At Festo, innovation is more than progress; it’s the engine that drives the company forward. Festo continually makes bold technological leaps to keep pace with global advancements, and their drive to deliver smarter, faster and more precise solutions keeps them side by side with the pace of technology, ensuring their customers are always equipped to lead the race in their respective industries.
One of their current technological advancements is in the pneumatics industry. Controlled Pneumatics from Festo is redefining the boundaries of compressed air technology to meet the demands of today’s most advanced applications. Thanks to this technology, the pressure control of the compact VTEP proportional valve terminal is extremely sensitive, down to a pressure of less than 1 mbar. This is perfect for applications such as wafer polishing or patch clamping in life science. The VTEP is the first proportional valve terminal on the market, combining unmatched precision, fast response times and dynamic control. This speeds up production and, at the same time, ensures that manufactured products are of a higher quality.
The use of high-precision piezo valves helps reduce compressed air consumption by up to 50%, supporting more sustainable and cost-effective operations. It empowers industries such as electronics, semiconductors, textile manufacturing, battery production and life sciences to achieve significant competitive advantages through enhanced performance and efficiency.
Pressure or vacuum or both?
At less than 120 mm wide, the VTEP is the most compact proportional valve terminal on the market for pressure control, with 10 working channels. It comes in three versions, 2-, 3- and 5-way, which can all be easily integrated for multi-channel applications. Pressure and vacuum can be combined in the control range of 6 bar.
The VTEP operates silently, produces no heat, is wear-free, and generates no particle abrasion. These advantages stem from its use of piezo technology, which, when combined with the appropriate control systems, delivers pneumatics that are exceptionally precise, fast and energy-efficient. Additionally, the valve terminal contains no copper, nickel or zinc, making it especially well suited for battery production and other industries where such materials can be disruptive.
VTEP Precision: From wafers to batteries and more
During wafer production, the variable contact pressure of the individual polishing chambers on the polishing unit is controlled with exceptional accuracy by the VTEP using Controlled Pneumatics. The even pressure guarantees excellent results across the entire processing surface, even when polishing delicate wafers. The VTEP-type valve terminals can also be used as pilot valves for media valves. In photolithography, for example, a light-resistant layer must be precisely applied to wafers. A VTEP-controlled suck-back function ensures that no excess paint is allowed to escape.
The VTEP proportional valve terminal is also suitable for many applications in web control, such as the production of battery foils. The VTEP communicates virtually in real-time, and the valves respond at lightning speed. The perfect timing guarantees significantly improved process reliability, even under unexpected forces, giving manufacturers greater confidence and consistency in their operations.
Growing portfolio from Controlled Pneumatics
With Controlled Pneumatics, Festo combines proportional technology, sensors and control algorithms to create a control loop. This technology opens up completely new fields of application for pneumatics in terms of pressure, flow and movement, and also makes conventional production more efficient. Last, but not least, Festo’s high-precision piezo valves cut compressed air consumption by up to 50% as they can be precisely metered. What once seemed complex is now remarkably simple. With just a few parameters entered, the closed-loop control system comes into operation, powered by Festo’s advanced algorithms for maximum efficiency.
In addition to the VTEP, the Controlled Pneumatics portfolio is constantly evolving for many applications. With the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM, movement, pressure and flow can be individually controlled and activated via motion apps. This digitalises pneumatics as the valve functions are controlled via apps. The VEAB proportional pressure control valve, commonly used in medical technology such as ventilators, operates silently and requires minimal energy. The VPPI proportional pressure control valve is characterised by the fact that controller presets and pressure curves can be individually adapted.
As industries push the limits of performance, precision and sustainability, Controlled Pneumatics from Festo stands at the forefront, redefining what’s possible with compressed air. With every innovation, Festo reaffirms its role as a high-performance partner for industries striving for excellence. With a growing portfolio of intelligent solutions, Festo continues to shape the future of automation, delivering smarter, faster and cleaner technologies to address the challenges ahead. The future of automation is on a fast track, and the race for automation excellence is on. Let Festo drive your business and leave your competition in the rear-view mirror today.
For more information, contact Festo South Africa,
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.festo.co.za |
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