Pneumatic tubes are used when compressed air must be routed to the respective point of use. Which tube is the right one depends on the area of application and the individual requirements. It is important that regular maintenance of the tube excludes defects in the product so that the longevity and functionality of the pneumatic application is not endangered.
Festo pneumatic tubes meet standard requirements just as reliably as extreme conditions such as heat, weld spatter, high pH values or resistance to hydrolysis. And when you’re building or replacing lines, the right compressed air system components make the difference between a quick install and a leak hunt.
In today’s pneumatics, O.D. tubes are the standard. They are suitable for all modern screw connections, e.g. QS, NPQM as plug-in screw connection and NPQH. For externally calibrated pneumatic tubes, the outside diameter of the product is specified as the tube size.
There are also internally calibrated pneumatic tubes where the inner diameter of the tube is specified as the tube size. These were standard in pneumatics before push-in fittings existed. You will find internally calibrated pneumatic tubes for all previously common screw connections, e.g. CK, CN, PK.
As soon as you work with different working lengths and tensile loads, spiral tubing is the first choice – it offers the right accessories, especially in connection with pneumatic tools. This is also where hose handling matters: a pneumatic hose reel helps keep lines organized when hoses must move, retract or stay protected.
Our wide range of externally and internally calibrated and spiral tubing is available in various diameters and materials. You will also find suitable accessories for your pneumatic tube at Festo, including air system connectors for production lines that help speed up installation and reduce leaks.
Common use cases:
The material of a pneumatic tube should be tailored to the individual requirements. Here we present the individual materials and their characteristics:
Pneumatic tubes made of polyurethane, PU tubes for short, are the first choice when pneumatic controls are to be connected. They are available in numerous sizes and are characterized by their flexibility and small bending radii. PU pneumatic tubes are available in many different colors, which is useful when connecting complex controllers to keep track of the individual lines. They meet numerous requirements because they have different special properties, such as protection against welding spatter, flame retardant or electrically conductive.
Typical fit: flexible pneumatic air hose routing and tight-bend pneumatic air line tubing runs.
Compared to PU tubes, pneumatic tubes made of polyamide, or PA tubes for short, are more temperature and pressure resistant. As a result, the tube material is stronger and therefore less flexible – polyamide is semi-rigid and kink-resistant. As a rule, PA tubes are completely pressure-resistant at a temperature of -50 °C to +20 °C (then falling as the temperature rises) and are therefore ideal for use as compressed air lines and compressed air brake lines.
Typical fit: robust compressed air tubings and stable pneumatic cilynder tubing connections.
Pneumatic tubes made of polyethylene, or PE tubes for short, are very light, impact-resistant and largely resistant to acids, alkalis and salt solutions. PE tubes are suitable for use in a temperature range from -30 °C to +80 °C and are the most cost-effective option among pneumatic tubes.
Typical fit: cost-effective compressed air tubings where many compressed air system components are connected across standard environments.
PTFE / PTFA / PFA pneumatic tubes are suitable for working in extreme temperature ranges from -20 °C to +150 °C. They fit all common connector types and are available as standard in natural colors and as a CS type in green and red. PFA tubes can also be welded.
Typical fit: demanding environments where pneumatic air line tubing must withstand heat, chemicals or aggressive cleaning, while still working with standard air system connectors for production lines.
Which of the Festo pneumatic tubes is the right one for you depends entirely on your requirements. Our product range includes tubes of different diameters, lengths, colours and materials. Regardless of whether the tube has to meet standard requirements or extreme conditions such as high temperatures or changeable weather conditions, at Festo you will find a suitable tube for every industry.
Most last-minute issues come from mismatched parts, not the tube itself. Before you check out, make sure you’ve covered the full setup:
The environment determines the right pneumatic tube. Chemicals, UV radiation, working pressure, acids, ... can damage the pneumatic tubes, causing them to tear, become less flexible or lose other properties, and your compressor has to generate more compressed air or bar due to the wear of the pneumatic tubes. Therefore, for these components, it is important to carefully check the applications in our engineering tools. All types of compressed air tubes are described for which applications they are suitable. You can easily find these here. Thus, you know that pu tube (PUN) is resistant to Vaseline, but not to water, but PUN-H is. Or that pa tube (PAN) is resistant to oil, but not to methanol. It is best not to buy PE tube when glycerol is nearby, and PFA tube (PFAN) is even resistant to citric acid and suitable for foodstuffs. The great advantage of our wide range: the right tube used for the right application. This keeps the air tube resistant to the environment in which it is mainly used.
The Festo portfolio has four main groups of compressed air tubes: development with a different material type;
• Polyurethane (PU), the widest range of tubes. These tubes combine flexibility with good chemical workability resulting in a package of specific properties.
• Polythene (PE) has wear-resistant properties with a competitive price-quality ratio.
• Polyamide (nylon) tubes can be used at higher working pressures and temperatures.
• Teflon®, the highest-quality tubes in terms of material type.
Pneumatic tube systems for constructing a compressed air network are available in the pneumatic connection technology category. This pneumatic tube is very suitable for connecting production rooms to the compressor to transport compressed air over longer distances thanks to their large diameter. When discussing pneumatic tube systems, the term "cylindrical containers" refers to the capsules or carriers that are used to hold the items being transported. These containers are typically cylindrical in shape to fit within the tube system and facilitate smooth movement through the tubes.
Flexible air tubes are used on the machine or plant itself, and selecting from the different plastics and buying tubes (available from stock) for your machines becomes very easy and efficient thanks to our engineering tools.
Finally, once the right combination of tube and coupling (Pneumatic system) has been selected - possibly with the help of Festo - it is a matter of determining the correct diameter of the air tubes and coupling. A step not to be underestimated as wrong choices can lead to problems. Oversizing, for example, guarantees unnecessarily high compressed air consumption, pressure drop or too low a flow. Under sizing leads to unreliable application, increased risk of leakage or deformation due to excessive pressures and insufficient compressed air capacity.
It is important that you know the size (diameter in mm) of your couplings. You can easily find these products via the article number. The pneumatic tube is normally delivered from stock to any location in the UK and suitable and available in various lengths. If you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Typical Applications: Pneumatic tube system finds applications in various industries and settings. They are commonly used in hospital, laboratories, blood samples, medications, food industry or paperwork between different departments. Pneumatic tube system also facilitates efficient document handling in office buildings, banks, and libraries. Some retail establishments, such as large supermarkets or department stores, use pneumatic tubes for cash handling.
A pneumatic control system is a type of control system that uses compressed air or gases to operate and control various mechanical or automated processes. Pneumatic control systems are widely used in industrial applications and can be found in manufacturing plants, power plants, refineries, and other industrial settings.