Air Chucks

Air chucks are mechanical clamps powered by compressed air. They lock onto an object when air pressure pushes internal jaws together - the jaws open and release the part when the pressure exhausts. A familiar version is the tyre chuck - it's threaded or snap-on nose mates with the valve stem, seals, plus lets air travel only into the tyre so the compressor does not waste air during inflation. The market splits into two basic designs. Open-flow chucks never block the airline - air always exits the tip, even when nothing is attached. Tire gauges use this style because they need an even reference pressure. Closed-flow chucks contain a small check valve that stays shut until the chuck fully seats on the valve stem. No air escapes while the line is open - the compressor cycles less often and the workplace stays quieter. Factory automation uses larger variants of the same idea - short air pulses close multiple chuck jaws on a robot arm - the arm holds metal, plastic or wood parts while drills, mills or welders work on them. Every size of chuck keeps the weight low. Bodies are usually aluminium or hardened polymer, rarely longer than a credit card, but also seldom wider than the palm of a hand. Viton or nitrile seals keep out coolant mist and grit, and a simple O-ring swap restores full function after millions of cycles. The devices need only a single airline, no electric cables as well and they tolerate temperatures from freezing to the threshold of boiling water. Their main limit is the need for an even compressed air source - without that supply, the jaws relax and the part drops.