The PRESSURE of the air is what generates the FORCE OUTPUT.
The FLOW RATE of the air is what determines the SPEED OF OPERATION.
A pressure REGULATOR regulates the pressure of air.
A flow RESTRICTOR restricts the flow of air.
Here are some commonly used pneumatic terms & abbreviations..
| cfm | cubic feet per minute - imperial measurement of flow. |
| l/s | litres per second - metric measurement of flow |
| BAR | equal to 1 atmosphere - metric measurement of pressure |
| kPa | kilopascal - metric measurement of pressure |
| MPa | megapascal - metric measurement of pressure |
| kN | kilonewton - metric measurement of force |
| lbf | pounds-force - imperial measurement of force |
| daN | decca-newton - metric measurement of force |
| cc | cubic centimeter - metric measurement of volume |
Note that some imperial measurements are still commonly used in pneumatics due to convenience of unit sizes and compatibility with U.S. specifications.
For converting actual figures, we use & recommend the excellent "CONVERT" program. This is freeware downloadable from here.
| dcv | directional control valve - pneumatic valve used to control double acting devices like cylinders |
| frl | filter/regulator/lubricator - describes air service equipment |
| plc | programmable logic controller - electronic device which takes input signals and processes them according to a programmable sequence of logic to produce output signals |
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