Pneumatic & Fluid Control Valves

Many systems, especially those in industrial settings, require the careful regulation of the amount of air and/or fluid that passes through them. The rate, pressure, and the direction of the flow need to be precisely managed to ensure the safe operation of the application, and pneumatic valves are a pivotal component in achieving that.

When it comes to sourcing such critical devices it’s paramount that you find a supplier you can trust and here at RS, we offer a range of pneumatic control valves that is unrivaled across the rest of North America.

We stock thousands of components and you can use the filters on the left of this page to help you narrow your search. We only partner with the very best brands and you can find pneumatic valves from industry leaders such as Aventics, Dwyer Instruments, SMC Corporation, and our own brand RS PRO.

Read on for more information on pneumatic control valves, how they work, their common uses, and why you can rely on RS to deliver the parts that are best suited to your project.

What are pneumatic valves?

Pneumatic valves allow for the pressure, volume, and direction of a gas or liquid to be controlled as it flows through a system. They do this by using pressurized air as the control mechanism, and this air is passed through a pneumatic actuator which in turn can regulate the flow as required by opening and closing the valve’s ports.

There are different forms of actuators including grippers, rotary actuators, rodless actuators, and those that can be found in pneumatic cylinder control valves. Finding the pneumatic valves that are suited to your project will likely depend on several specifications, such as operating pressure, flow capacity, cycle rate, and port size.

What are the different types of pneumatic valves?

The term ‘pneumatic valves’ covers a wide range of components, which can be categorized in several different ways. For example, they can be classified by their function:

• Pneumatic directional control valves: As the name suggests, these devices determine the direction of the flow within the system. They do this by opening and closing ports to divert the flow as needed.
• Pneumatic flow control valves: These valves regulate the volume of air or liquid passing through the system by opening and closing ports to reduce or increase flow as required.
• Pneumatic pressure control valves: These regulate the pressure of the air or liquid inside the system. If the pressure were to rise too high or fall too low, the application is liable to work inefficiently or break down completely, but these valves help to keep the rate of flow at a steady level for optimum performance.

Pneumatic control valves can also be distinguished by their operating procedure:

• Pneumatic manual control valves: As the name suggests, these are operated using manual methods such as buttons, levers, knobs, or pedals.
• Remote control pneumatic valves: These are operated from distant stations which allow the controller to work on multiple systems and in safer conditions.

Where might pneumatic valves be used?

Pneumatics is used across many industries to improve speed, productivity, and safety. This means pneumatic control valves can be found in a wide range of applications. For example, they are likely to be utilized in dentistry equipment, mining apparatus, construction tools – such as hammer drills – and much more.

Why choose RS for your pneumatic valves?

Whether you’re looking for manual or remote control pneumatic valves, or those to regulate the pressure, volume, or direction of flow, rest assured we’ve got you covered. We stock thousands of pneumatic valves from leading brands such as Bimba MFD, Fabco-Air, Festo, and Norgren so you can feel entirely confident that you’ll be getting only the very best.

We’re firmly established as a leading authorized distributor across North America and we have specialists on hand to help with any queries you may have. So, if you’d like to know more about our selection of pneumatic control valves and which components will be most suited to your specifications, feel free to check out our expert hub for advice or get in touch and we’ll be on hand to assist in any way we can.