Servo - November 2015

I prefer the universal mounting option which will let the cylinder pivot. There are times when you will need a parts movement to be restricted to a single plane of motion, however, so choose your mounts carefully.

Speed can be adjusted by the use of flow controls and regulators. I run high pressure from my compressor and then adjust the pressure to each character with a regulator. Each cylinder port is installed with flow control fittings so I can further dial in the speed at which they operate. This allows me to have a cylinder respond at one speed when it extends and a different speed when it retracts.

Fittings

Fittings are available in either metric or standard, so it will save you a considerable additional investment if you standardize. Mixing sizes — even if they seem to fit — will cause you many headaches because it could strip threads or cause connections to leak, costing you time and money. I don’t know about you, but both of those things are in short supply in my shop!

The push fittings are wonderful because it makes hooking up air lines a quick and easy process. They come in many styles and sizes, so purchase a selection of different ones so you are prepared to adapt your layout on the fly (Figure 3).

Air Lines, Hoses

You can select between several different sizes, colors, and qualities of air line. After trying numerous different styles, I have settled on black polyurethane airline for its kink resistance which comes in handy when having to make tight turns on an armature. I have not been satisfied with the look or performance of cheaper alternatives, and have had it fail in spectacular fashion. Talk about a loud air exhaust!

I use 3/8 inch line to each individual figure up to the regulator, and then switch to 1/4 inch hose to each cylinder.

Regulators

Use one for every prop which will enable you to dial in the appropriate pressure for each one. We only use enough air pressure to get the job done. It is safer and you do not want to waste air as it is too valuable of a resource.

Storage Tanks

These can be an extremely useful addition to your air delivery system. I use these for inside displays or where it is impractical to run an airline from the compressor to the prop (Figure 4). They can be a viable solution in many cases where you have located a prop in a remote location that uses a small cylinder that doesn’t get activated often.