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.

Blow gun has a special valve design and construction which can create smooth flow of fluid, for example, with a nozzle size 2.5mm, loss of outlet pressure will become less than 1%.

Blow gun special valve design cuts pressure loss Blow gun has a special valve design and construction which can create smooth flow of fluid, for example, with a nozzle size 2.5mm, loss of outlet pressure will become less than 1%. SMC Corporation of America, the world's largest manufacturer of pneumatic automation products has announced the release of series VMG blow gun. Customers' interest in energy saving is growing with an increase of energy cost.

SMC developed the new series to respond to this demand.

SMC will offer a new blow gun, series VMG.

Special valve design and construction of VMG can create smooth flow of fluid.

In case of nozzle size 2.5mm, loss of outlet pressure will become less than 1%.

The VMG has two body colors, urban white and dark blue, and four kinds of nozzles (KN series), male thread, low noise nozzle, high efficiency nozzle, and long copper pipe.

Port sizes are 1/4in and 3/8in.

Thread types are Rc, NPT, and G.

S coupler plug is available as option.

SMC Corporation manufactures high quality actuators and cylinders, airline and air preparation equipment, high-purity products, vacuum components, instrumentation, and a host of fittings and accessories applicable to the pneumatic automation industry.

SMC has a total of 14 production facilities, 3 of which are in North America -Indiana, California, and Ontario, Canada.

SMC's global presence enables it to provide quality customer service in any part of the world.

Replacements for failed pneumatic cylinders can be supplied within as little as 4h by a service that enables companies to get interrupted production back-on line with minimum downtime costs.

ASCO Joucomatic's new Premier Cylinder Service enables companies to get interrupted production back-on line, fast, and with minimum downtime costs. The new service provides a safety net in the event of unexpected failure of pneumatic cylinders, by providing a facility for replacement in as little as 4h. The Premier Cylinder Service covers ASCO Joucomatic's comprehensive ranges of profile and round tube cylinders in bore sizes from 8-125mm, and of virtually any stroke length.

It offers a graduated level of service dependent upon user need and urgency.

The highest- level service is the Premier 4- hour service: this guarantees same day delivery for orders of up to two cylinders placed before 12 noon.

Importantly for customers, the price of cylinders supplied under the new service is as the current ASCO Joucomatic price list; however, a nominal GBP 25 service charge per cylinder is applied, plus special carriage charge for same day delivery.

For situations where speed of delivery is not quite so crucial, ASCO Joucomatic has introduced the Premier 24h and Premier 24h+ services.

Operating on the same terms as the Premier 4h service, the Premier 24h guarantees manufacture of up to two cylinders within 24h and same day overnight despatch for orders placed before 12 noon; while the Premier 24h+ ensures manufacture of up to five cylinders within 24h and next day despatch with no service charge.

'The introduction of this new graduated service is a crucial support to the 24- hour manufacturing and processing operations of our customers,' said John Christophe Serkumian, managing director of ASCO Joucomatic UK.

'The nature of the global economy means that in interruptions in production are extremely serious and costly in downtime terms.

With our new service our aim is to reduce the duration of these interruptions to an absolute minimum, helping to ensure maximum efficiency from our customers' plants.' The Premier Cylinder Service is one of the first results of ASCO Joucomatic's initiative in lean manufacturing at its Skelmersdale, UK, manufacturing facility.

The company has invested GBP 250,000, alone, on one machining centre, which is used for manufacturing piston rods.

This, and major investment in other areas of its machine shop and logistics facilities, is optimising ASCO Joucomatic's operations, by improving the through-flow of goods and data, and by minimising waste.

'Our initiative in Lean Manufacturing has been undertaken to ensure that ASCO Joucomatic remains a major player in the fluid control and fluid power markets,' said Serkumian, 'Our aim is to give our customers the products that they want, when they want them; and always endeavouring to exceed their expectations.