Tech Tips and Know-How

Introduction Selecting pneumatic parts is a significant hurdle in air blaster design, particularly for new designers. Pneumatic component manufacturers tend to assume a certain level of technical knowledge and jargon fluency in their product literature, and the sheer variety of part configurations they offer can quickly become overwhelming. Often, there are dozens of different parts that could perform in a given application, and further refinement within that selection comes down to factors other than flow rate or pressure rating. An example product code for just one of the 21 different solenoid valve lines in the SMC catalog is shown below....

At the heart of every spring or air-powered dart blaster, you rely on a few tiny pieces of rubber to keep air precisely where you want it. These seals can be tricky for even the most seasoned designers, and there's much confusion surrounding proper sizing and groove design. Much of the information here is based on specifications from the Parker O-Ring Handbook, and I've included some hobby-specific information as well.    What's an O-ring? An o-ring, as the name implies, is an o-shaped ring of rubber, plastic, or metal, typically with a circular cross section. They're used to seal joints and moving parts...