Electricity + Control July 2017

Electricity

Control

JULY 2017

A great deal of research

has gone into developing

the newAV-A series soft

start valve.

From its size reduction

to power savings, all

clients will benefit.

The new product meets

and exceeds require-

ments and expectations.

riding itself on advanced technologies and

with around 1 500 R&D engineers based at

Technology Centres in select locations such

as Europe, Japan and the USA, SMC Pneumatics

develops up to 50 new or improved products each

year. The company recently launched its refreshed

AV soft-start valve, the AV2000-A～5000-A series.

The series was developed based on international

customer feedback requesting improved energy

saving (lower power consumption of 0,35 Watts

and no air leakage when then main valve is

switched), with additional options like a bracket,

built-in silencer and gauge.

Initially developed for a major machine tool

manufacturer who required the AV to be installed

in the main line for soft start/pressure control, the

new construction shuts off the supply side when it

switches off, preventing air from coming out from

the supply side to the exhaust port.

Any application requiring a safe, smooth and

more controlled start would benefit from using the

AV series. These valves offer low-speed air supply

to gradually raise the pressure in an air system and

at the same time allowing for quick exhaust by cut-

ting off air supply when it is no longer required.

When considering requests for new product

development such as this start-up valve refresher,

SMC’s head office in Japan requires a lot of de-

tail in the form of a NPDP (New Product Develop-

ment Project) request.The R&D team then spends

many months heavily invested in finding and test-

ing a new or improved solution. This company

Refreshed

Soft Start

Valves

and the

Background Research

Brian Abbott, SMC Pneumatics

Working closely with customers ensures that cutting edge products will be devel-

oped; products that deliver outstanding performance, offer real benefits and im-

proved life cycle.

Take Note!

VALVES + ACTUATORS

Figure 1: No air leakage to the R port when the main valve is switched.

No leakage – energy saving