Pneumatic Components and Systems
Worldwide, compressed air is used as an easy-to-handle form of energy in a wide range of industries, especially in automation and handling technology. Pneumatics is regarded as a cost-eff ective, robust and environmentally friendly drive technology that is easy to implement and operate. Despite the high level of development already achieved, the demands placed on this technology have risen steadily over time. In the last decade, the focus of further development has been on the following areas:
- higher performance with reduced energy consumption,
- increase in functionality and
- optimization with regard to installation space, material and production costs.
These trends often lead to increased complexity and increasing miniaturization of fluid-mechatronic components. In direct comparison to electro-mechanics, excessive energy consumption and maintenance costs are increasingly criticized. Our activities in the research area concentrate on this area of confl ict. On behalf of or in cooperation with industry, we work with the methods and objects of investigation listed below to keep this technology attractive and sustainable.
Selected projects
Research objects
- electro-pneumatic handling systems
- pneumatic valve technology
- cylinder drives
- vacuum ejectors
Main Research Areas / Research Tasks
- balancing and improving energy effi ciency
- increase of functionality and performance
- alternative manufacturing processes
Methods
- simulation with distributed parameters (field simulation: CFD, FEM)
- simulation with network-based simulation models (system simulation)
- numerical optimization
- experimental analysis, e. g. on handling systems or demonstrators
Valves
-
Feasibility study on bionic pneumatic valves, please continue reading ...
-
Development of pneumatic switching valves based on 3D screen printing, please continue reading ...
Pneumatic Components
- Investigation of damping processes in pneumatic end position damping systems
- Energy reduction in vacuum handling by reducing dead volumes using bionic active principles (BiVaS), continue reading ...
Energy Efficiency and Error detection
- Data-driven plant monitoring and design to ensure ecological efficiency in operation (OekEffDatA)
- Energy efficient drive systems for handling tasks in production lines, please continue reading ...
-
Efficient pneumatic pressure reducers and boosters, please continue reading ...
-
Comparison of drive systems in realization of handling tasks, please continue reading ...
-
Improving energy effieciency of pneumatic handling systems, please continue reading ...
Other
-
Pneumatic sorting of bulk goods using free jets, please continue reading ...