Chances are you don’t typically think about pneumatics or pneumatic systems. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if you’d never given a serious thought about pneumatics at all. That’s ok. But regardless of how much or how little you’ve thought about pneumatics in the past, they have an undeniable impact on your life in a number of ways every day.

For example, when you’re driving down a busy interstate congested with 16 wheelers, you might frequently be eternally grateful for the existence of modern braking systems. When you consider that the average weight of a full sized semi can be in excess of 80,000 pounds, the brakes regularly work together to stop extreme forces moving at high speeds. What makes the whole relationship even tenser is the simple fact that failure could result in absolute catastrophe. In most cases, the major technology responsible for slowing down the massive hulking beasts you encounter on the highway is the modern pneumatic braking system. Should an air hose fitting or other critical system component fail, the truck’s pneumatic braking system would also suffer – transforming a simple truck into a runaway mass of metal.

For another example, consider all of the products, gadgets, and tools you utilize every day. Because of pneumatics, fast, safe, and efficient mass manufacturing is possible so that the many things you rely on are cheap and readily available to you. Whether it’s a cellphone or your automobile, mass manufacturing and pneumatics have come together to make our entire world simpler.

Finally, think about that ruddy bridge drive over every day. One day you hope that it will be fixed. Chances are that repair you’ve been waiting for may require jackhammering, hydro blasting, and other pneumatic-dependent processes.

While it could all be possible without pneumatics, the technology we’ve come to know and love makes it easier, safer, and more efficient.

Common Pneumatic System Components Include

-Air hose fittings

-Air compressors

-Air tubes

-Air regulators

-Compress air cylinders

-Pneumatic actuators

-And many others

As you can see, pneumatics make quite a bit possible. So next time you pass a construction worker jackhammering a bridge, or when you’re in a bus when it applies its air brakes to come to a safe stop – thank pneumatics and the many components that work together to make your life easier.