” function. When either solenoid is
energized, even momentarily, the valve
will shift and remain in position even after
electrical and pneumatic power are lost.
For example, applying a four-way, double-
solenoid valve to a double-acting actua-
tor would permit the reader to “extend”
the cylinder by momentarily energizing
one solenoid and “retract” the cylinder by
momentarily energizing the other. With no
further electrical inputs the cylinder would
remain in its last position and the valve
would continue to feed supply pressure
to one “side” of the cylinder. This function
allows the user to reduce power consump-
tion by energizing a solenoid for a short
time; a single-solenoid valve would need to
be energized continuously to remain in po-
sition. In the event of a pressure loss, how-
ever, two-position, double-solenoid valves
would also vent pressure from the cylinder
back to atmosphere, even though the valve
may not shift. So, in this case, a two-posi-
tion valve is not the right selection.
Three-position, double-solenoid valves
generally have internal springs that cause
the valve to default to the “center” posi-
tion in the event of a pressure or power
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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loss. There are three common options for
the function of the default/center posi-
tion: Closed center (all ports blocked),
exhaust center (both cylinder ports vent
to atmosphere at the valve) and pres-
sure center (supply pressure is fed to
both cylinder ports). In this case, the user
should select a closed-center valve for
this application as it would hold pressure
in the cylinders in the event of a pressure
loss. Therefore, the cylinders would stay
in position. Unlike two-position, double-
solenoid valves, three-position, double-
solenoid valves require that the control
system energize one or the other solenoid
continuously to stay shifted. When applied
to a double-acting cylinder, energizing
one solenoid continuously would “extend”
the cylinder while energizing the other
solenoid continuously would “retract” the
cylinder. If control power is lost, the cyl-
inder would hold position. If supply pres-
sure is lost while control power is off, the
cylinder would hold position.
Taking this all into account, the proper
valve style to achieve the stated goals for
this application would be a four-way, three-
position, double-solenoid valve with internal
springs which will cause the valve to default
to the closed-center position in the event of
loss of electrical power or system pressure.
Jerry Scherzinger
product marketing manager—pneumatics
Bimba
www.bimba.com
8

WORK BACKWARD
The best part about industrial pneumatics is
that there is rarely ever a time that there is
only one solution to the task at hand. There
are several ways to achieve the control you
are looking for, each with its own advan-
tages and disadvantages. I will share with
you one solution I have thought of, but by
no means is it the only way to do what you
are trying to accomplish with this pick-and-
place unit.
First off, I will be making a few assumptions
about your controls and system to build a
functional parameter set for my decisions in
valve selection and controls.
In any system, we look at the desired func-
tion, start with the actuators and work our
way backward through the system. Most
pneumatic cylinders are double acting, as in
they have ports on the cap and rod end to
extend and retract the cylinder. These cyl-
inders provide the ability to stop at points
intermediate between full extension and re-
traction. If that is a desired function, that is
where a three-position valve is used, which
allows the air flow to extend the cylinder
with one position, hold a neutral position
with the center position and retract the
cylinder with the third position. That is the
highest level of non-proportional control
over a cylinder. If certain functionality is not
needed, we can simplify the valving accord-
ingly. If you only need extension and full
retraction, a two-position valve can be used.
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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The resting position of the valve, instead of
being a neutral position, is driving the cyl-
inder to an extended or retracted position.
This is convenient when your motion profile
is binary (fully extended/fully retracted). If
you wish to hold these positions, you can
use a friction-hold, dual-solenoid valve to
do so. If you want a cylinder to default to a
set position, you can plumb the valve.
Since the function of a pick-and-place leans
toward a full extend/full retract function,
a two-position valve will provide you with
the most efficient control. So, now we can
look at the type of control on the valve. You
have spring return and friction or detent
hold. If a valve is going to be left in an actu-
ated position for a long period of time, a
dual-solenoid, friction or detent hold will
spare the life and energy consumption of
holding a coil under power for extended
periods of time. Since this pick-and-place
is a fast operation, I am not worried about
burning out a coil, so a spring-return, two-
position valve will work well. The valve will
supply the rod ends with air to hold them in
the retracted positions until the solenoid is
fired with the corresponding valve, pushing
the valve spool into the alternate position
where the cylinder extends until the coil
is de-energized and the spring returns the
spool to resting position, redirects the air
and retracts the cylinder. This is a simple
system with a good level of utility. Com-
bined with the limit switches as feedback,
the operator can identify any position the
9
 www.controldesign.com

pick-and-place robot is in.

This can help with power-
loss restarts and valve fail-
ure. One of the downsides
to double-acting cylinders
is they rely on the friction
of their seals to keep the
cylinder from moving when
not being actuated. This is
a tough balance as you also
want to minimize friction
to keep efficiencies high.
When a cylinder is in a rod-
down position, especially

(SOURCE: WOMACK MACHINE)

with weight on the rod, it
can drift from gravitational
forces. There are a few
ways to counter that force.
The simplest solution is to
keep air on the rod end of
the cylinder to force the
cylinder into the full-retract
position. This of course
does not solve our concerns
for when we have emergen-
cy air loss and preventing
the fragile piece from being
damaged by the cylinder
extending uncontrolled.
The next solution is to go
with a rod lock. This is a
device that holds the rod
with a mechanical lock-
ing mechanism until an air
pilot pressure is applied to
SUPPORT THE DRAFT
Figure 4: Draft out your valves and actuators, draw out your hoses
and connections, and then follow the flow of air to make sure your
system is providing air where it should and no unexpected venting
occurs.
release the lock. Again, if changing the cylinders to
there is an air loss, the rod single-acting, spring-return,
would be locked into place we are able to create a situ-
wherever it was at the point ation where, if the air fails,
of failure. the cylinders will return
to full retracted positions.
Another way we can ad- This keeps the fragile piece
dress the air-loss failure from being damaged from a
is to add a mechanical lowered cylinder. The valves
element to create a safe would all be vent-neutral
“home” position when the valves to operate a system
system shuts down. By like this. When actuated,

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 10

 www.controldesign.com

the cylinders would extend and, when the GET A GRIP

solenoids are released, the cylinders return
to full retraction under the power of their
internal springs. This solution is more costly
upfront because of the additional cost for
the springs in the cylinders, but less costly
to run when it comes to air consumption.
As you can see there are many ways to
achieve your desired motion profile, and
each style has its advantages in upfront
cost, installation complexity, operating cost
and troubleshooting complexity. Finding
that balance is key to making the system
work for you. Draft out your valves and
actuators, draw out your hoses and con-
nections, and then follow the flow of air
to make sure your system is providing air
where it should and no unexpected venting
occurs (Figure 4).
Without knowing the dimension of the
product and the amount of force it can
handle, I can only give a hypothetical se-
lection. For picking up the product, con-
sider a two-finger parallel gripper. Depend-
ing on the supply pressure that you send
to it and depending on the custom arm
the customer attaches to it, you can have
a grip force anywhere between 4 and 16
Newtons (N) of force to hold the product.
Let’s assume that we need a grip force of
2 lb (8.9 N); we can select a unit that can
produce a grip force of 8 N with the use of
a 15-mm-long arm attached to the end of
the gripper and a supply pressure of 4.9
bar (Figure 5). By increasing or decreasing
the supply pressure to the gripper, you can
vary the force of the gripper.

While the world of pneumatics is very 40

tempting with low hardware cost, the cost 35

of compressing air is a hidden cost most

30
don’t consider. With a high cyclic applica-
Holding Force (N)

25
tion such as this, I would explore electro- 6.8 bar
20
(Source: Parker Hannifin)
mechanical options. Smaller pick-and-place 4.9 bar
robots may seem expensive on the surface, 15
2.9 bar
but once you factor in life span and operat- 10
ing cost, I believe you will find industrial au-
5
tomation is becoming more cost-effective
0
now that it has been in decades. 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Holding Position L(mm)
Derek Titus

inside technical sales CLAMP FORCE

Figure 5: By increasing or decreasing the supply
Womack Machine Supply, Farmers Branch, Texas
pressure to the gripper, you can vary the force
www.womack-machine.com of the gripper.

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 11


Once the gripper is selected, we can move
onto our vertical actuator that would be
doing the reaching; we’ll call this the reach
arm. The gripper would be mounted to the
end of the actuator arm via the tooling plate.
For reach arm cylinder, to determine which
unit would be required, we would need to
know the stroke in which the arm will have
to travel—let’s assume a 6-in stroke length.
When selecting one of the cylinders, we
have to take into account the weight of
the gripper and the weight of the product.
Based on these numbers, we can determine
the amount of force required to retract the
cylinder once we grip the product. To calcu-
late the force of a cylinder we take the work-
ing pressure of the application multiplied by
the area of the cylinder. We use the formula
F=PxA (force equals pressure times area).
Now that we have our gripper and the
reaching arm cylinder, we can select a hori-
zontal actuator. Since the reach arm will be
mounted to the end of the horizontal cylin-
der, we are going to use a guided cylinder
to create stability in the horizontal move-
ment. Let’s assume that the arm will have a
stroke of 20 in before releasing the product.
Sizing this cylinder will be the same as we
did for the reach cylinder. We will add the
weight of the reach cylinder, as well as the
weight of the product to determine the
proper bore size.
With the pick-arm actuators selected, we
can now move to the pneumatic control
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators
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valve that will be used to move the arm as-
sembly. Since the system will be controlled
by a PLC, we are going to be using 24-Vdc
control valves. This is the most common
voltage that is used in a computer-con-
trolled system. The PLC is used to send an
electrical signal to the control valve telling
it when to energize or de-energize. There
are a few different kinds of communica-
tion types that can communicate with the
control valves over a network. These are
commonly referred to as communication
protocols. The common protocols consist
of DevicNet, Ethernet and Profibus, just to
name a few. We will be looking to use De-
viceNet communication for this system.
When selecting the control valves, we must
decide how we want the actuators to be-
have. The first component we have is the
gripper that will grab the product. The force
that is applied to the gripper should be a
controlled force since we are dealing with
a fragile product. The force is controlled by
the amount of pressure sent to the grip-
per. This gripper will have a simple open or
closed function. The control valve that will be
used to control the gripper will be a double-
solenoid, four-way, three-position valve—one
solenoid to clamp the gripper and one to
open the gripper. The third-position function
of this valve will be what we call an “all ports
blocked,” function so that, in an emergency-
stop function, the gripper will not open when
power is lost. A pressure regulator will be
used to control the pressure.
12
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To calculate what size of valve to use for the gripper, we take the time that we want the
gripper to close, the pressure being used and the displacement (area) of the gripper to
come up with the proper flow coefficiency required to close the gripper.

The second component in this application

is the reach cylinder. In this step of the
application, the max stroke of the reach

(Source: Parker Hannifin)

is 6 in, but let’s say that occasionally we
only need to extend 3 in. In order to keep
the same cylinder and be able to stroke at
different lengths a double-solenoid, four-
way, three-position valve will be used to
control the cylinder. This type of valve will
use a center-position function, allowing us
to stop the cylinder midstroke. We will use
the three-position function know as pres-
sure center. We will also need to be able
to control pressure to this valve so that
we can create a counter balance in the
cylinder. This is done by supplying enough
pressure to the rod end of the cylinder to
hold the rod-and-gripper assembly in the
retracted position, when the control valve
is de-energized. We do this so that when
the cylinder extends it won’t extend rapid-
ly when it is first cycled. We will also utilize
flow controls on the cylinder ports to con-
trol the speed of the cylinder. Sizing the
control valve for the reach arm is similar to
sizing the valve for the gripper.
3 POSITIONS
Figure 6: The three-position cylinder is construct-
ed of two different stroke cylinders joined to-
gether to create one complete cylinder assembly.
Each section would be controlled independently
by different control valves.
Another way that we can create multiple
stroke lengths in a single cylinder is to use a
three-position cylinder. This type of cylin-
der is constructed of two different stroke
cylinders joined together to create one
complete cylinder assembly. Each section
would be controlled independently by dif-
ferent control valves (Figure 6).
The last sequence in the application is to
control the extending and retracting of
the horizontal cylinder. This cylinder can
be controlled by a simple four-way, two-

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 13


position, single-solenoid valve so that,
when the valve is energized, the cylinder
extends and, when de-energized, the cyl-
inder will retract automatically.
To create an integrated valve package,
we can assemble the control valve into a
single manifold assembly, with the added
communication modules. We have also
added I/O modules, so that we can attach
a sensor to the actuator to give feedback
to the PLC. The sensors are used to ensure
that the gripper has closed or opened and
the cylinders have extended or retracted.
The electrical signals from the sensor are
used in the communication program to tell
the PLC when it should send a signal to
the control valves.
During an emergency-stop situation, when
power is cut to the valve-manifold assem-
bly, the valve configuration will function
in the following sequence. The single-so-
lenoid valve will bring the horizontal cyl-
inder back to its home position. The reach
cylinder will balance out and retract to its
home position. And the gripper will hold
the product since pressure will be trapped
between the control valve and the gripper
keeping the fingers closed.
In the case of pressure loss in the system,
the horizontal cylinder will slow to a stop
as system pressure drops. The reach cyl-
inder will slowly lower, thanks to the flow
controls on the cylinder ports. The gripper
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will still fold the product because of the
trapped air pressure between the gripper
and the blocked pressure center function
of the control valve.
Torial Thompson
application specialist, automation group,
pneumatic division, North America
Parker Hannifin
www.parker.com
5 CONSIDERATIONS
Here are a few suggestions to consider on
the operation of the pick-and-place.
1. Single solenoid: Using a single solenoid
will make the operation on each cylinder
complete stroke each way. For example,
with cylinder in the retracted position: If
you put power on solenoid, that will ex-
tend the cylinder and stay extended as
long as there is power on the solenoid.
Take power off the solenoid, and the
cylinder will retract, because of spring
or air return in the valve.
2. Double solenoid: Using a double so-
lenoid will also make the operation on
each cylinder complete stroke each way.
For example, with cylinder in the re-
tracted position: If you put power on the
one solenoid, this can be a momentary
signal, and the cylinder will extend and
stay in the extended position, until you
give the other solenoid a momentary
signal, which will retract the cylinder to
the original retracted position.
14

3. Two-position vs. three-position valve:
Suggestions 1 and 2 explain what hap-
pens with the two-position valves with
five ports on a double-acting cylinder. A
three-position valve with five ports will
give you the ability to stop the cylinder
anywhere in between the full extension
and full retraction. This works similarly
to double-solenoid explanation, except
when you take power off either solenoid,
the valve centers and all air flow is nor-
mally blocked. Here is when the center
position of the valve comes in.
4. Center exhaust: In most applications
where the center exhaust position and
the cylinder is horizontal, it does not
matter if there is a light load. It can stop
where you want. Pressure is blocked, and
both valve ports are exhausted. You can
manually extend or retract the cylinder.
Using a cylinder in the vertical position
where you want to stop in midstroke, you
can use a double pilot check or rod lock.
Center blocked: With all ports blocked in
the center position, it will not move as eas-
ily; but due to long periods of time, leakage
will permit it to move with a little force.
Center pressure: Usually, using all ports pres-
sured is when you have a double rod cylinder
or rodless cylinder. With a conventional single
rod cylinder, the back piston end will over-
take the rod end because of the difference in
force areas, and the cylinder will extend.
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5. Dumping air: The best thing is to have a
rod lock on the vertical cylinder to pre-
vent the part from being dropped.
Randy Peck
technical product specialist, tech support / Allied Elec-
tronics / www.alliedelec.com
OPEN OR CLOSED LOOP?
There are two approaches that can be
taken to pneumatic control, open loop and
closed loop. Each has its tradeoffs related
to cost, precision, impact on equipment
useful life and complexity.
The first approach (open-loop control) is us-
ing default pressures, positions and sequenc-
ing of the actuators. This means that the forc-
es that the pneumatic system is applying to
the load depend on pneumatic pressure regu-
lators and the surface area of the actuators
that are selected by the machine builder. The
range of motion through which the actuators
can move is fixed by mechanical stops and
limit switches. If this range of motion needs to
be changed, then a technician must adjust the
mechanical components to modify the range.
Any sequencing of the actuators is typically
performed by PLCs monitoring the state of
the limit switches. These systems typically use
two-position (bang-bang) valves to control
the flow of air into and out of the actuators.
Open-loop control using bang-bang valves is
often sufficient for simple applications.
Pick-and-place applications typically in-
volve horizontal, vertical and gripper axes,
15

which must work together
to accomplish the desired
tasks. The motion typically
involves moving between
many target positions dur-
ing the course of a produc-
tion operation, and some-
times closed-loop control is
required.
Closed-loop control in-
volves active, dynamic
control of the actuators in
real time, using a closed-
loop motion controller. The
motion controller will use
position-feedback sensors
to measure and control the
position, velocity and ac-
celeration of the actuators.
It may also use pressure
or load-cell feedback to
determine how much force
the actuators are applying
to the load (Figure 7). Dy-
namically controlled pneu-
matic systems typically re-
quire low-friction cylinders,
pneumatic servo valves
and a motion controller
with pneumatic control
schemes to actively control
the pneumatic actuator.
Pneumatic control schemes
will include enhancements
to the common PID con-
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Position Feeback Signal
MDT
Pressure A
Transducer
Servo-
Manifold quality
Valve
Differential Magnet
Force Inputs
Motion
Controller
(Source: Delta Computer Systems)
Ethernet
PLC
Pressure B
Transducer
Control Drive
Signal Output
PRESSURE-SENSITIVE
Figure 7: The motion controller may use pressure or load-cell
feedback to determine how much force the actuators are applying
to the load.
trol algorithm such as PID physical changes to the
+ second derivative gain, system be made to change
the addition of predictive motion profiles, in closed-
terms, or model-based con- loop control systems, all
trol to enhance the quality actuator positions, ve-
of the feedback and active locities, accelerations and
damping. forces can be dynamically
changed and controlled
Unlike with open-loop with a touch of a button on
control, which requires that an HMI. A machine opera-
eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 16

tor can modify how the motion system
performs to match new production require-
ments or changes in materials. If one needs
to shorten the stroke by a millimeter or
change the force that the gripper is apply-
ing to the load, then this is easily and quick-
ly done through changing a recipe or via
modifying a parameter via the operator in-
terface. Closed-loop pneumatic control has
been successfully used in industry to apply
precise forces and move to precise posi-
tions in applications for millions of cycles.
The valve specifications that you want to
look for when selecting a servo-pneumatic
valve are the flow rate, bandwidth, linearity
and deadband. You will have to do some
calculations to compute the valve flow re-
quirements based upon the speed and size
of the actuation cylinder. It’s always desir-
able to have a linear response valve with as
small a deadband as possible. And lastly,
the bandwidth of the valve should be as
high as possible. This will allow the control
gains to rapidly compensate for any distur-
bances that the system experiences.
Some of the potential valves that you can
use for pneumatic servo control are sup-
plied by Woodward HRT, Enfield, Norgren
and Parker. The Woodward HRT valves are
the highest performance and provide excel-
lent system response in a precision pneu-
matic system. Once again, the quality and
cost of the valve required is dictated by the
application requirements.
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Think about your system requirements on
your next application. Do you think you
could benefit from precise control of posi-
tion and force? Or is a simple bang-bang
good enough?
Bill Savela
director of marketing
Delta Computer Systems
www.deltamotion.com
3 CENTER CONDITIONS
It has been our experience that the me-
chanical engineer should first determine
the solenoid power valve circuitry or air
schematic for all the pneumatic motions on
the equipment being designed. The con-
trols engineer can then design the con-
trol logic based on the valve function and
type provided, using required mechanical
sequence and desired sensing method to
step from one motion to the next.
First, determine the components used to
create all the machine motions, for ex-
ample cylinders, air motors, auto feed drills,
brakes, vacuum cups, process valve quarter
turn actuators and the like. Determine the
cycle start condition of these mechanical
components drawing the schematic so that
the B or 12 condition of the directional con-
trol valve holds the mechanical component
it operates in its cycle start condition.
Choosing the type of valve is simply a mat-
ter of deciding what you want to happen
to each machine motion when the control
17
 www.controldesign.com

power goes out, either inadvertently or by someone depress- be used when necessary
ing an emergency stop. At this point compressed air would as the last choice, not the
still be on. Consideration must always be given to operator first, as they can be easily
safety and mechanical interference that would cause dam- misapplied. There is no such
age. This does not preclude best-practice machine design thing as a standard solution
and proper guarding principles that should always be used. or one-fits-all answer when
using three-position valves.
Your choices of standard valves at this point are only three: Each application should be
• If you want the motion to return to cycle start, use a sin- considered independently
gle-solenoid, spring-return, two-position directional valve. giving consideration to its
mechanical attributes and
Solenoid air pilot spring 12 2 4 14 what should happen if or
return when compressed air is also
2 position, 4-way 315 turned off. Loads, cylinder
type and orientation—
• If you can’t return to cycle start and you are willing to vertical or horizontal—
have the motion finish its travel—cylinder would finish gravity and penalty for fail-
its stroke, stop and stay there—use a double-solenoid, ure are a number of things
detented, two-position directional valve. When control that can factor into your
power is restored, the logic should give the next correct decision as to which center
instruction. condition to use.

Double Solenoid air pilot 12 2 4 14 Pressure-center, three-

detented position valves would
2 position, 4-way 315 be the least common. If
plumbed, for example, with
• If either of the first two options will not work due to safety or a single pressure supplied
interference and you want the motion to stop immediately to Port 1, in neutral it will
within reason and hold position, you are then forced to use feed the same pressure to
a double-solenoid, spring-centered, three-position valve. If both sides of a cylinder
this is the case, there are three standard center conditions to typically with equal area,
choose from. These are commonly described as: which should be mounted
•e
 xhaust or open center horizontally. It can also be
•b
 locked or closed center plumbed for dual pressure,
•p
 ressure center. which provides a complete-
Experience has shown that three-position valves should only ly different function.

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 18

 www.controldesign.com

Double Solenoid air pilot 12 2 4 14 The exhaust or open cen-

3 position, 4-way ter can also be plumbed
pressure center with a single pressure to
315
Port 1 so that the cylinder
Blocked- or closed-center, three-position valves are the lines are open to exhaust
most commonly used as they are simple and less expen- in neutral. You have little
sive and are normally used without pressure controls. to no control over inertia
These can be plumbed single- or dual-pressure and will and stopping the cylinder
trap the air between the valve and cylinder in neutral. midstroke. When moving in
Care should be given as the cylinder lines are still under either direction with zero
pressure when air is turned off. This trapped air, as long pressure on either side cyl-
as it remains trapped, can be used for example to hold inder is free to move at un-
a vertical load up under pressure. Bubble-tight systems controllable speeds as you
leak. If you wait long enough, every volume of trapped air have little to no exhaust
will leak down to zero, and cylinders may drift. Penalty volume to control with.
for failure should again factor into your decision when
using this center condition. It would be considered best Often additional compo-
choice in a situation where load on the cylinder varies. nents or circuitry are used
with this valve function to
Double Solenoid air pilot 12 2 4 14 achieve multiple desired re-
3 position, 4-way sults, for example, stopping,
closed center 315 getting to zero pressure
and safely re-pressurizing.
Exhaust or open-center, three-position valves are also
commonly used but are slightly more complex and ex- Double Solenoid air pilot
pensive when the center condition is fed with two pres- 3 position, 4-way
sures at ports 3 and 5, which when correctly adjusted open center
and applied in neutral creates equal and opposite forces
12 2 4 14
holding a cylinder under constant load anywhere along
the length of its stroke. This open-center circuit tends to
create faster response to stopping and less over travel 315

than closed center and makes up for air leakage, holding

loads for extended periods of time. There are other con- Three-position valves were
siderations such as motion from an external force and ex- generally intended for
hausting cylinder lines back through the regulators, which longer stroke cylinders. The
does not happen quickly. This needs to be considered. shorter the cylinder stroke,

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 19


greater the load, travel speed and vertical
or horizontal orientation, the harder they
are to stop effectively. Drift becomes a
problem, especially when an interlock posi-
tion switch is released preventing machine
cycle. Consideration can be given to hold-
ing coils energized at end of stroke so the
valve acts like a two-position valve until
such time as the neutral position is actually
needed. This will prevent drift.
An example of applying this logic to a
simple sequence would be a clamp and
drill machine where the operator loads two
parts, then clamps them together, then
extends the drill, drilling a hole through
both pieces, retracts the drill and then
unclamps. Assume that the drill motor is
turning at all times. I suggest a double-
solenoid, two-position, detented valve for
the clamp cylinder and a single-solenoid,
two-position, spring-return valve for the
drill cylinder. When power is turned off or
the emergency-stop button is depressed,
the parts remain clamped and the drill
returns home. If at that point compressed
air is also turned off, consideration to grav-
ity should be given. At this point you can
either restart the drill or safely remove the
two parts and start over.
Adam Gibson
Numatics application engineering manager
Emerson
www.emerson.com
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PROPORTIONAL PRESSURE
A typical three-position, closed-center
valve is designed to block all ports in the
center position, which allows for air to
remain in the cylinder without exhausting.
When a standard three-position valve is
used, true positioning control cannot be
achieved due to the uneven piston areas
within the cylinder caused by the rod. This
will cause the cylinder to creep over time
due to the greater force being exerted on
the cap end of the cylinder.
With respect to using a control valve within
a pneumatic positioning system, especially
in conjunction with an emergency shutdown
situation, the best practice is to use a dy-
namic proportional pressure control valve
to achieve high performance and accuracy.
For example, a proportional pressure con-
trol valve can provide a specific solution for
positioning an actuator, offer precise regu-
lation through the process of a true closed-
loop feedback system and, with a steady
command signal locked by a PLC during an
emergency shutdown condition, the valve
will not exhaust and thus keep a fixed pres-
sure consistently acting upon a cylinder
while maintaining an accurate position.
Standard pneumatic control valves pro-
vide a change in the direction of flow and
do not proportionally regulate pressure
20
 www.controldesign.com

or offer true closed-loop

feedback control. These 4 2

two factors are critical for

pneumatic positioning sys-
tems to accurately position 5 3
1
a load and deliver high per-
4 2
formance in an application.
Jon Revlett

product specialist, electro-pneu- 5 3

matic systems and controls 1

Aventics

www.aventics.com
4 2

(Source: Festo)
5/2-WAY
Selecting the right valve 5 3

for your application can be 1

tricky, especially when con-

sidering measures to pre-
vent any issues in case of
power loss, so here’s some COST-EFFECTIVE SCENARIO
Figure 8: This pneumatic drawing is the most cost-effective sce-
advice that will fit your ap-
nario for the application.
plication best.

For the horizontal drive
generally we would recom-
mend having a 5/2-way,
double-solenoid valve, so
your actuator will not move
until a signal for extend or
retract is applied.
For the vertical actuator,
you have a couple of op-
tions depending on your
preferences. Since you
mention that you are con-
cerned about the part being
damaged, here’s what you
need to know.
Using a 5/2-way, single-
solenoid valve combined
with a rod clamp on your
cylinder is the most secure
option because if you lose
power this will force the
actuator to retract. If you
lose air, the rod clamp will
prevent the actuator from
moving.
You can also use a 5/2-
way, single-solenoid valve
combined with a piloted
check valve instead of the
rod clamp as this will be a
more cost-effective solu-
tion because the price for a
piloted check valve is sig-
nificantly lower than that of
a rod clamp.
The most cost-effective
solution is to use a 5/3-way

eHANDBOOK: Pneumatic Valves & Actuators 21


valve with blocked center; this will allow
you to control your actuator extend and
retract positions with a signal, but it will
also make sure that if you lose power, your
actuator will not move.
Note that the air in both options will even-
tually leak out of the valves, and the actua-
tor will slowly move.
For the gripper there are also a couple of op-
tions, especially to prevent dropping the part.
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If you use a mechanical spring gripper, you
can actuate it with a 5/2-way, single-sole-
noid valve for opening the gripper, and, in
case you lose power, the mechanical spring
on the gripper will retain the part.
Figure 8 is a pneumatic drawing of the most
cost-effective scenario for your application.
Daniella Gonzalez-Olgren
product specialist—valves
Festo
www.festo.com
22