Packaging
Reliable installation using Clean Design products
Monday 05. May 2008 - Corrosion-resistant and easy-to-clean automation solutions
Many potential sources of contamination in food and packaging systems such as bacteria, chemical influences or corrosion particles can be eliminated with just a few design details. For corrosion-resistant pneumatic components, customers at Festo can avail themselves of the most extensive range of standard Clean Design products on the automation market. Further customer-specific special solutions in stainless steel satisfy every requirement
Festo already has an impressive image of Clean Design products including the CDN cylinder, the Clean Design version of the classic DNC cylinder, the CDVI valve terminal, the CRQS-F fittings, the PUN_H/PLN/PFAN tubing as well as the stainless steel series of virtually all pneumatic cylinder ranges. It has now extended its range to include the compact standard cylinder CDC and the round cylinder CRDSNU. One feature common to all Festo Clean Design cylinders is the optional integrated sensing of the cylinder position, making it the easiest-to-clean cylinder sensor on the market. This means that T-slots where dirt can collect are no longer needed for fitting proximity sensors.
Integrated proximity sensor
Until now, the most important characteristics of a Festo standard drive have been its functional design and the simple mounting options for accessories such as mounting attachments or proximity sensors. In the food industry, however, the main focus is on another characteristic – ease of cleaning. Thats why Festos product developers wasted no time in converting a functional standard drive into a Clean Design drive. The result was the first actuator in the world with integrated proximity sensors – with a completely smooth corrosion-resistance surface.
Clean Design components meet the requirements for hygiene standards in food and packaging machine construction. The pneumatic cylinders, valves and valve terminals are made from corrosion-resistant materials and therefore meet worldwide standards. This includes a surface finish that avoids roughness as well as connectors that have no open threads. The components feature large radii to avoid corners, crevices and cavities.
Its a similar story with valve terminals: Festo was the first company in the world to develop valve terminals for wet environments that can be used without a protective stainless steel control cabinet (this eliminates the risk of condensation forming inside the control cabinet). This makes space-saving installation close to the drives easily possible.
Diagnostics plus corrosion protection
Thanks to the fieldbus, valve terminals type CDVI-DN can be connected with ease and a minimum of installation with diagnostics via DeviceNet. Downtimes are consequently reduced through preventative maintenance based on condition monitoring of the valve switching cycles and thus the moving drives. The fieldbus interface is the only mechanism to enable constant monitoring of the valve functions. This means that machine operators can intervene before a system malfunctions or breaks down. Furthermore, the ready-to-install fieldbus reduces installation times. Supplied with modular or static EDS files (EDS stands for electronic data sheets for DeviceNet) for fast and user-friendly commissioning.
Festo also offers customised valve terminals type CDVI-PL with Powerlink. With Powerlink as a time-synchronised version of Fast Ethernet, the corrosion-resistant valve terminals are even “real-time capable”. This means they can be used for the first time for time-critical applications. CDVI-PL is the first valve terminal in the world with the real-time capable Fast Ethernet protocol.
Customer-specific
The customer-specific drive solutions in stainless steel include an application in an abattoir, where a unique stopper cylinder is used to stop and lift transport containers for meat. Whereas before the abattoir had to use one cylinder to stop the containers via a lifting device and another cylinder for lifting, the new stopper cylinder can execute both functions.
Pneumatic automation technology fulfils a multitude of functions in the food processing and packaging industry such as actuating flaps, filling, cutting, clamping, sorting and closing to name but a few. Many international companies involved in the food processing and packaging industry therefore work closely with Festo so that they can use universal custom system solutions.