Aug. 04, 2025
What are the key advantages of a pneumatic actuator that makes the device one of the most popular and commonly used mechanical devices across industrial markets? Pneumatic actuators are by far and away one of the most required mechanical devices across today’s market and in Process Industry Forum’s latest article, we look to at the reasons why.
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Pneumatic actuators serve a mechanical motion to an application through the compression of atmospheric air. These devices are ideal for applications serving a variety of purposes, including those housed within applications that operate under potentially explosive environments. Here are the 5 key advantages of a pneumatic actuator that put it at the top of a plant manager’s list.
Pneumatic actuators can deliver high force and fast speeds of movement when used in linear motion control applications. This is down to the usage of air pressure and flow within the device.
Overheating is not a problem of concern with pneumatic actuators, regardless of how excessive the use of the application is. These devices can sustain constant pressures in comparison to alternative devices and therefore offer a longer-term of use
When it comes to functionality, the pneumatic actuator is viewed to be highly reliable. This is thanks largely to the high control that can be maintained on the conversion of gas to energy. The fact that as mentioned already, they are also highly durable means that performance is of a high standard and these devices have a long life span.
Pneumatic actuators are the preferred device for use when it comes to applications where hygiene is essential. This is largely down to the use of air as opposed to fluid, with the compressed air being free from harmful chemicals, therefore protecting the application from contamination. This, of course, is critical within the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.
Thanks in part to the fact that it is easy to install and maintain, the pneumatic actuator is often seen as the cost-effective choice when it comes to industrial applications. Of course, the benefits above are probably considered more important from a practicality standpoint, but in the current economic environment, the cost is still very much at the forefront of every application manager’s mind.
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Modern electro-pneumatic pressure regulators, such as Proportion-Air’s QBX Series, can compensate for any movements or changes downstream of the system because of the integrated electronic control system. The regulator monitors those changes and makes pressure adjustments as necessary to ensure the pneumatic system continues to perform as desired.
And because the electronics are integrated into the regulator, it provides a single, compact and easy-to-install device that can benefit many applications.
Manual regulators remain a good option for those applications which are completely static – the inlet and output pressures stay the same – and do not require a high level of accuracy.
Lister said electro-pneumatic control is the better option if any of the following are required by an application:
“If any of those are needed, that’s where electro-pneumatic control will really shine,” he said.
Lister said electrical and hydraulic options are the biggest competition to electro-pneumatic control. While there are some applications in which those technologies do fit better, there are a wide variety of others for which electro-pneumatic is the right solution.
He said in the past, electrical control was typically better for providing the precision required of positioning applications. But with Proportion-Air’s two-loop QB2X pressure regulator, it is possible to get as good as, if not better, control over electrical.
With the QB2X, you can integrate a position sensor with an air cylinder and plug the sensor directly into the QB2X to allow for position control without having to utilize another PLC.
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“Using the second loop technology, you can control speed, torque, or whatever you’d like,” said Lister. “If there's a sensor out there for it, we can hook it up to the QB2X.”
Hydraulic control is typically for those applications with high force requirements, typically in the tens of thousands of psi. However, Lister said Proportion-Air does have electro-pneumatic components, including the QBX pressure regulator, which are capable of achieving higher pressures. The company’s GX unit directly drives up to 1,000 psi.
For higher pressures, ratio regulators are available for the QBX which increase the amount of pressure that can be controlled. “We’ve controlled up to 7,500 psi,” he said. “We know from the process and part availabilities we can go up a little over 20,000 psi but no one has really had the application for that yet.”
Applications with space or size constraints may also factor into the ability to use electro-pneumatic control. “If you don’t have compressed air or ways to fit hoses in, then you can use electrical for [applications] that need some precision,” said Lister. “Sometimes it is not worth putting a whole compressor in if there is just one little part that you need the precision on.”
READ MORE: Advanced Electropneumatic Positioning Achieves Dynamic Force Control
Determining the applications for which electro-pneumatic pressure regulators like Proportion-Air’s QBX are best suited is difficult because they control process variables. “That’s such a wide variety of things,” said Lister. “It’s like asking what’s the best benefit for a screw? It really depends on what you’re using it for; the benefits really vary wildly.”
He said the pressure regulators are commonly used in automation related applications, and have proved particularly beneficial for manufacturing semiconductors, medical devices, and automotive components.
One example he provided was controlling steam temperature for tire curing. Ensuring the correct temperature is reached and maintained throughout the curing process is critical to creating a safe and high-quality tire.
The company’s pressure regulators aid with other parts of the tire manufacturing process as well where intense heats or specific pressures are required such as tire balancing, uniformity testing and tire inflation.
READ MORE: A Primer on Pneumatic Pressure Regulators
The improved performance and extended capabilities provided by electro-pneumatic control in these, and other applications are helping drive further interest in the technology as well as the use cases for it. “It’s interesting to see how just being able to control a small amount of air can affect so many things,” said Lister.
Electrification and automation of systems are among the industry trends helping drive increased use of electro-pneumatic technologies due to the precision and efficiency provided as well as the fact there are more electronics being incorporated with mechanical components.
In recent years the development of machines capable of doing multiple things have become available for the manufacturing sector which Lister said is a good use case for electro-pneumatics. “Now you can have one regulator that's controlling [a robot] gripper arm and you can change the pressure of that gripper arm [based on] whether you're picking up a little plastic die or a big metal ball,” he said. “You can use the same gripper and the same Proportion-Air regulators like the QBX.
“As we’ve seen manufacturing grow pushed by the reshoring effort, we’ve been really involved in what we call retooling America, trying to get [the country] back up to speed like we once were, and like countries all over the globe are doing right now,” he said.
Continued improvements in sensor and valve technology in the coming years will lead to further improvements in the capabilities of electro-pneumatics as well. “And we’re going to be right there on the cutting edge of that. [We have] R&D labs where we’re just constantly testing out new parts and trying to reach new levels of control and performance for everybody,” he concluded.
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