Electro-pneumatic valve family that has easy-to-configure and maintain platform for automation is designed for building systems around a configurable manifold with 'point-of-use' control system.

Festo is showing its new VTSA electro-pneumatic valve family at the UK's mtec 2006 exhibition. This is the first UK showing of these latest-generation valves. They are designed to facilitate creation of automation systems around a configurable manifold - allowing the functionality of a control cabinet to be replaced with a standalone, point-of-use system.

Ease of configuration and access are fundamental to the design of the new valve family - VTSA - to suit users creating machines for demanding application environments such as continuous processes.

Here, the advantages of a terminal with industry-standard dimension valves - compliant with ISO 15407-2 - is complemented by intrinsic modularity that allows systems to built with different pressure zones, gas zones, and electrical power isolation.

Festo is renowned for its innovation in pneumatic valves, and has used its very wide application experience in this area to give VTSA a high degree of versatility.

For example, VTSA supports 'hot swap' valve changeovers, enabling valve bodies to be exchanged without turning off the air supply to the manifold, for reduced downtime and disruption.

It is also possible to make all air connections face the same direction, to suit the space available or to offer an improved control layout.

This focus on user-oriented detail extends to the gauges on the optional pressure regulator sandwich plates, which swivel for easier setting and reading.

Large easy to read labels can be clipped onto valves and sub-bases for instant commissioning, fault finding and identification.

The VTSA terminal family includes over 150 new components, ranging from solenoid valves in all standard configurations, through sub-bases, supply-plates, end-plates and gaskets, to a wide choice of vertically stackable components and accessories such as pressure and flow regulators and hot-swap adapter plates.

The VTSA family is compatible with both 18mm (ISO 02) and 26mm (ISO 01) valves.

A novel design feature is the ability to combine both valve sizes in one installation without an adapter.

This can save considerable installation space in the machine or control cabinet.

Electrical actuation can be achieved by configuring VTSA systems with terminal boxes, multi-pin connections, or Festo's popular CPX modular electrical I/O system.

As standard, integrated diagnostics allow incorrect valve allocations, coil short-circuits or lack of a load supply to be detected directly via LEDs.

If systems are fitted with the CPX I/O system, powerful additional diagnostics are available via a handy plug-in MMI or via the fieldbus system to help minimise downtime, increase availability and reduce operating costs.

According to Jacqui Reed of Festo, 'The latest additions to our CPX I/O system liberate machine builders to disperse precise amounts and types of I/O exactly where they need them on the machine, for ultimate cost effectiveness.

This terminal's architecture gives machine builders a license to design networks how they want them.

It makes the automation components fit the machine, and not vice versa.

Festo valve terminals have led the machine building market for the last five years, and I believe this increase in flexibility of the CPX system will ensure that our terminals remain the machine builders' favourite.' To support machine builders in the target markets for this new product, Festo offers a free software tool for configuring VTSA systems, via its online shop.

Configurations generated by this tool can be ordered from Festo electronically using a single part number, for delivery as assembled and tested modules within two days.