Universal manifolds like VTUG and VTUS actuate a wide range of common – and not so common – tasks.
Festo is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as well as the 50th anniversary of Festo Canada. Throughout this past half-century in particular, the family-owned technology leader boasts an impressive list of innovations that have advanced the cause of industrial automation. Arguably, few of those have been more impactful than the valve terminal. In the late 1980s, Festo launched the concept commercially and continues to be its leading innovator.
Valve terminals represented a vitally important breakthrough, simplifying installation, configuration and commissioning of pneumatically-actuated solutions, with low maintenance and service requirements. They are an ideal optimizing tool – a single manifold enables precise configuration of multiple valves for the supported tasks. Previously, each individual valve and component such as coils and silencers had to be ordered and installed as standalones. With their integrated electrical inputs and outputs, valve terminals can control small tasks, independently of the control system. As a modular concept, each valve terminal series is highly configurable – by valve width and assigned functions (3/2, 5/2,/3/2, etc) which also determines the maximum flow rate, pressure ranges, connection types (both pneumatic and electric), coil voltages (both AC or DC), degrees of protection, safety features, mounting options and more.
From the design and procurement standpoint, the advent of the valve terminal saw the number of errors in orders, assembly and commissioning fall dramatically. Overnight, trouble-shooting became a whole lot simpler.
In the years that followed the initial launch, Festo introduced many innovations that have advanced the concept:
- the first IP65 input/outputs for fieldbus connectivity
- the first decentralized installation for a manifold with hybrid data and energy cabling for IO.
- for more flexibility, the first completely modular electrical periphery in a terminal with eight selectable connection technologies and Level 3 diagnostics.
- more function integration of pneumatics and electrics with IT technology
- integration of safety technology and advanced diagnostic concepts
Festo-led advances in valve technology and manifold connectivity with controllers and PLCs have enabled valve terminal design to keep aligning with the changing needs of customers and opportunities being presented them by digitalization in particular. Complementary development of new actuators, drives and tooling (rigid and flexible grippers, vacuum generators, etc) and accessories are keeping pneumatic automation as relevant as ever.
Today, the Festo valve terminal portfolio is the broadest in the industry, containing specialized, standard and universal models, from diminutive series for laboratory and light assembly tasks like sampling, dosing and filling to industrial strength units doing heavy lifting in fields like automotive manufacturing.
Electrozad performs full assembly of two of Festo’s most widely used universal models – the VTUG and VTUS – both tried and true workhorses of automation.
The VTUG (IP40, IP65, IP67), based on VUVG valves (up to 1,300 l/min flowrates) is designed for applications requiring a compact footprint with a high flow-to-footprint ratio. That makes it ideal for OEMs building small- to medium-size machines, or for that matter, any applications using 24V DC power. If you have 24V DC on board, and if you need a compact solution, the VTUG is it.
Machine designers are finding multiple additional benefits using the VTUG in distributed or decentralized, low-voltage networking scenarios like Festo’s Automation Platform (AP) that take advantage of the performance and installation/commissioning efficiencies offered by remote IO or IO-Link. For example, in a decentralized network, the VTUG can be located right at the function it is actuating and connected to the PLC via remote IO or IO-Link network (plugging into a Festo CPX-AP-I module rather than being wired individually to the machine’s bus backbone), so the terminal is right-sized for the job. (Mounting the valve terminal further away from the application might necessitate using a larger unit to compensate for distance.)
Locating the terminal right at the function also saves on wiring, cabling and energy.
And in these times of labour shortages where the skilled trades are in great demand, plugging the valve terminal or other functional components like a proximity switch into a remote IO or IO-Link module like CPX-AP-I – rather than connecting them directly to the bus system –doesn’t require an electrician and can be done by a less-skilled employee. For OEMs in particular, that represents a significant rebalancing of the work on assembling a machine, allowing them to extract maximum value from the electrician’s time.
(Festo’s SDBT-MSX is the world’s first proximity switch with auto-teach in, another labour saver for installation and commissioning. Visit the Festo website page here for more information.)
When your application calls for a more robust solution (IP65, IP67) or working with higher voltages, typical of what you’d probably require in a medium to large machine, like in box loading, stacking or other packaging applications, that’s where designers would move up to VTUS. It can deliver significantly greater flow rates (up to 2300 l/min) than the VTUG and operate with 110 AC or 230/240 AC power which you would find on larger machines. It also supports inch as well as metric fittings for various tubing types and sizes.
Both fully assembled VTUG and VTUS terminals come with one part number for easy re-ordering.
Festo is also dictating the future of the valve terminal with new conventional manifolds like the VTUX and an entirely new concept: controlled pneumatics. The VTUX Festo’s new flagship valve terminal, is a universal unit with a polymer body that increases the potential range of supported applications.
The VTUX is Festo’s new flagship platform for further development. A universal unit with a high performance polymer body, marking the future of the valve terminals with the latest technology. Its light weight and compact size make it suitable for many new missions, like providing actuation in end-of-arm tooling or for saving space on a machine or in a control cabinet. The IP65/67-rated VTUX platform combines valves with onboard IO, remote IO, and decentralized IO.
The key to the VTUX's unparalleled flexibility is its modular design. For flow rates up to 730l/min, a high flow subbase is used and for space saving needs, a compact subbase. A single valve model can be used for both subbases, simplifying ordering, stocking, and support. High flow and compact sub-bases of one or four valve positions can be mixed and matched on a terminal. VTUX terminals can have up to 64 valves with up to 128 solenoid coils. The VTUX also features vacuum capability and onboard inputs for easy maintenance.
The electronics side of the VTUX features mix and match modules. For example, users can add multiple analog or digital IO modules, including I/O-Link. The modular concept continues through to the method of communication between controller and terminal. The choices include the Festo AP for backplane speed communication in all top communication protocols. All AP-based modules appear to the control engineer to be under a single IP address, which simplifies commissioning and allows smaller and less expensive PLCs to be specified. Additional communication modules include IO-Link, AP-I for decentralized IO, and a multipin connector.
For more information on the VTUX, download the brochure or take this video tour.
Last but certainly not least, Controlled Pneumatics combines proportional technology, sensors and control algorithms to form a control loop. This technology opens up completely new fields of application for pneumatics in terms of pressure, flow rate and motion – and also makes conventional production more efficient. With high-precision piezo valves, the consumption of compressed air is reduced by up to 50%. With the input of a few parameters, a digital closed-loop control is created thanks to Festo's sophisticated algorithms. Several bellwether products of controlled pneumatics are available today, like the software-controlled Festo Motion Terminal (VTEM), and VTEP, the world’s first proportional valve terminal.
The Festo Motion Terminal is the first in the world to use valves with functions controlled by software apps. Which function a valve assumes and which tasks the controller can fulfill are determined by these Motion Apps. The intelligent combination of pneumatics, sensors, electronics and software enables many movement and monitoring tasks. It a typical installation, Motion Apps digitally control key functions, like direct and proportional directional valve control, proportional pressure regulation, flow control, pressure-reduced return stroke, soft stop, energy conservation, leakage diagnostics and more.
VTEP on the other hand, is designed for small jobs requiring high precision and dynamics for both pressure and vacuum, for compact multi-channel pressure control with low flow rates. Ideal for a number of industries such as electronics and semiconductors, life science, textiles, battery production and many more. Despite its small size, it can provide 10 channels on a width of less than 120 mm with very low power consumption.
Controlled pneumatics combines benefits of conventional pneumatics and electric automation, delivering greater precision than the former with up to 50% less compressed air consumption for significant energy savings. Festo is developing it in parallel to its conventional pneumatics and electric automation portfolios, giving its customer base new options to align more closely with their evolving automation needs.
Want to learn more about Festo? Contact:
Japjeet Lutchman
Automation Business Development Manager
japjeet.lutchman@electrozad.com
519-719-8302