Early Years

The first instances of recorded pneumatic use were during the Bronze Age where mechanical bellows were used to further heat furnaces in order to make them more suitable for smelting metals. At this point, these systems were completely different to what you might see in use today, but you could see the early indications of how useful this technology could be when developed and integrated within more advanced systems.

Further to this point, pneumatics would remain in use for hundreds of years before seeing any major developments.

The 1800s

The compound air compressor proved to be an invention that greatly increased the potential scope of pneumatics with many realising just how useful this technology could be. Patented in 1829, the compound air compressor led to the creation of a Pneumatic subway in 1867 which – while garnering a great deal of attention – was terminated after only several months in use, as well as pneumatic tubes used in post offices to transport letters between departments which was a far more affordable and long-lived use of the technology.

With the late 1800s, pneumatic tools started arriving on the market with the invention of the pneumatic drill in 1871, and the pneumatic hammer in 1890. By giving pneumatics an easily transportable form, their value really started to shine within industries that may not have been using them previously.

The Modern Day

The 1900s brought with them great advances in the form of pneumatics with integration into automatic machinery and tools making it a great way to save on labour costs while keeping workers away from some of the more dangerous, high-powered machinery.

Performance and functionality are key within modern day pneumatic components with many manufacturers constantly honing their systems to make them more practical within their industrial uses. In the modern day, you’re likely to see pneumatics in use across a whole range of industries, and are likely to not even be aware when using an offshoot of this import piece of engineering genius.

Contact TIS Hydraulics

At TIS Hydraulics we are experts in providing a range of eclectic hydraulic, pneumatic, and machinery component solutions across a range of industrial sectors. To find out how we can help you meet your mechanical requirements, contact us directly on 01224 775277 and speak to a member of our specialist team today.

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Construction

One of the industries for which hydraulics was originally designed, hydraulic systems are very much common place within construction. A lot of modern construction machinery uses hydraulics to carry out major tasks that would otherwise require dozens of people to carry out – the kind of work that might take decades can quickly be shortened to only a couple of years. It’s fair to say that hydraulics has truly been a revelation for when it comes to construction especially with larger buildings or ones requiring heavier material.

Theme Parks and Entertainment

When it comes to the entertainment industry, hydraulics is frequently in use for attractions and theme parks. Hydraulics offers the means to safely control a fast-moving cart to ensure visitors can enjoy the adrenaline-fuelled charm that they offer in complete safety.

Hydraulics are also frequently in use through television and film where they help to create all kinds of special effects such as cars flipping.

Automotive

The most well-known example of hydraulics systems and one used by countless of people daily is that of vehicles and the automotive industry. A regular car makes use of a hydraulic system across its braking, steering, transmission, cooling and safety systems. Of course, hydraulic systems are also commonly used during the automotive construction process with robotic arms making use of this engineering practice to bend and weld metals into place to shape the bodywork.

Gas and Mining

Many mineral and oil deposits can be challenging to reach and extract by regular means. In instances like this, hydraulics powered equipment is commonly used to extract these safely without the need for manual workers; this is also far more time efficient and can generate greater amounts of raw material.

Farming

Historically, it took scores of people to properly maintain a patch of land and maintain a stable yield of crops. Combined with other modern farming techniques, hydraulics can greatly simplify this process by automating much of the manual work and covering greater amounts of land.

Waste Management

The amount of waste produced across the world is a major issue not only for the damage it’s causing to the environment, but also how much storage space it can take up – destroying fertile land and forcing locals to look elsewhere for home and work. Hydraulics is primarily used within rubbish trucks and facilities to compress large amounts of garbage into much smaller and easier to manage packages.

Contact TIS Hydraulics

At TIS Hydraulics we are experts in providing a range of eclectic hydraulic, pneumatic, and machinery component solutions across a range of industrial sectors. To find out how we can help you meet your mechanical requirements, contact us directly on 01224 775277 and speak to a member of our specialist team today.

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Providing Power

Possibly the largest difference between hydraulic and pneumatic systems is via the medium in which they provide power. Pneumatic does so using air or gas, while Hydraulic does so using liquids or oil. While their function is ultimately the same – these variations can make it far more practical to use one of these systems over the other in certain situations.

In instances in which large amounts of power are required, hydraulics is frequently the system of choice. Due to having a large mass density, hydraulics can build up much higher levels of pressure to command up to 5,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. Pneumatics on the other hand only offers approximately 100; this makes it unsuitable for lifting or carrying heavy loads.

Speed and Safety

The high flow rate of pneumatic systems makes it a prime choice due to its speed. This makes it perfect for carrying smaller items or powering high-speed mechanical equipment. Due to being of a liquid nature, even the lighter of the hydraulic mediums cannot compete with the free-flowing nature of pneumatic systems.

Another benefit offered by pneumatic over hydraulic is that of environmental conservation. The air present within pneumatic systems is completely safe regardless of leaks and can be simply released harmlessly into the atmosphere when no longer needed. Hydraulics, on the other hand, frequently make use of liquids which can lead to contamination and could cause health risks if they were to leak in larger quantities. Pneumatics tend to be generally favoured by environmental companies and for machinery in highly sensitive environments such as hospitals.

Energy Consumption

Both hydraulic and pneumatic systems require a steady stream of electrical power in order to fully function; how they use that power – and how efficiently they do so – is where the difference lies. The main issue with pneumatics is that there is a constant need for air compression through a compressor; this can rack up quite a hefty energy bill when running for days at a time. The energy required for a hydraulic system is far lower since the same liquid or oil can be used over and over once the system is already running. This can lead to much lower energy requirements in the long run.

Contact TIS Hydraulics

At TIS Hydraulics we are experts in providing a range of eclectic hydraulic, pneumatic, and machinery component solutions across a range of industrial sectors. To find out how we can help you meet your mechanical requirements, contact us directly on 01224 775277 and speak to a member of our specialist team today.

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