Festo will be exhibiting its latest ATEX-compliant products on stand 17 at HazardEx 2005.
Festo will be exhibiting its latest ATEX-compliant products on stand 17 at HazardEx 2005. As the industry leader in pneumatic and electro-pneumatic products for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, the company will also be taking the opportunity to highlight its commitment to this particular market. Joachim Bischof, worldwide product manager for Festo ATEX-compliant products, will be on hand to answer any questions from designers and builders of automation systems.

Following the launch of its ATEX-compliant product range - which now includes more 3,700 components - Festo has seen sales in this emergent market sector grow from zero to some 2 million euros in little over a year.

Most revenue to date has been generated by new applications, but Festo is also witnessing increasing interest from machine builders seeking ATEX-compliant replacement parts for existing installations.

There are probably few in the industry who need reminding that by mid 2006 every system installed in a hazardous environment prior to July 2003 will require a formal risk assessment to be carried out, to ascertain whether or not it is suitable for continued use.

Festo adopted a particularly proactive strategy with regard to EU directive 94/9/EC (ATEX), and was the first pneumatics manufacturer to ensure that a wide range of its products complied with the standard.

It also operates an aggressive on-going test and certification programme, to continue increasing the number and type of products that can be used in hazardous areas with potentially explosive atmospheres.

Some 750 new ATEX-compliant products have been added in the past 12 months alone, including a family of category 1GD proximity sensors.

The Festo ATEX product portfolio currently includes six families of pneumatic cylinders and twelve families of drives approved to directive 94/9/EC for equipment categories 2G and 2GD, as well as category 3GD proximity sensors and the new 1GD models.

In addition, there are seven families of solenoid valves and coils, three families of pneumatic valves and a compact valve terminal - including its associated fieldbus and I/O modules - that are approved to directive RL 94/9/EC.

This wide product offering is rounded-out by an extensive range of ATEX-compliant pneumatic accessories, such as pressure regulators, filters, manual control valves and tubing.

To assist customers seeking ATEX-certified pneumatic and electro-pneumatic products, or more information about the 94/9/EC directive, Festo publishes a highly informative 28-page booklet titled 'Pneumatic Products and Explosion Protection'.

The booklet details the various zones, equipment categories and degrees of protection covered by the directive, explains the meaning of the directive in the local language of each EU member country, and offers a comparison with equivalent north American standards.

It also provides a comprehensive overview of all ATEX products produced by Festo for Group II equipment applications (Group I is reserved for mining applications).