Pneumatic systems rely on air pressure to push small pneumatic tube carriers along a sophisticated configuration of tubes that are often made of strong plastic. First, the item is placed inside the sturdy pneumatic tube carrier, which is then positioned to be launched. Some sending stations have a locked door installed while others may come with a hatch that simply opens and shuts.
With the help of air pressure, the pneumatic tube carrier is launched and pushed forward at a high speed. When the pneumatic tube carrier reaches its destination, the compressed air will be released, thereby helping the carrier to stop. Typically, both the sending and receiving stations have an alert system to notify employees when a package has been received.
Often, pneumatic tube systems have rather simple configurations that are effective and straightforward. There is often just one receiving station linked to several sending stations. However, there are more sophisticated computerized systems that connect sending stations to a large number of receiving stations. In these sophisticated systems, it is common to have multiple packages all being sent along in different directions at any one time. In fact, some complex pneumatic tube systems may have tons of sending and receiving stations, requiring several compressors to propel the pneumatic tube carriers along.
