Keeping Your Pneumatic Tools Safer With Proper Management

24 November 2017
 Categories: , Blog

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Air tools can get clogged easily. Especially if you're working in an area with a lot of dirt, clay, sand, or other types of grit, it's easy for workers to drop a pneumatic screwdriver or impact wrench onto the ground for a quick and easy clog that is a nightmare to fix. To avoid risking extra damage because of misfiring, motor damage, or risky maintenance while losing operational time, here are a few tips for pneumatic tools and accessories to keep your workcenter or outdoor project as efficient as possible.

What Could Go Wrong With Pneumatics In The Dirt?

Although many devices can be harmed by being filled with too much debris, what is specifically wrong with debris inside pneumatic tools? It's an issue of maintaining airflow and dealing with intricate, moving parts.

Pneumatic devices operate by releasing air at a specific pressure. This usually comes from an air compressor, which has to generate enough air to power different pieces of equipment. Depending on your air compressor investment, you could have a few hours or a few days of air compressor tank reserves.

If the pneumatic tools get a few specks of sand or dirt inside their gateways, there's enough space to allow air to escape. This results in a tank drainage, meaning that you'll run out of compressed faster. Even if you have a high-speed compressor, you're still wasting electricity on the project.

The air compressor itself can be at risk. If the filter area is low to the ground or in an area where dust is constantly kicked up, the filter will need to be changed more often. During those filter changes, a person could accidentally kick dirt into the filter, so make sure to place all air compressors on a raised platform in the cleanest possible area while avoiding direct water exposure.

Protecting Pneumatic Systems

To keep your devices in good shape, reduce the opportunities to drop them on the ground. This happens not just from careless employees, but from fatigued workers who are either in a hurry or just need to drop everything immediately.

Set up a few rolling carts that are average waist height for more workers. If they have foot-level trays as well, that's even better. Sliding trays that are only at foot level may work well for dropping equipment safely, but they're also a trip hazard as fatigued or hurried workers walk onto the trays like a set of roller skates and fall quickly.

Another part of pneumatic device air loss is from hose wear and tear. Try keep double the required amount of necessary hoses to make replacement easy, look for a type of heavy duty air tool hose that can handle slight bends and twists. Cloth sheathing on hoses works, but there are other options.

Contact an air tool professional to discuss accessories and replacement plans to make your workcenter more efficient.