Abstract: A pneumatic conveying apparatus, having a conveyor line path installed with a first valve and a second valve. An article is conveyed through the conveyor line path. The first and second valves are both open to a vacuum source to provide a sucking force to the article, so as to initiate conveying the article. After a flow of the article through the whole conveyor line path is established, the second valve is closed to form an air cushion at the terminal end of the conveyor line path. The terminal velocity of the article is thus reduced without causing any damage or breakage.

Abstract: The invention provides a separator for removing small particulates from an air stream, the separator includes pneumatic separator with a relatively small filter element built inside the separator to remove particulates from the air stream down to as small as one micron. The pneumatic separator relies on a vortex effect and sudden changes in direction of the air flow to strip out most of the particulates, and because the very small particulates have insufficient mass to be dislodged from the air in this way, these particulates remain in the air stream and are carried to the filter element where they build up on the element. The build up is interrupted by the incoming air which flows aggressively around the element and strips parts of the build-up off the element. This ongoing random process can be supplemented if necessary by back flushing. Both the separated particulates and those stripped off the filter element accumulate in the separator for subsequent removal.