Pneumatic Safety Product Applications

By Jeff Bready, CFPHS

Any fluid power system which operates based on either fluid or gas under pressure contains the potential for undesired and/or unplanned release of that pressure. This pressure release, caused by the energy stored in the fluid or gas, must be taken into account to prevent either personal or mechanical injury.

Velocity fuse

What would happen if an air line unexpectedly breaks or a coupling disconnects without warning? A fitting or hose whipping around in the maintenance or manufacturing facility as a result of the unintended break endangers both employees and equipment. The Hoze-Fuze® from Ross Controls, with its simple installation, solves this problem by automatically reducing flow to minimize the hose whip.

LOTO (Lockout/Tag-out) valve

OSHA code regulation 1910.147 mandates that Pneumatic Energy Isolation must be included as part of performing any service or maintenance on machinery which includes pneumatic components. The person/employee performing any service or maintenance to machinery has the sole responsibility and control of all energy isolation, including any stored pneumatic energy. The Lockout and Exhaust Valve (L-O-X) from Ross Controls helps meet these requirements by providing secure lock-off of the air supply and immediate exhaust of downstream air pressure.

Pilot Operated Check Valves

Also known as PO Checks, these specialty pneumatic valves can be incorporated in a system circuit in order to provide nearly leak-free and positive stopping of a cylinder in the event of the loss of either electrical or pneumatic power.  With DPST – directly operated safety-related force guided positive break status switch – they can be relied upon to hold the vertical cylinder in place until it is positively ordered to move.

Sensing Valves

With their poppet construction for near-zero leakage and high dirt tolerance, these valves come in 2/2 or 3/2 both normally closed or normally open in either solenoid or pressure controlled. They provide position and state sensing via electrical feedback with the use of a DPST (double pole single throw) switch. These Ross Sensing Valves have typical application in either air dumping or trapped-pressure control.

For application assistance with any of these or a wide variety of other pneumatic safety products, contact Quality Hydraulics & Pneumatic, Inc. at 847-680-8400 and ask for your Fluid Power Specialist.