What is a Pneumapole?

The Pneumapole is a transit plate for direct mounting in the base of a control cabinet. The valve terminal slides in from the outside and fully covers the cut-out in the cabinet. All pneumatic connections remain on the outside — the panel builder does not need to make any pneumatic connections inside the cabinet and requires no pneumatic knowledge.

Pneumapole is the name Ebora has given to this concept. It is now available for multiple valve terminal brands and has been extended with variants for cable entry and hose feed-through (Pneumapole-E) and a fully integrated hygienic design terminal box (Pneumapole-K).

Why is this the most hygienic installation method for a valve terminal?

The Pneumapole installation is the most hygienic way to mount a valve terminal in a control cabinet. The transit plate is made of stainless steel with a surface roughness of Ra < 0.8 µm and a blue silicone seal between plate and cabinet. The assembly meets IP66 and IPx9 (IEC/EN 60529), making the cabinet resistant to high-pressure jets and direct water spray.

Because the valve terminal fully covers the cut-out, a precisely milled or laser-cut opening is not required. Even a manually made hole is sufficient — any roughness or oxidation at the edges remains completely covered after installation.

For which valve terminals is the Pneumapole available?

Ebora supplies the Pneumapole for the following valve terminals:

The Festo VTUG is largely available from stock, fully assembled and tested. The VTUG is also available with hot-swap, allowing valves to be replaced without interrupting air pressure.

Which valve terminal should you choose?

The right choice depends on your application:

• Festo VTUG — versatile, available with multi-pin or fieldbus (Profinet, EtherCAT, IO-Link and more), hot-swap possible. Most common choice for the Pneumapole.
• Bürkert 8652 — choose this when feedback signals need to be connected directly on the valve terminal. This gives the most compact solution for combined control and feedback.
• Aventics VX03 — suitable when electrical wiring must terminate directly on clamps on the terminal, without a separate connector.
• Unbranded — for OEM applications and larger quantities only. Highly competitive on price, but not suitable for single-unit projects.

What are the advantages of the Pneumapole for panel builders?

Air hoses are more difficult to route neatly than electrical cabling and require a large stock of push-in fittings. The Pneumapole eliminates this problem:

• Valve terminal slides in from the outside — no extra space needed for internal mounting
• All pneumatic connections outside the cabinet — no pneumatic knowledge required
• Cut-out fully covered after installation — manual cutting is sufficient
• Valve replacement via two screws, without dismantling the cabinet
• Rittal Hygienic Design cabinets are available with pre-drilled Pneumapole cut-outs

Ebora builds its own pneumatic control cabinets using the Pneumapole wherever possible, to reduce build time and deliver high-quality cabinets.

Pneumapole-E: cable entry and hose feed-through

The concept has been extended with the Pneumapole-E for routing electrical cables and pneumatic hoses. The Pneumapole-E has 47 cable entries with integrated strain relief:

• 14 × Ø 3.5–6.5 mm
• 28 × Ø 4.5–8.5 mm
• 4 × Ø 7.0–11.0 mm
• 1 × Ø 11.0–16.0 mm

The Pneumapole-E is available in many versions. From 5 units, a custom version can be produced as a special. For the air hose outside the cabinet, matching push-in fittings are available.

Pneumapole-K: fully stainless steel hygienic design terminal box

The Pneumapole-K is a fully stainless steel hygienic design terminal box with directly integrated valve terminals. This is the most complete version of the Pneumapole concept, designed for applications where both the cabinet and the pneumatic connections must meet hygienic design requirements. The Pneumapole-K is largely available from stock.

Technical specifications Pneumapole

• Transit plate material: stainless steel, Ra < 0.8 µm
• Seal: blue silicone
• IP rating: IP66 and IPx9 (IEC/EN 60529)
• Maximum working pressure: 10 bar
• Maximum temperature: 60 °C
• Electrical connection: 24 VDC
• Fieldbus options Festo VTUG: Profinet, Profibus, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, CANopen, DeviceNet, CC-Link, IO-Link, AS-Interface, CPI

Frequently asked questions

Can I purchase the Pneumapole directly from the valve terminal manufacturers?

Ebora has been working to make this possible for many years. You can help by asking your regular supplier or directly at Festo, Bürkert or Aventics whether the valve terminal can be supplied with Pneumapole. The more customers request this, the greater the chance that manufacturers will offer it as a standard option.

Is the transit plate available separately?

No. Ebora supplies valve terminals fully assembled and tested. The Pneumapole transit plate is part of the complete system and is not available as a separate item.

What is the difference between Pneumapole, Pneumapole-E and Pneumapole-K?

The Pneumapole is the pneumatic transit plate for valve terminals mounted in the cabinet base. The Pneumapole-E is the variant for electrical cable entry and hose feed-through, with 47 cable entries with strain relief. The Pneumapole-K is a fully stainless steel hygienic design terminal box with directly integrated valve terminals — the most complete and integrated version of the concept.

Select the right Pneumapole based on valve terminal type, flow rate and application, or request a quotation directly via the contact page.