Pneumatic vs Hydraulic Systems: What's the Difference?

Hydraulic and pneumatic systems aren’t that different from one another. While you might be surprised to hear that, they both operate on a technically similar principle. They both have their place in the world and are both suited to different kinds of tasks. Naturally, there are a series of advantages that come with either technology.

When it comes to nearly any industrial or manufacturing process, you have several different choices of power sources. At Orange Coast Pneumatics, we promote free choice among different individuals to select the technology that works best. Perhaps the most notable power source, beyond these two, is electricity and also deserves to be explored.

Differences Between Hydraulic & Pneumatic Systems

At their core, both hydraulic and pneumatic systems function because of the application of pressure to an attached line that carries a substrate through a circuit to an actuator. The actuator converts this pressure into usable motion that drives some sort of process. It could be a rotary or piston mover, though a number of other systems also exist.

Hydraulic systems rely on some sort of tangible fluid to function. Over time, a number of different formulations of hydraulic fluid have been brought on market. Users need to match the correct fluid and pressure to the equipment that they’re working with.

Pneumatic systems rely on a fluid as well, but the fluid in question is air. This means that if there’s a leak there’s no real danger of a spill the same way that there would be when dealing with hydraulic systems. Technicians also don’t ever have to purchase additional fluid recharges since they can just use a commercial-grade air compressor to fill up an air cylinder.

While the two competing technologies work pretty much the same otherwise, they each have some unique advantages. Hydraulic systems are normally capable of offering an intense amount of power, which is why they’re used on many different types of construction equipment. On top of that, they’re often installed on demo gear and other large tools.

However, that comes at a price that pneumatic tools don’t suffer from.

The Advantages Of Pneumatic Systems

Compressed air-driven equipment is inherently clean. Even if it leaks, the air that they put out isn’t significantly different from the ambient atmosphere. While you shouldn’t ever operate a system out of spec for safety reasons, most systems are quite safe when used exactly as directed.

Many types of pneumatic systems are also quite portable. There are portable air cylinders that users can easily carry to different sites. Imagine packing up an entire collection of gear to bring from one area to another.

Internally, hydraulic technology relies on the same sort of actuators that these compressed air-driven tools do. However, this is only insofar as engineers would discuss things being similar. Pneumatic actuators, due to their design, are often smaller and lighter than those attached to hydraulic systems.

Some people might argue that means that hydraulic equipment can generate more power to move earth and process certain substrates. While that might technically be the case, there’s a good chance that you don’t need this amount of horsepower. In fact, it’s fully possible that an expenditure of that much power would simply be wasted.

As a result, pneumatic gear could be looked at as overall more efficient than other competing technologies in certain specific types of use cases. Nevertheless, it still bears looking into these, especially considering that you can often get them all interfaced and working together.

Other Competing Technologies

In a way, you could say that electricity is a fluid pressure that runs through a wire and activates an actuator on the other end of the circuit before discharging to a positive terminal. However, it has a few drawbacks that you wouldn’t have to deal with when working with pneumatic tools.

For instance, electrical equipment either needs to be fed from chemical batteries or a wall socket. It also can’t be used in certain areas with hazards. In fact, hydraulic systems might not be able to use in these areas either which makes pneumatic systems a safer option for many types of industrial operations.

That’s why they’ve long been deployed in certain types of mining and construction processes. In these cases, there could be a heightened risk of fire. Pneumatic devices, since they run merely on air, don’t normally spark when operated within their manufacturer’s original specifications.

In certain situations, public safety advocates have actually recommended the use of pneumatic equipment so that people don’t have to deal with these kinds of hazards.

Fortunately, firms that currently rely on hydraulic or other power sources are usually able to find pneumatic substitutes for many types of tools. In fact, they’re often able to use these tools to speed up the rate of adoption for automation in their own business ventures.

Keep in mind that electrical actuators exist for pneumatic circuitry as well. You could theoretically connect the two and keep both workings in the same organization simply by installing a few special components that are still matched to standard thread sizes. For that matter, there’s a good chance that you could find the right kind of components needed to put together a system that uses both hydraulic and pneumatic gear. While it might take a bit of work, the technology involved is certainly flexible enough.

In fact, creative technicians can assemble any variety of unique and safe solutions. They simply need a place to get all of the gear necessary to achieve their loftiest manufacturing goals. While working through a catalog used to be somewhat difficult since it was hard to track down certain pieces of gear, we’ve done our best to make the experience an enjoyable one.

Unlike many kinds of hydraulic parts, you can find pneumatic fittings in certain fitting sizes. For instance, you might be looking for a G01 or 03S port. Other technicians might have an 04, R1/2 or Rc1/2 fitting.

These would all be standard sizes that wouldn’t be difficult to find. As a result, shopping for differing components tends to be relatively easy at least compared to what’s offered by other competing technologies on a regular basis.

Improve Your Air Pressure With Orange Coast Pneumatics

At Orange Coast Pneumatics, we have the connections and experience needed to get you the kind of compressed air-driven solutions you need to succeed. We’ll improve your flow rates with our selection of tools and regulate the air pressure within pneumatic systems.

Feel free to contact us online and tell us about the parts that would best fit your company’s needs. We’ll work to find you the highest quality components to get the job done and help you get moving faster than you ever thought possible.