Industrial Innovations

Industrial Innovations

Design and Implementation of a Low-Cost Pneumatic Position Control System Using a Laser Distance Sensor

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Mahdi Tahmasbi 1
Ali Jabbari 2
Mehdi Modabberifar 2
1 Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran
2 Department of Manufacturing and Production Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, Iran
10.66224/jii.4.2.1
Abstract
Despite theoretical advancements in pneumatic control algorithms, industrial implementation of these systems faces significant limitations due to high hardware costs and execution complexities. This paper introduces a practical and cost-effective approach for a pneumatic position control system utilizing the Arduino Uno microcontroller and the VL53L0X laser distance sensor. The proposed system has successfully achieved its control objectives, demonstrating high accuracy (less than 1% error) in positioning and exhibiting short response times, including a rise time of 1 second and a settling time of 7 seconds. Alongside the evaluation of performance metrics, this research specifically addresses key practical implementation challenges, such as managing electrical noise, real-time processing constraints on low-cost hardware platforms, and sensor calibration procedures. The obtained results suggest that with meticulous and intelligent design, an acceptable level of industrial performance can be attained at a substantially lower cost, thereby opening new avenues for automation development in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and educational institutions.
Keywords
Pneumatic Control
Switching Control
Industrial Implementation
Cost-Effective Automation
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  • Receive Date 12 April 2026
  • Revise Date 06 May 2026
  • Accept Date 12 May 2026