It is no secret that pneumatics is used in the fields of pharmaceutical manufacture and food processing, in chemistry, medicine and cleanroom technology as well as in other areas.

The “artificial lung”, a testing chamber used in pharma research, represents a vivid example. A specific quantity of powdered material is blown into this chamber with a blast of compressed air and the deposits determined in order to gain information on the respirability: an important aspect for both toxic substances and medicines.

In addition to the research aspects, exact metering is just as critical in food processing as in the field of pharmaceuticals. That is why compressed air driven membrane pumps that form the basis of the metering system and whose capacity can be continuously regulated by adjusting the air flow are often used in this field.

Although advocates of electromagnetic and pneumatic valves disagree on questions of the latency and reaction times, the smaller physical dimensions of the pneumatic cocks are undeniable, since the “actuation energy” is introduced from an external source and must not be generated within the valve itself.