ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE COVER STORY
NEW: FESTO VTUX VALVE TERMINAL
Pneumatic valve terminals are an essential element in the performance of today’s automated machines. They interface between the machine controller’s electronics and the actuators driving the motion. The introduction of the Festo VTUX valve terminal platform delivers exciting new options for OEM machine builders to reduce their costs and increase the performance of their machines
Central to the platform concept was that
customers only pay for the performance and features they actually need. Therefore, for the simple operation of solenoids through multi-pin cable connectors, basic valves can be ordered ready assembled onto a basic manifold base, with simple one direction internal ‘wiring’. If an existing bus system is preferred, then the basic low-cost terminal can be upgraded to a field bus connection. However, if more advanced features are needed then the specification can be incrementally uplifted to suit the application requirements. Integrating a ‘serial comms’ backplane into the bases means bi-directional communications are opened-up. The maximum number of solenoids on a terminal are no longer constrained by the number of wire connections running between the bases. Sophisticated sensors enable closed loop control possibilities, for example energy-saving vacuum modules that only call for air flow when the vacuum level decays. Internal sensors also enable predictive maintenance monitoring including the Festo AX AI assisted software.
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...customers only pay for the performance and features they actually need”
PERFORMANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
A step change in valve terminals
purely mechanical/pneumatic sub-bases by adding electrical connections for the solenoids and feedback signals. The machine building sector welcomed the time and cost saving innovation with open arms and valve terminals have been incorporated into most automated machines since then.
F
STEP-CHANGE IN VALVE TERMINAL TECHNOLOGY Festo established one of its largest ever, cross-function design teams to look at what machine builders are looking for in the next 5-10 years. They developed a new product range to be called VTUX standing for ‘Valve Terminal Universal’, addressing within the single platform, new pneumatics and electrical connectivity. The team focused on creating a platform that spanned from high-volume, low-cost, basic functionality to highly featured, technology rich
12 DESIGN SOLUTIONS NOVEMBER 2024
esto introduced valve terminals to the automation sector more than 30 years ago, moving the technology on from
options that addressed future technologies and specialist requirements in sectors previously seen as niches. The ‘X’ in the type description signified the ‘built-in flexibility’ to incorporate many new and innovative features in the coming months and years.
The Festo VTUX developers intensively modelled the features required such as higher valve flow rates, reduced space footprint and increased operating life alongside the project’s sustainability goals such as improving the electrical (solenoid coil) energy efficiency. Sustainability considerations extended beyond just the terminals’ operation by looking at reducing the energy and materials needed during manufacture and assembly production, and reducing the product’s overall climate impact. This approach enabled a dramatic
rationalisation of internal components resulting in immediate customer cost savings. For example, the latest generation of 10mm wide solenoid valves used on the VTUX terminal have such a high flow rate the valve itself isn’t the throttling bottleneck, instead the maximum diameter of tubing and fittings that will fit within a 10mm wide base define the limits. This meant that an easy way to rationalise the number of constituent parts was to utilise one valve body size across the standard 10mm, and a wider, 12mm sub-base. This means customers configure wider bases only where they are needed for higher flow rates e.g. for larger diameter actuators or faster cycle rates. Conversely, they can save on the overall width of the terminal and reduce unnecessary air consumption by using the narrower bases and smaller diameter tubing where this is sufficient for their application.
New Valve Terminal Universal ‘X’ from simple to advanced: in one platform
ELECTRICAL CONNECTIVITY Alongside the introduction of the new VTUX valve terminals Festo advocates the use of its simulation
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