Festo has officially introduced the VTEP, which it says is the world’s first proportional valve terminal, to the U.S. market. The VTEP is suitable for flexible gripping, web tensioning, force-controlled polishing, precision piloting, dispensing, dosing, and diaphragm pump control. This solution was discussed in our article on linear motion technologies in August, where the company highlighted its newest offerings with controlled pneumatics. The VTEP was also awarded silver in Design World’s Annual LEAP Awards.
The VTEP valve terminal provides closed-loop control of moderate air flow – vacuum up to 35 lpm. It comes in 2-, 3-, and 5-valve variants, which can control up to 10 channels. It is less than 5 inches wide, a benefit for today’s smaller footprint machines. VTEP features an EtherCAT digital communication interface for real-time communication and full data transparency.
Each valve contains an integrated pressure-temperature sensor, an airflow control algorithm, and four digitally controlled 2/2 piezoelectric cartridges. The cartridges are arranged in a bridge circuit, allowing two independent channels to be controlled by a single valve.
In a special press preview to Fluid Power World, Daniella Gonzalez, product market manager, pneumatics, valves, said that VTEP flow control valve terminal is just another name for a manifold. “We call it a valve terminal when we mount multiple valves together and have just one control point,” Gonzalez said.
She showed us the capability of the valve terminal to control up to 10 different channels, or six, four ,or just two. “This is controlled via Ethercat. The neat thing about it is that it will work in positive pressure and negative pressure or vacuum,” she said.
The VTEP also uses the same piezo control that is on other new Controlled Pneumatics valves. “That is kind of the heart and soul of all of our piezo controlled technology now. We’ve perfected that controller,” Gonzalez said.
Users set performance parameters per channel and the valves provide closed-loop controls to those presets. Valves deliver highly dynamic response and precise pressure control to achieve “target reached” status for each channel, similar to the “motion complete” function in electric drive technology. Based on feedback from the valve’s temperature and pressure sensor, the embedded control algorithm automatically maintains the target position.
This VTEP valve terminal is the latest addition to Festo’s line of Controlled Pneumatics solutions – pneumatic products that control complex applications, while at the same time reduce the number of components, simplifying implementation and conserving energy. Festo Controlled Pneumatics products include the VTEM motion terminal for high flow rate applications, VEAB proportional pressure control valve for pressure ranges up to 6 bar, and the VPPI proportional pressure regulator.
Festo
www.festo.com
