Festo has launched a comprehensive range of pneumatic valve actuators and associated components for the process industry. Specifically developed to overcome the limitations of electrical drive technology - traditionally used in the water and wastewater sectors - the actuators provide a more robust, maintenance-free control solution, and require virtually no operational monitoring.
They are particularly cost-effective for processes covering large physical areas or sited in remote locations.This new family of pneumatic components includes 68 single-acting and double-acting quarter-turn actuators for driving butterfly and ball valves, as well as 20 double-acting linear actuators for gate valves and penstocks.
All these products feature high standards of environmental protection and are ATEX compliant where required.The Copar range of quarter-turn actuators offers a choice of 14 different sizes with torque ratings from 8 to 8,800 Nm, and each actuator can be set for clockwise or anticlockwise rotation.
These actuators are suitable for local, on-the-spot operation, or for automatic operation, and when used in conjunction with a suitable electro-pneumatic controller, the speed can be adjusted. They are especially suitable for use with the types of process valves used in industrial wastewater treatment plants, which tend to employ valves with diameters of less than 400 mm.
A new range of position feedback sensors are also available for use with these actuators; housed in IP65-rated enclosures, the sensors can be quickly and easily attached to the actuators, and are also ATEX compliant.The new Copac range of linear actuators are constructed from highly corrosion resistant materials.
They feature internal air channels to eliminate protruding tubing and attachments, preventing the accumulation of contaminants and ensuring a very clean actuation solution for shut-off, safety and control valves. Offering a choice of stroke lengths from 40 mm to 2 metres, the actuators are available with piston diameters from 80 mm to 320 mm, spanning a thrust range of 2.8 Nm to 47,500 Nm.
These high thrust ratings are ideal for accommodating the larger types of valves that are traditionally favoured by municipal authorities for pumping stations, rainwater handling systems and canalisation projects.
Festo has also launched a new family of high performance ball valves and local controllers, to complement the range of process industry-specific pneumatic components. The new VAPB ball valves are explosion-proof, overload-proof components designed for exceptionally long operational lifetimes.
They feature full-flow cross-sections, a blow-out-proof shaft that is fitted from the inside, and two leakage ducts in the head flange. The valves' mounting flanges are DIN ISO 5211 compliant, and there is a choice of 9 brass models and 11 stainless steel models - offering enhanced corrosion resistance for industrial applications - to further simplify application matching and integration.
The new DLP-VSE local controllers provide a very convenient means of manually controlling the process valves. There are five base models, offering a choice of valve control configurations and functionality, including models with fieldbus-compatible interfaces for remote as well as local control.
The controllers feature IP65 protection, and can be mounted directly on the actuator or on a wall.Festo's extensive new range of pneumatic components offers significant advantages over the process industry.
The components are designed specifically for use in potentially explosive environments, and compared to electrical drive technology they are overload resistant, economic and simple to apply. They are also virtually maintenance-free, making them ideal for applications covering large physical areas or sited in remote locations.