According to Omron, two of the main advantages of electromechanical AC servo control vs pneumatic solutions are flexibility and energy efficiency. Pneumatic control may have a lower initial cost, but its flexibility of motion in most cases is restricted and there can be higher associated long term energy and maintenance costs.
One of the drawbacks is the compressibility of the air, which makes it difficult to control both position and speed precisely and hence tuning is often required. The long term costs associated with air compression can also be a significant factor, particularly when it needs to be dried and purified to prevent corrosion and contamination.
Typically, a pneumatic solution includes the following components: an air compressor; air receiver; piping; pressure regulator and an air treatment system. In similar applications using an AC servo solution, all that is required is a supply of electrical power.
An AC servo system can also produce high torque output at high operating speeds, the high torque to inertia ratio allowing loads to be accelerated rapidly. It also allows for high precision, controlled motion and flexibility in production, particularly where fast response characteristics are required.
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