Air motors – overload-proof, powerful and robust

Compressed air motors are machines that convert compressed air into mechanical energy. They use the energy of the compressed air to generate a rotary motion. These motors are popular in various applications as they are robust, safe and in many cases efficient.

Compressed air motors consist of a housing with inlet and outlet openings for the compressed air, which often assumes the function of the stator, and a rotor.

• Vane motors:
  These use rotors with movable vanes mounted eccentrically to the stator, which are pressed against the cylinder wall of the stator by/through centrifugal force. Compressed air expands in the resulting working chambers. The pressure energy is converted into mechanical energy.
   
• Turbine engines:
  Compressed air is expanded in nozzles fitted with blades and thus accelerated. This kinetic energy is converted into mechanical energy in impellers that are also fitted with blades.
   
• Gear motors:
  In gear motors, the air is led to the exhaust side in chambers between the gears and the housing wall. This rotary movement is the usable mechanical energy.

Air motors work according to a simple principle. The compressed air generated by the compressor causes the motor to rotate. Vane motors, turbines and gear motors differ in terms of their design and specific areas of application.

There are various types of air motors, which differ in terms of their functional principle and design. The most common designs include vane motors, turbines and gear motors.

The wide range of application variants, the simple design, the low power-to-weight ratio, the wide speed range and the explosion safety ensure that the air motor can be used in a wide range of applications. Our air motors are used in almost all industrial sectors:

• Automotive industry
• Food industry
• Foundries
• Medical sector
• Shipbuilding
• Chemical industry
• Paper industry

In addition to numerous standard motors, we manufacture air motors flexibly and at an attractive price-performance ratio for your individual application.

The strengths of these air motors are in particular their high power density, robustness and easy controllability. They are therefore preferred in the following applications:

• Drives for hand tools: drills, grinders, screwdriving technology.
• Machine drives: pumps on, agitators, conveyor technology.
• Automation: in robotics and automated assembly systems, transport, clamping and clamping tasks.

The efficiency of air motors is usually lower than that of most electric motors. Nevertheless, the environmental performance of air motors for occasional or cyclical applications can be significantly better than that of electric motors when the complete life cycle is considered. Neither rare elements nor those from conflict regions are required for the manufacturer. Higher-level electronic controllers or batteries are not required. This is a clear advantage not only in terms of the environment, but also in terms of costs. With low powers or short switch-on times, energy consumption during operation only plays a subordinate role. The materials used for pneumatics can be easily recycled when the motor is taken out of service after many years.

Pneumatic motors are safe and robust drive systems, that are used when a powerful and overload-safe drive is required.

• Lightweight and compact – usually significantly smaller than electric motors with the same output
• Easily controllable – stepless adjustment of power by/through changing pressure or air volume (throttle)
• Safety – for insertion in potentially explosive atmospheres
• Sealed – for insertion lower down
• Sterilizable – for applications in medical technology
• Overload-proof – can be loaded to a standstill without damage
• Reversible – can be used in both rotational directions
• Combination of high idling speeds with high starting torques – ideal for transport and clamping tasks
• Extreme speed range – from a few revolutions per hour to 100,000 rpm
• Worldwide compatibility – can be used not dependent on frequency and voltage
• Redundancy in the event of a power failure – can be used not dependent on the power supply
• Wide range of materials available for the motor components – compatible with many cleaning agents and suitable for the high demands of the chemical industry
• Vibration resistant – for harsh surrounding conditions
• Heat resistant – insert in critical environments such as foundries
• Dust resistant – suitable for requirements in mining, agriculture and transportation
• Does not generate magnetic fields – no influence on sensitive sensors
• Magnetically insensitive – for insert in environments with strong magnetic fields
• Hygienic design – easy to clean for applications in the food industry and medicine
• Cooling effect of the ventilating air – useful underground and in potentially explosive atmospheres

A pneumatics motor simply adjusts its speed to the required torque. Unlike electric motors, it cannot burn out, and the air consumption of vane and gear motors even decreases as the load increases. As the torque increases, the speed decreases. As soon as the torque decreases, the speed increases again. When the maximum possible torque of the selected motor is reached, the motor stops. As soon as the torque drops again, it automatically starts running again.