Motion Control & Drives


Tile manufacturer benefits from plug and work philosophy

November 2006 Motion Control & Drives

An international tile manufacturer has saved significant time and cost during planning and design of a mechanical means to automatically transport delicate tiles by entrusting the design and assembly of its handling systems to Festo.

The brief was to retro-fit two handling systems to an existing tile production system, with only five weeks of project engineering time available. This would not have been easy to achieve without heavily relying on plug and work solutions from Festo, as well as the automation specialist's technical systems expertise.

Offering reliable service in continuous operation, even in the dusty environment of the tile factory, electrical drives from Festo were used to stack the fired tiles. The company's multi-axis modular system, from profiles through electrical and pneumatic axes to drives and controllers, proved invaluable in finding the most efficient configuration for the task.

With customers in more than 30 countries now relying on the systems engineering experience of Festo, the company can supply a completely preassembled, individual handling solution by means of a single part number or project number. Tested in advance, with all design data and circuit diagrams as well as a comprehensive guarantee of function and price, the ready-to-install handling solution shortens the journey from the concept of the project to the construction of the machine, and also reduces interfaces. These systems are delivered directly to the plant - assembled, tested and ready to go. Besides the assembly, installation is also included in the scope of services for handling solutions.

Complete solutions relieve the burden on specialised staff, and design complexity and costs are kept low. Ready-to-install handling systems assist the procurement process and reduce the process costs. With this, the time required to pore over catalogues, prepare complex supplier inquiries, order individual components and develop expensive individual designs for handling tasks is saved - designers are given creative freedom.

With the mechatronic multi-axis modular system from Festo, the system specialists can access the wide and detailed catalogue range from which they can plan and combine customised solutions: more than 100 freely combinable and harmonised electrical and pneumatic components are available for gripping and sucking, joining and turning and accurate 3D positioning. In addition to the drives, valves (and valve terminals), service units, protective trunking, integration hoses and sensors are included in the scope of delivery and design of finished handling solutions.

For more information contact Joanne Dix, Festo, +27 (0) 11 971 5560, [email protected]



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