Open AccessTrends in pneumatics – digitalization
Author(s) -
Herbert Hufnagl,
Andrej Čebular,
Marcus Stemler
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.18690/978-961-286-513-9.2
Subject(s) - pneumatics , pneumatic flow control , software , control engineering , computer science , pneumatic actuator , engineering , electrohydraulic servo valve , controller (irrigation) , torque , actuator , mechanical engineering , operating system , electrical engineering , agronomy , physics , thermodynamics , biology
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.