Pneumatic Valves & Accessories

How to Choose the Right Pneumatic Valve

Work through actuation type, port configuration, and flow demand to specify the right pneumatic valve for your control scheme.

• Select Actuation Type for the Control Scheme Actuation type is the first decision. Manual valves give the operator direct physical control — the right choice when a human commands each cycle. Solenoid valves connect to a PLC or relay circuit for machine-automated operation. Pilot-operated valves use air signals from another valve or the circuit itself to create sequenced or interlocked control without electricity at the valve body. Selecting the wrong actuation type for the control architecture results in circuit redesign.
• Match Port Count and Configuration to the Actuator The number of ports determines what the valve can do. A 2-way valve simply opens or closes a flow path. A 3-way valve supplies or exhausts a single actuator port — correct for single-acting spring-return cylinders. A 4-way or 5-port valve alternately pressurizes and exhausts both sides of a double-acting cylinder — the standard for any cylinder requiring powered movement in both directions.
• Verify SCFM Rating Against System Flow Demand Every pneumatic valve has a rated flow capacity in SCFM at a specified pressure differential. A valve undersized for the required flow creates excess pressure drop — the cylinder moves slowly, force drops under load, and cycle times extend. Calculate the SCFM your actuator requires at operating speed and select a valve rated above that demand with adequate margin. Also confirm that upstream components — filters, FRLs, hose, and fittings — can deliver that flow without bottlenecking at the valve inlet.