Festo launches technopolymer pneumatics products

Festo is introducing a range of products for the high-volume industrial control markets.

The product line includes air preparation units, compact and ISO cylinders, one-way flow control valves and a series of solenoid-operated valves and valve terminals.

Festo's new DSNUP series of pneumatic cylinders feature technopolymer end caps, stainless steel piston rods and aluminium barrels.

Available with piston diameters of 16, 20 and 25mm, the DSNUP cylinders feature ISO swivel mounting and threaded end and bearing caps to simplify installation.

Festo has also introduced a compact cylinder with technopolymer end caps incorporating push-in tube fittings, known as the ADNP.

The cylinders are suitable for simple automation tasks such as controlling gates and flaps, and for simple clamping and holding functions.

Their high chemical resistance makes them suitable for food processing and packaging applications, and their low weight will prove useful to OEMs developing handling automation technology.

Festo has also launched a series of technopolymer-based valves, which are available as individual components, as well as fully assembled and tested valve manifolds.

The VB12 valves feature a body moulded entirely from IXEF 1022 glass-filled polyamide, resulting in a low weight design.

The valves accommodate air flow rates from 200 to 1000 litres per minute.

Festo performed extensive analysis of the valves to determine the optimum design - it was important that the chosen technopolymer provided a similar modulus of rigidity to metal, to ensure good leakage values and to prevent any misalignment of embedded contacts.

This included forensic materials science techniques using dynamic X-ray analysis.

Detailed thermal analysis - using worst-case scenarios of overdriven co-located solenoids and elevated ambient temperatures - has confirmed that the valves provide 100 per cent reliability at ambient temperatures as high as 50C.

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