Pressure Switches

About Pressure Switches and Pressure Switch Manufacturers Including: Air Compressor Pressure Switch, Air Pressure Switches, Differential Pressure Switches, Oil Pressure Switch & Water Pressure Switch.

A pressure switch is a device that senses changes in hydraulic or pneumatic input pressure and responds by making electrical contact, switching on or off. Switches are programmed to activate at certain pressure points, and may be designed to make contact either on pressure rise or on pressure fall. Pressure switches are produced by pressure switch manufacturers to operate a variety of devices, including sensors or chips, transducers, meters, gauges and controllers. They are able to work with gas, electric current and liquid pressure situations, individually or in a combination. When a pressure switch is actuated it will open or close to interrupt or continue the flow or current involved. Depending on the application, a pressure switch may be set to a certain point of pressure or actuation point to which it will automatically respond.

Pressure switches are especially useful because they are a safe and cost-effective alternative to safety relief valves. The problem with relief valves is that they will sometimes leak pressure during operation, which, in hazardous situations, can be particularly devastating. The use of pressure switches will detect when such a problem is happening and will shut down the process until the trouble is fixed and an operator restarts the operation. Many industries incorporate pressure switches into equipment and processing, including utility plants, public buildings, process manufacturing and home appliance industries. The wide range of uses for pressure switches varies anywhere from the space station to missile launchers, and pressure switches may be designed to operate as oil pressure switches, air pressure switches, water pressure switch, furnace pressure switches or air compressor pressure switches.

Using diaphragms and sometimes piezoelectric crystals to sense pressure fluctuation, pressure switches are designed to regulate pneumatic or hydraulic flow between areas with differing pressures. Differential pressure switches help regulate differential pressure between a cavity and an open atmosphere, such as the pressure between an airplane cabin and the outside atmosphere, while vacuum switches help regulate the pressure between two closed cavities. The ultrasonic level switch is perfect for use in lubrication storage vessels in equipment that rotates and needs an alarm to help prevent damage. Nothing moves in these switches so they have no problems with sediment, and they are also unaffected by changes in pressure and temperature, making them useful in tanks that store mass quantities of liquid. Another type of pressure switch is the displacer level switch, which is used to maintain the level of liquids in a sump based on a preset set point. These are low cost, simple to operate and reliable.

Pressure switch manufacturers make products that have a variety of uses in different industries. Because they are designed to handle different situations, they are useful for applications such as filters, blowers, generators, off-road equipment, compressors, turbines, wastewater applications, panels and pipelines. Pressure switches are specifically designed for alarm, shutdown and control of many processes and equipment, and thus, work well in electronics, pipelines, pumps and other instances in which regulation or measurement of flow is required. Some things to consider and evaluate when looking for a pressure switch are accuracy, electrical output, temperature compensation, temperature output and the material to be handled. Also important are maximum vibration, maximum shock and operating temperature.

Pressure Switches and Pressure Switch Manufacturers Images Provided by Tecmark Corp.

Pressure Switches and Pressure Switch Manufacturers Image Provided by Ashcroft®, Inc.	Pressure Switches and Pressure Switch Manufacturers Image Provided by SOR, Inc.

Types of Pressure Switches

• Air compressor pressure switch controls pressure on air compressors.
  
• Air pressure switches control air flow and pressure in response to pneumatic pressures.
  
• Diaphragm pressure switches are precise switches with diaphragms to regulate material.
  
• Differential pressure switches measure or regulate between two points of differing pressure and actuate based on a set point.
  
• Displacer level switches are able to control the level in a sump of virtually any liquid. Their setpoints can be easily and quickly adjusted in the field.
  
• Low pressure switches respond and actuate in situations of minute, small or reduced pressure.
  
• Oil pressure switches measure or regulate the amount of or pressure of oil through volume, velocity or mass.
  
• Solid state pressure switches have pressure sensors and send signals and information to a remote controller and regulate pressure.
  
• Ultrasonic pressure switches are used in lubrication storage vessels for rotating equipment and will alert the operator if there is a risk of damage due to pressure leaks.
  
• Water pressure switches measure and/or regulate water pressure in correlation with pumps, according to a set point.

Pressure Switch Terms

Accuracy - A limit of how much deviation from the switch set point is allowed, measured in points per square inch or as a percentage.
 
Actuation Point/Setpoint - The exact pressure that actuates the snap-action switch to either open or close the circuit.
 
Actuation Value/Deadband - In a pressure actuated switch, the differentiation between the actuation point and the re-actuation point.
 
Adjustable Range/Working Pressure - The range of pressure a switch encounters under normal conditions.
 
Ambient Pressure - Pressure that surrounds a pressure switch.
 
Differential - While a switch element reverses itself, the amount of mechanical motion that is lost.
 
Differential Pressure - The difference between a reference point and the actual pressure value.
 
Electrical Switching Element - A device that will open or close an electrical circuit when prompted by the pressure sensing element.
 
Flow Meter - A device that measures the quantity of product flowing through it. (http://www.iqsdirectory.com/flow-meters/)
 
Hysteresis - The difference of a switch's response to increasing and decreasing pressure.
 
Pressure Gauge - A device which measures the pressure built up in a closed system. (http://www.iqsdirectory.com/pressure-gauges/)
 
Pressure Sensing Element - The part of the element that is moved when pressure is changed.
 
Pressure Transducer - A device that converts pressure into an analog electrical signal. (http://www.iqsdirectory.com/pressure-transducers/)
 
Repeatability - The measured consistency and accuracy of a pressure switch to operate at its setpoints.
 
Solenoid Valve - A valve that uses a solenoid to control the valve. (http://www.iqsdirectory.com/solenoid-valves/)
 
Snap-Action Switch - A fast transfer of contacts from one site to another. They can quickly open or close a circuit.
 
Variable Pressure - The changing pressure that activates the pressure switch.