In Class I, Division 2 hazardous locations, pneumatic actuators have typically been controlled from cabinets located in safe areas. Long wiring runs can increase installation and commissioning time, make maintenance and troubleshooting more difficult, and limit future system expansion. Festo’s VTUG-EX valve terminal provides fieldbus connectivity for use in Class I, Division 2 areas. Ethernet-based […]
Components
Every compressed air audit should start with a block diagram
By Ron Marshall When engineers begin a compressed air audit, there is often a strong temptation to install instruments immediately. Pressure loggers are connected, power meters are hooked up, flowmeters are positioned, and data begins accumulating. It feels productive, but there is a risk: if you do not first understand how the compressed air system […]
Compressed air fail: Look for your numbers
By Ron Marshall Mike had walked past his compressors thousands of times. Two rotary screw compressors were installed in the corner of the plant, humming away just as they always had. He knew how to start them, how to stop them, and who to call when something didn’t sound right. Beyond that, the control panel […]
Festo simplifies decentralized I/O design with configurable digital I/O module
As automated machines become more capable, increasing amounts of decentralized I/O are needed. Conventional approaches often rely on multiple dedicated input and output modules, increasing hardware, commissioning, and additional components that machine builders and system integrators must engineer, stock, and support. Festo addresses this challenge with a new configurable digital I/O module for the CPX-AP-I […]
Your compressor may not be the problem — but your data might be!
By Ron Marshall When a compressed air system struggles, the compressor usually gets blamed first. Pressure is dropping at the far end of the plant. Production tools are slowing down. Another compressor is running more often than expected. The energy bill is climbing. The first reaction of management is often predictable: “We need a bigger […]
Suction cup adapter solution from Sommer-Technik
The combination of suction cups and matching adapters from Sommer-Technik creates a system which combines maximum flexibility with high performance. Whether in high-speed automation processes or when handling delicate workpieces, these components are designed to grip reliably, move safely, and position accurately. One key advantage lies in the variety of materials: from HighTemp HT to […]
FRLs for compressed air prep and care
When a pneumatic system suffers a catastrophic failure, such as a blown seal, a ruptured airline, or a seized cylinder, the maintenance team must respond instantly to treat it. These unexpected ailments reduce productivity, increase costs, and work your millwrights ragged. Many pneumatic systems experience chronic unwellness, much as we humans do with cardiovascular disease; […]
When a remote compressed air audit reveals big savings
By Ron Marshall When the phone rang in the summer a few years ago, Ron knew the project would be unusual. A sawmill nearly 1,000 miles away needed a compressed air assessment, but an injured knee made flying impossible. Normally, a project like this would require airports, hotels, and days spent carrying instruments through the […]
Is your compressor room like a sauna?
Contributed by Ron Marshall Richard, the maintenance manager at a plant that manufactures powdered coatings, was used to dealing with heat. The curing ovens in the facility ran hot, and summer months always made the production floor uncomfortable. But one area of the plant seemed especially unbearable — the compressor room. Every time Richard stepped […]
Compressed air fail: The 40-kW wake-up call
By Ron Marshall George ran the compressed air system at his plant for eleven years. If you would have asked him last spring how it was doing, he’d have shrugged and said, “Fine.” Two screw compressors, sharing the load, humming along the way they always had. Nobody calls a meeting about compressed air until something […]
