Automation Parts

Festo Actuators Offer +/-10 Micron Repeatability Festo has brought out an extensive range of ultra-compact precision electric actuators that can be ordered from its online shop. This means that machine designers and builders can now take delivery of positioning actuators offering +/-10 micron repeatability within 24 hours of placing their order. Downloadable PC-based software for dimensioning electromechanical linear axes and electric motors, backed by native CAD models of the actuators, helps users accelerate design-in and machine build. Festo's new EGSK and EGSP series actuators provide exceptionally accurate positioning capabilities. Featuring a one-piece solid-steel housing that also serves as a guide rail - conveying a high degree of rigidity to the design - they are ideal for applications demanding short and precise moves, especially where space is limited. Their low profile makes them particularly suitable for the type of small pick-and-place systems and X-Y tables used ...

Festo has introduced a one-day orientation course for machine builders on the latest requirements of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. Following the decision of the EC Machinery Working Group to extend the transition period of the existing EN 954-1 safety standard beyond its expected end-of-life deadline of December 2009, but for an unspecified amount of time, machine designers and builders now face the dilemma of which safety standard to use. The one-day orientation course, 'Understanding the new machine directive', has been created by Festo Didactic, the training and consulting division of Festo, in direct response to issues highlighted by customers. It provides an overview of the key aspects and implications of Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, including risk assessment, analysis and evaluation as required by the EN ISO 13849-1 safety standard - and is said to be of particular benefit to machine designers and builders, as well as maintenance personnel.

Festo To Exhibit Controllers And Actuators At IWEX 2009, Festo will be demonstrating how its latest modular controllers and actuators enable system designers to use a blend of electrical and pneumatic technology to help minimise costs. The latest additions to Festo's CPX series of multifunctional electrical terminals will be on show, including: an Ethercat real-time Ethernet communications module; a series of digital and analogue I/O modules; and an intelligent control module known as the CPX-CMXX, which provides a PLC-compatible interface for multidimensional axis control. Festo will also be launching a quarter-turn pneumatic actuator at IWEX 2009. The actuator uses rack-and-pinion drive technology and incorporates features such as adjustable end positions, which makes it suitable for use with butterfly valves.