The comprehensive range of vacuum components from SMC Corporation Australia New Zealand (ANZ) focuses on compressed air efficiency. Instead of spending thousands of dollars upgrading systems, SMC can optimize your current system by replacing your existing vacuum components with efficient, state-of-the-art vacuum solutions.
ANZ State Manager of SMC Corporation for Victoria and South Australia Rodney Ryan.
SMC has placed great emphasis on the design of its vacuum area and helps its customers choose the best vacuum system for their application.
We analyze the current vacuum system and apply an integrated approach to energy efficiency. We support our customers by analyzing weak points in their existing system, assessing potential areas for energy savings, understanding flow and pressure requirements, and optimizing the selection of vacuum components. Education and training are central to the success of any system, and it is an integral part.
Rodney Ryan
A current success story
In a recent application, SMC partnered with Australian machine builder HMPS to develop an innovative, industry-first vacuum solution. The machine was specially built for a customer in Thailand who wanted to keep his old compressor but wanted to upgrade his line without interruption.
The machine is retrofitted with a vacuum head for loading and unloading pet food from a retort. While the specially designed vacuum head used in this application is made from standard SMC vacuum products, this solution has been developed into a unique multifunctional and energy efficient vacuum design.
Vacuuming best practices
SMC has identified a few key control points to help customers get the most out of their vacuum application. Here are 10 top checks when introducing vacuum into a system:
- Have you performed a leak test to determine the leakage and the most suitable suction cup for your material style or product shape?
- Do you have the optimal suction flow and the optimal vacuum level?
- Have you correctly identified the acceleration forces for each movement: emergency stop, pneumatic drives, electric drives?
- Are the vacuum ejectors in the optimum supply pressure range in order to reduce air consumption?
- Is the vacuum system designed for the worst case scenario?
- Check that the hose length between the vacuum ejector and the place of use is as short as possible
- Check whether the hose diameter at the vacuum opening is equal to or larger than the hose diameter on the supply side.
- Has a filter been installed to protect the vacuum ejectors?
- If long pipe lengths are required, increase the pipe diameter.
- Have you built a vacuum switch in your vacuum line to monitor / detect leaks?
SMC's vacuum heroes
Vacuum ejector ZK2-A: This all-in-one energy saving solution offers a 90 percent reduction in air consumption thanks to a digital pressure switch with an energy saving function that interrupts the air supply when the pressure reaches the desired vacuum. Thanks to its self-locking valve with two connections and 2 connections, the vacuum is maintained as long as air is supplied even in the event of a power failure. It is more compact and offers a 50 percent increase in suction flow (compared to other single-stage SMC ejectors).
Vacuum saving valve ZP2V: This is used when multiple vacuum pads are powered by a single vacuum generator and some of them do not hold the workpiece well. This ensures that the workpiece is held in place by the rest of the brake pads while the vacuum pressure is limited to those that are not in use to increase energy savings, while the spring loaded mechanism allows the vacuum economy valve to be in any position to work. "
ZH-A vacuum generators: This series is compact, lightweight and available in either a box or body port type. Each of them are now available in a manifold configuration. Over the years we have further developed this product to make it smaller, quieter and more flexible to assemble.
Multi-stage ejector ZL2 / 3: SMC has renewed its multi-stage ejector series with the ZL1 / ZL3 / ZL6 series to respond to the weight reduction resulting from the increasing use of robotics. This expansion of the vacuum range from SMC meets the requirements for suction flow for workpieces with high leakage and at the same time ensures energy efficiency. This series offers a highly efficient multi-stage ejector series that is compact and lightweight in design but has great suction power. "
The three-stage diffuser construction design of the ZL1 / ZL3 / ZL6 provides an increased suction flow rate of 250 percent compared to a single-stage model. In addition, the release of ZL3 and ZL6 is accompanied by an increase in the maximum suction throughput of up to 600 l / min.
ZU-A inline vacuum generator: This compact and lightweight solution is installed near the vacuum cushion to avoid absorption errors from the vacuum source and can reach pressures as low as -90 kPa.
Finally, it should be noted that the best testing laboratory is in the environment where the pads are currently being used. SMC offers customers vacuum tests so that they can find the perfect vacuum solution for their application that sets us apart from the competition and ensures that our products are of the highest quality.
About SMC
SMC was founded over 60 years ago and operates in 83 countries. The company employs 19,000 people worldwide. The company has an R&D engineering team of 1,450 people and 8,200 sales people who are experts in their fields and who work closely with SMC's customers. To provide automation solutions for its diverse customer base, SMC offers more than 12,000 basic products with over 700,000 variations. SMC is the world's leading pneumatics company and has been selected as one of the world's most innovative companies by leading business magazine Forbes for three years in a row. FORBES Global 2000 is listed as one of the world's largest listed companies.
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