Trends in pneumatics – digitalization

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of the latest technology trends in pneumatic automatization at Festo, focusing on digitalization from a component to a system level. The Festo Motion Terminal (VTEM) is valve terminal, designed for digitalization. Unique valve unit design allows valve functions to be defined by a software and to be changed in a running system very quickly, even on the fly. Model based applications on a valve controller offer many advanced functionalities such as: pneumatic servo positioning, force and torque control of pneumatic drives and pressure or flow regulation in pneumatic systems. VTEM native connectivity with higher order controllers adds a possibility to seamlessly integrate it on all levels, from the field to the cloud. User control logic and/or AI algorithms in a combination with digitalized pneumatics allows new services, such as: auto-commissioning, predictive maintenance, increased energy efficiency, automatic leakage detection within pneumatic systems and many others.