Mini slides redefine guided pneumatic actuators

Festo has launched a generation of mini slides that are set to redefine the market for guided pneumatic actuators.

Festo has launched a generation of mini slides that are set to redefine the market for guided pneumatic actuators.

The DGSL series mini slides are based on a highly innovative design, in which the guide unit forms the actual body of the unit and incorporates a high performance pneumatic actuator.

This fully integrated approach offers numerous advantages over conventional mini slides, including greater smoothness, higher end-position accuracy and inherent robustness.

The new design also employs a completely new body profile which simplifies installation and commissioning by enabling all sensors to be mounted, adjusted and seen from just one position.

The new DGSL series mini slides are the result of extensive market research and customer feedback, and Festo confidently believes that they will rapidly establish a significant share of this sector of the handling technology market.

The slides are suitable for a wide range of precision moving, pick-up, insertion and placement tasks, and integrate easily with other Festo automation components.

DGSL mini slides are available with a choice of nine different, and overlapping, stroke lengths up to 200 mm.

Each unit offers a wide range of stroke adjustment, which, combined with its exceptional rigidity and linearity, means that multiple slides can simply be 'piggy-backed' to create the desired motion characteristics.

There is also a choice of eight actuator piston diameters - from 4 mm to 25 mm -and three types of damping option.

In all, the DGSL series offers 145 different models, making it very easy for system designers and machine builders to select an exact match for their application.

The three types of end-of-stroke cushioning enable users to accommodate a wide variety of energy levels and positioning accuracies.

The stop bracket and cushioning components are locked off with a patented, easy-to-adjust thread clamp that overcomes the creep problem associated with traditional lock-nuts.

The mini slides also feature end-lock and clamping cartridge options, which prevent the slide moving if the air supply pressure drops; this is especially useful for preventing damage in vertical applications, and makes system resets much easier.

All DGSL series mini slides feature an extruded aluminium body, which mounts the guide unit and houses the bore of the pneumatic actuator cylinder.

A precision stainless steel guide is coupled to the housing via ball cage bearings running along the guide rails, and is pre-tensioned to ensure smooth and reliable operation.

The guide and the slide are pre-mounted and then ground in-situ, obviating any dimensional errors caused by the aluminium extrusion.

Thanks to the rigidity of the slide and yoke plate the new slide realises a repetition accuracy of 0.01 mm and offers linearity and parallelism within the 0.01 mm range - even at maximum stroke.

Furthermore, cage control is implemented using a patented rack-and-pinion arrangement which prevents any slip due to friction, resulting in superb operational characteristics and durability.

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