From July 3 to 5, the 2024 Shanghai International Automotive Manufacturing Technology & Equipment and Materials Exhibition (AMTS) kicked off at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. As a global leader in industrial automation and educational training, Festo showcased its latest one-stop solutions for the automotive industry under the theme of "Dual Drive of Digital and Electric for Intelligent Manufacturing Value" at booth J06 in Hall W2 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The exhibition featured the latest products and solutions such as the new generation VTUX valve terminal, partitioned control of safety modules, gas-electric integration for hemming and welding processes, EOAT for Light (End-Of-Arm Tooling) flexible grippers, and Festo AX solutions. With the rapid iteration of new technologies and processes, the new energy vehicle industry is undergoing significant changes. The implementation of trade-in policies and related testing standards has set higher requirements for new energy vehicles, making safety, efficiency, and sustainable development in automotive manufacturing a consensus across the industry. As a leading automation technology provider, Festo offers innovative solutions for industrial applications across various industries. After five years, Festo returned to AMTS with the theme of "Dual Drive of Digital and Electric for Intelligent Manufacturing Value," showcasing its one-stop innovative solutions for the automotive industry based on digitalization, electrification, and automation technologies. The company joined forces with partners to discuss the transformation towards "digital" and "intelligent" manufacturing and explore sustainable development paths for the automotive manufacturing industry.
Empowering the Automotive Industry with Digital and Intelligent Open Architecture
The automotive industry is increasingly characterized by electrification, intelligence, connectivity, and sharing. Responding to digital and intelligent competition and meeting customers' more flexible and diverse needs poses new challenges for the openness of underlying components, architectures, and production lines.
Festo provides a comprehensive upgrade from product to architecture levels, offering robust support for digital and intelligent production. The lightweight CPX-AP-I remote IO system enables fast and stable communication with the host computer via industrial Ethernet. The user-friendly IoT ports in the Festo AP communication architecture can upload machine status to the cloud in real-time, facilitating remote monitoring and operation. The more open architecture supports compatibility with multiple communication protocols, meeting various architecture requirements and enabling flexible control of hardware and software.
The next-generation VTUX valve terminal, a representative product at the exhibition, is a culmination of Festo's classic valve terminals. Invented by Festo in 1987, the VTUX valve terminal offers a rich combination of gas-electric integration control. Leveraging advanced AP communication technology, the VTUX valve terminal seamlessly connects with various bus systems, providing users with unprecedented options and possibilities. It supports multiple pressure zones and flexible conversions between parallel and serial connections, enabling users to quickly customize the most suitable solutions based on actual needs. This significantly reduces product complexity, achieving a balance between hardware and software, as well as gas and electric integration. In the era of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, the Festo VTUX valve terminal, with its open architecture and gas-electric integration features, will undoubtedly become an important driving force in the industrial automation field. It will also provide robust support for the global and differentiated competition in the automotive industry. Currently, this product is locally produced at Festo's global production center in Jinan.
Flexible Production Boosts Cost Reduction and Efficiency Enhancement
As the complexity of automotive production technology continues to increase, enterprises urgently need higher productivity and flexibility. Festo brought numerous application solutions for the automotive industry to help address complex issues in key processes. For example, the EOAT for Light flexible gripper at the robot's end can solve the problem of requiring multiple sets of fixtures for demolding or gripping different sizes of the same product in automotive interior and exterior trim. With a simple electric drive system, only one set of fixtures can complete multi-position actions, reducing the number and types of end-effectors and eliminating the need for tool changers. This not only lowers hardware costs but also saves time on fixture changes.
In gas-electric integration for hemming and welding processes, the Festo CPX-AP platform integrates input/output points and solenoid valves into the topology, enabling flexible centralized and decentralized layouts and reducing wiring complexity. The digital control terminal broadens the application range of pneumatic actuators, enabling switching between positioning, pressure regulation, and direction change to meet complex process requirements.
The Festo VTSA-F-CB valve terminal, leveraging both serial and parallel communication, facilitates partitioned control of safety modules. Additionally, for the intelligent management of water and air supply units in automotive welding applications, the CPX-AP-A platform's scalability enables precise control over water and air states, thereby enhancing production process reliability.
Industrial 4.0 and virtualization are catalysts for flexible production. The Festo AX AI solution goes beyond assessing the operational status of pneumatic and electric components; it also evaluates crucial parameters such as dowel pin diameter and locating surface position. Predictive maintenance leverages operational data collected from components at the field level, processed through AI-powered mathematical models, to present customers with a "health score" concept. This intuitive understanding of production line performance enables proactive and targeted replacement of components with low health scores, effectively realizing predictive maintenance before failures occur.
Sustainable Development Driving Industrial Transformation and Further Growth
Festo is committed to climate protection and reducing its carbon footprint – from product development and supply chain optimization to efficient customer usage. Innovative automation fuels the sustainable transition of industries towards energy-efficient, carbon-neutral production and a circular economy that embraces various technologies. With its energy-saving products, Festo stands as an ideal partner for customers striving for energy-efficient and sustainable production operations. Furthermore, it promotes sustainable industries and technologies through its product and service solutions. By 2024, the entire Festo Group globally will achieve carbon offset (Scope 1) and neutrality (Scope 2), supporting customers and partners in their journey towards net-zero emissions.
As China represents Festo's second-largest home market, it maintains a deep localization strategy. Festo focuses on increasing production localization and market-proximate customer-specific development, ensuring optimal supply with short lead times and high product availability. This includes shortening transport routes and value chains to make them more resilient and minimize emissions, thereby securing supply chains and supplies across the Asian market.
Looking ahead, through collaborative innovation with customers, Festo will continue to leverage its years of expertise in equipment automation, addressing the diverse needs of various industries. Emphasizing localized R&D, it aims to provide more efficient, flexible, and intelligent solutions.
To explore more innovative automation applications showcased at this exhibition, please visit our booth J06 in Hall W2 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Alternatively, scan the QR code at the end of this text to access the Festo Online Exhibition Hall and experience the show virtually.