Pneumatics boosts manufacturing efficiency

Valve terminals keep pace with the latest control systems and communications networks. Festo's CPX valve terminal's modular design lets users install a range of pneumatic valves, fieldbus protocols, and digital and analog I/O. Built-in diagnostics help pinpoint faults such as out-of-tolerance solenoid voltages; short circuits on sensors, outputs, and valves; and open-loads that indicate a missing solenoid coil. A handheld HMI with text display plugs into the CPX valve terminal, simplifying configuration and diagnostics. The unit permits commissioning without a fieldbus master or PLC, and helps identify causes of sporadic faults by viewing, with time stamps, a diagnostic history of the last 40 fault events. Manufacturers-that rely on pneumatics are constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce downtime and operating costs and, ultimately, improve productivity. To meet these goals, they want faster setup, more efficient operations, and streamlined troubleshooting with less downtime from their pneumatic systems. Valve terminals are evolving to help meet these demands. When first introduced more than a decade ago, fieldbus valvemanifold systems offered several advantages over traditional systems, the most notable being lower installation costs. Conventional systems containing a series of stand-alone valves generally require extensive wiring, making installation expensive and presenting plenty of opportunities for miswiring. More connections also mean lower reliability. Valve terminals require substantially less wiring than an equal number of stand-alone valves and, thus, reduce installation costs. Also, IP65 ratings mean manufacturers need fewer protective enclosures or can eliminate them altogether. For applications heavily focused on output signals, a single scanner card can replace many individual output cards, at substantial cost savings. And because valve terminals can be positioned close to the actuators, rather than near the controller, shorter lengths of I/O wiring and pneumatic tubing can be used. Shorter tubing pressurizes faster and actuators respond quicker. The first valve terminals often