Datasheet
General line (low pressure) Locations requiring high pressure
VBA
VBA
VBA VBA
Operating pressure:
0.5 MPa
Bore size: ø100
Output: ≈3850N
Operating pressure:
0.8 MPa
Bore size: ø80
Output:
≈4000N
0.5 MPa
ø100
IN 0.5 MPa
E
ø80
OUT 0.8 MPa
P
2
P
1
Shortening time
Without check
valve by-pass
Time t (S)
Outlet pressure (MPa)
P
2
P
1
0
Plant line (source pressure)
(Two-stage
pressure boost)
VBA22A, VBA42A
IN (Inlet)
Governor
Booster
chamber
A
Drive
chamber
A
Switching valve
Piston
Drive
chamber
B
Booster chamber
B
Check valve
OUT
(Outlet)
E
Piston rod
Air-operated type
Pilot pressure
IN (Inlet)
Booster chamber
B
Booster
chamber
A
Piston
Check valve
OUT (Outlet)
Governor
Drive
chamber
A
E
Drive
chamber
B
Switching
valve
Equivalent
output
Circuit Example
Working Principle
The IN air passes through the check valve to booster chambers A and B. Meanwhile, air is supplied to drive chamber B via the governor and the
switching valve. Then, the air pressure from drive chamber B and booster chamber A are applied to the piston, boosting the air in booster cham-
ber B. As the piston travels, the boosted air is pushed via the check valve to the OUT side. When the piston reaches to the end, the piston causes
the switching valve to switch, so that drive chamber B is in the exhaust state and drive chamber A is in the supply state respectively. Then, the
piston reverses its movement, this time, the pressures from booster chamber B and drive chamber A boosts the air in booster chamber A and
sends it to the OUT side. The process described above is repeated to continuously supply highly pressurized air from the IN to the OUT side. The
governor establishes the outlet pressure by handle operation and pressure adjustment in the drive chamber by feeding back the outlet pressure.
• When only some of the machines in the plant require high-pressure
air, booster regulators can be installed for only the equipment that
requires it. This allows the overall system to use low air pressure
while accommodating machines requiring high-pressure air.
• When the actuator output is insufficient but space limitations prohibit
switching to a larger cylinder diameter, a booster regulator can be
used to increase the pressure. This makes it possible to boost the
output without replacing the actuator.
• When a certain level of output is required but the cylinder size must
be kept small so that the driver remains compact.
• When filling a tank or the like from a source at atmospheric
pressure, a circuit with a check valve can be used to reduce the
filling time by allowing air to pass through the check valve up to the
inlet pressure.
•
When only one side of the cylinder is used for work, booster
regulators can be installed only on the lines that require them to
reduce the overall air consumption volume.
VBA1111VBA10A, VBA20A, VBA40A, 43A
Initially, inlet pressure (P
1
) passes through the check valve, fills P
2
,
and results in P
1
= P
2
.
Series VBA
Tc Ts
øD
L
P2P3P1
END
START
100
100
200
1
0.5
30
0.5
0.8
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES YES YES
YES
When running continuously for longer periods of time, confirm the life expectancy.
When the life expectancy is shorter than required, select a larger sized booster regulator
.
Select the tank
from table below.
Avoid
pulsation
(Max. 0.05
MPa)
Judgement
of charge time
T ≤ Ts
Provide requisite
conditions for
selection.
Calculate
required air flow
rate Q.
Select booster regula-
tor size from flow cha-
racteristics table.
Obtain the tank
volume V.
Select the tank
volume over V.
Calculate time T
from charge charac-
teristics table.
Increase number of
booster regulators
(Z) to decrease T.
Tank part no.
VBAT05A
VBAT10A
VBAT20A
VBAT38A
VBA10A
VBA10A
—
—
—
VBA2A
VBA2A
VBA2A
—
—
VBA4A
VBA4A
Applicable combination modelInner volume
Sizing (Sizing can be achieved by using SMC Pneumatic System Energy Saving Program Ver. 3.1.
Please contact your SMC sales representative.)
Lower limit of pressure inside tank P2
Pressure
Stroke
Upper limit of pressure inside tank P3
Inlet pressure P1
Time
Necessary supply
pressure to cylinder
P2
Example
Necessary conditions:
D [mm]: Cylinder bore size
L [mm]: Cylinder stroke
W [mm/s]: Cylinder operating speed
C [pc.]: Number of cylinders
Tc [s]: Cylinder operating time
Ts [s]: Cylinder stop time
P1 [MPa]: Inlet pressure
P2 [MPa]
Note 1)
: Necessary supply
pressure to cylinder
Note 1) P2 is the necessary supply pressure to a cylinder, and set the pressure below the lower limit of pressure inside the tank
with a regulator. Adjust the pressure taking the maximum operating pressure of equipment in use into consideration.
Note 2) P3 is the output pressure of the booster regulator, which is also the upper limit of charge pressure to a tank.
Other conditions:
Q [l/min (ANR)]: Required air flow rate
Qb [l/min (ANR)]: Outlet air flow rate of booster regulator
Tc [s]: Cylinder stroke time
K: Cylinder double-acting: 2, single-acting: 1
P3 [MPa]
Note 2)
: Tank charge pressure
T1 [s]: Time to charge (Time to charge to P2)
T2 [s]: Time to charge (Time to charge to P3)
T [s]: Time to charge (Time to charge from P2 to P3)
Z: Number of booster regulators
Judgement of
flow rate
Q [l/min (ANR)] =
π x D
2
x W
x
(P
2
+ 0.101)
x 60 x
C
4 x 10
6
0.101
Q =
π x 100
2
x 200 (0.8 + 0.101)
x 60 x 1 = 841
[l/min (ANR)]x
4 x 10
6
0.101
Refer to “Flow Characteristics” on pages 3 and 4.
VBA2A: Qb = 600 [l/min (ANR)]
VBA4A: Qb = 1050 [l/min (ANR)]
NO: Need no tank
The VBA4A can supply necessary pressure.
The
VBA2A
cannot obtain necessary pressure.
(P3 – P2) x 9.9
V [l ] =
(Q – Qb/2) x (Tc x K/60)
V = = 4.6 [l ]
(1.0 – 0.8) x 9.9
Select the VBAT10A, which can be
directly connected to the VBA2A.
(841 – 600/2) x (0.5 x 2/60)
Refer to “Charge Characteristics” on pages 3 and 4.
T = ( ) x = 3.5 [s]
T [s] = ( ) x
T
2
– T
1
V
10
4.6
10
Z
11.5 – 3.8
1
Extend
stop time Ts
up to charge time
T or more.
Caution
Use the VBA1111 (pressure increase ratio 4) with pressure
increase ratio of 2 to 4. Usage of pressure increase ratio below
2 is preferred for the VBA10A (pressure increase ratio 2). A
stable operation and increased life expectancy will result.
Inlet supply pressure volume is approximately twice the volume
of the outlet side. {approx. 2 times (pressure increase ratio 2),
approx. 4 times (pressure increase ratio 4)}. Booster regulator
requires that the inlet side volume should be the sum of the flow
volume running into the outlet side and the volume exhausted
from E port (for driving), because air is the power source.
5 l
10
l
20 l
38
l
Booster Regulator
Series VBA
5