Festo Journal

In practice

The fast route to a safe insulin pen

Diabetes is on the rise worldwide with around ten million people developing the disease every year. Demand for insulin pens allowing patients to self-medicate is similarly high. Syntegon’s Danish subsidiary has developed an automated system to assemble the pens using the Festo automation platform.

In practice

Efficient use of blood plasma

Blood plasma is an indispensable resource in the production of life-saving medicines. It is in high demand on global markets. To make more efficient use of this valuable commodity, Biotest AG developed a new large-scale plant for plasma fractionation, with which it is possible to obtain five instead of the previous three products from a litre of blood plasma. Standardised components from Festo simplify installation and maintenance.

In practice

Fibre balls in the fight against micropollutants

Each year, 8,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical products and 10 tonnes of microplastics alone end up in Germany’s largest river, the Rhine. Conventional wastewater treatment plants will always struggle to deal with such large quantities of micropollutants. That is why the town of Barntrup in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia added a purification stage for micropollutants to its wastewater treatment plant – a world first using Fuzzy Filters® from Bosman and automated with pneumatics from Festo.

In practice

Producing twenty times more

A twenty-fold increase in production was the goal of the Croatian car cosmetics company Alfa Car. To achieve this, the entire production cycle, housed in a new production plant, was automated. Festo supplied a complete solution for more than 200 process valves – including project management.

In practice

The dock that “thinks” for itself

The world of bulk material handling seems straightforward at first glance: moving, filling, delivering. However, the art of dealing with a variety of different materials is in the details, such as the docking and undocking of containers at weighing stations. In the process, cross-contamination can occur and dust can be released. The AZO CleanDock prevents this problem. Its latest generation can do even more: it “thinks” for itself. Directly attached to the dock, the integrated controller CEC of the modular electrical terminal CPX from Festo ensures additional process reliability and shortened commissioning times.

In practice

40,000 DNA extractions daily

It's great when things run quickly: 20 minutes per extraction process and a new plate every 2.5 minutes – the Dutch company Synchron Lab Automation, in cooperation with Festo, has developed a small automated factory for DNA extraction. As a result, customers in the seed industry can collect DNA from up to 40,000 samples per day.

In practice

A Swabian recipe for success

Soft pretzels are one of the most popular breakfast treats in southern Germany. It takes skill, practice and time to achieve the perfect symmetrically twisted shape with a fat belly and thin arms. Or simply a clever automation solution.

In practice

Improved quality of life

Around 600 million people worldwide are afflicted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Mobile oxygen system devices improve the mental and physical ability of patients as well as their quality of life. Japanese company Musashi Medical Laboratory supplies easy-to-operate regulators in smartphone format for these oxygen system devices, thus significantly improving comfort and handling for patients. Compact piezo valves from Festo provide for quiet oxygen supply.

In practice

Fully Automated DNA Extraction

In plant breeding, countless DNA samples are examined in the laboratory every day. Breeders face the technical challenge of testing DNA quickly and accurately. An automated machining jig supports the automated laboratory in the preparation of samples for analysis.

In practice

High-tech wood cutting

“With our new automated saw, we achieve a speed of 150 metres per minute. This makes it the fastest band saw line in the world”, explains Johan Fredriksson from Swedish timber supplier Norra Timber. The modular line was supplied by the Swedish subsidiary of the American system builder USNR. It includes the flexible function terminals CPX/VTSA in key places for actuating the pneumatic and hydraulic systems.

In practice

Precision in eye surgery

Nowadays, cataract surgery is a routine procedure. This is in part due to the pioneering developments in medical technology from companies such as BYTEC, which produced the “QUBE” to support eye surgeons deliver precise and faultless treatment. Piezo, proportional and fast-switching valves allow the necessary rapid incisions to be made.

In practice

Safe cleaning for the pharmaceutical industry

Wherever work involves using active ingredients, cleanliness is of the highest priority; production equipment has to be thoroughly cleaned every time it is used. And of course this makes the system prone to wear. Unless you use corrosion-resistant, stainless steel components from Festo. They are more resistant. For example in cleaning systems from ROTAN for the pharmaceutical industry.

In practice

Infusion solutions

B. Braun Melsungen had a great idea and implemented it throughout the plant. Production for infusion solutions was to be largely standardised. B. Braun hoped this would lead to increased productivity, improved process stability and, at the same time, reduced operating costs. And it worked. With support from Festo.

In practice

Production in the fast lane

With a 95% degree of automation, the Scania body shop in Oskarshamn, Sweden is one of the most modern vehicle manufacturing plants in the world. At the same time, the plant supports extensive customization. By the time they reach the end of the assembly line, virtually no two truck cabs are the same. So is this the Industrial Internet of Things in action? Automation products from Festo have certainly provided a solid basis.

In practice

LED it be

Austrian plant engineering firm Vescon developed a solution for producing modern LED headlights for the Slovakian plant of well-known Tier 1 supplier. The focus was on efficient handling systems, the correct processing of time-critical production steps and end-to-end traceability. Specialists from Festo's Technical and Application Center, who were taking care of the turnkey handling systems, made up part of the team.

In practice

The art of making kitchens

It was not by chance that nobilia became Europe’s largest kitchen manufacturer. So, what is its recipe for success? Efficient kitchen unit production on highly automated assembly systems, many of which are supplied by Hüttenhölscher and use Festo automation products – equipped with IO-Link® – to improve flexibility and availability.

In practice

Speed in battery testing

The trend for electric vehicles is clear. However, their success depends on high-performance and cost-effective batteries. In the UK, the pilot project AMPLiFII at WMG is laying the foundations of a new generation of traction batteries. The project includes innovative automation technology from Horizon Instruments with a Festo pick and place solution.

In practice

Carefully packaged

The servo-controlled horizontal cartoner HK-S from ECONO-PAK gently and efficiently places scratch-sensitive tubes of shoe polish into cardboard boxes. The freely configurable and flexible Multi-Carrier-System (MCS) from Festo perfectly synchronizes the conveyors for the product and the cardboard box and ensures reliable packaging with high throughput.

In practice

Exactly the right dose

Coffee, sugar, pharmaceuticals—nowadays, virtually everything is packed in small, low-cost sachets. The new, flexible flat pouch machine Sigpack VPF from Bosch Packaging Technology ensures correct packaging and a precise mixing ratio. The world's first freely scalable sachet machine uses the new flexibility provided by the digital pneumatics of the Festo Motion Terminal.

In practice

Standing strong

The Doypack® brand has been synonymous with practical stand-up pouches for over 50 years. The patent is held by French company Thimonnier, which is increasingly moving towards mechatronics and ultimately Industry 4.0 for the development of its filling and packaging machines. Pneumatic and electric automation technology from Festo provides a solid foundation for this development.

In practice

Fresh water for Bursa

The Turkish megacity of Bursa has clean drinking water. There, Festo has completely modernized the Dobruca water treatment plant, from the operating and control level right up to the process valves in the field. It was possible to create an automation system from a single source, thanks to the perfectly matched components from Festo. This also included the supply and installation of a SCADA system, the training of the local staff and on-the-job training from a Festo specialist, who worked full-time there for a year.

In practice

Pneumatics at the water works pays off

Maintenance-free, energy-efficient, safe and extremely strong, in spite of its small size, these are the convincing arguments in favor of pneumatics. It's for a good reason that the water supply company, Landeswasserversorgung Baden-Württemberg, turned to this technology for the construction of a new ground water filtration system. Today, pneumatic automation technology from Festo is at work in the multi-media and activated carbon filtering basins in Langenau.

In practice

Tried and tested solenoid valve technology

The products of the Bayer’s Division Crop Science secure and boost crop yields in more than 120 countries. The new multi-purpose facility built by the company had to meet extremely strict demands on safety and reliability. Inspection cycles had to be significantly reduced, and downtime caused by repairs was to be entirely eliminated in the future. To achieve this, Bayer relied on valve technology from Festo. The facility has now been running smoothly for such a long time that the German Technical Control Board (TÜV) has issued Festo with a certificate for unlimited use of its valves.

In practice

Breaking ranks

Many users of mill-turn centres from Stama are reporting time savings of up to 70% and unit cost reductions of 50%. This is all thanks to the high flexibility of the machines and their virtually negligible setup times. The integrated automation solution from Festo for loading and unloading the workpieces as well as the tool changer in the additional magazine contribute to this success.

In practice

With fluid processes to a sparkling future

Tradition has a name: Kessler. Since 1826, the oldest sparkling wines producer in Germany has been placing its faith in high-quality champagne and other wines – and intends to continue growing in the future with traditional methods and ultramodern production systems. Experts from Festo Training and Consulting are helping to make the new processes as smooth as possible.

In practice

On the valves roller coaster

Every year, more than half a million visitors flock to Familypark, Austria’s largest amusement park. And pneumatics and compressed air provide just as much movement in the park’s numerous attractions. However, to ensure that nothing grinds to a halt and that safety is maintained at all times, the technicians at Familypark completed a two-day seminar held by Festo Training and Consulting – including of course some entertainment.

In practice

Flexible, yet standardised

Just as PCBs have successfully managed to pack an increasing amount of power into a smaller space, developers of plug connectors are working to accommodate more power and a higher contact density into smaller, lighter plug connectors. The family owned British manufacturer Harwin PLC relies on Festo automation to safeguard the quality and flexibility of its production using equipment such as the servo press kit YJKP and the compact handling system YXMx.

In practice

Fresh wind through old pipes

Whether majestic or modest, delicate or complex, whether in a classical church setting or in modern rock music, the organ is the queen of musical instruments. The variety of its sounds remains unequalled. Whilst on modern organs the sound is generated electronically, air still sets the tone on classic instruments. Instead of relying on human muscle power, however, the arduous work of generating wind is now carried out by machines.

In practice

Fully committed to the role

Greater efficiency saves time and money in manufacturing transformers. Special machine builder Straus knows this only too well. The spacers that used to be delivered in strips – resulting in high logistics costs and a lot of waste – now come on a roll. Straus developed and built the necessary machinery to do this. The standardised control cabinet SST from Festo made the job a lot less stressful.

In practice

Picking, packing, and palletizing

“Our design-to-order concept sets us apart from the majority of packaging machine manufacturers,” says Michael Ruf, deputy general manager of Transnova Ruf. In addition to cutting-edge robotic and control technology, the company is using pneumatic automation technology from Festo, and especially proportional technology on valve manifolds.

In practice

A stitch in time

Buttonholes are not only functional but also have a visual aspect. However, in textile manufacturing there is generally very little time to produce them. The new automatic eyelet buttonholer 581 from Dürkopp Adler delivers the necessary speed. Thanks to the compact Festo solenoid valves VUVG, it takes just under four seconds to create a buttonhole.

In practice

Clean solutions

Laboratories in the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food technology industries are increasingly relying on automation for sample preparation. The Modular Sample Processor, a development from the global laboratory equipment manufacturer Anton Paar, is one such solution – and uses electric axes and control systems from Festo.

In practice

From the display to the mind

The new generation of learning has arrived. The virtual and real learning worlds are increasingly growing closer. This is unlocking interesting possibilities that combine new insights, good memories, and lots of fun. An exciting project at an Austrian school – created by young people for kids – is showing how next-generation learning might work in actual practice.

In practice

Highly precise dispensing of casting resin

From car parking sensors through to smartphones and electric toothbrushes, sensitive electronic components need protection against undesirable substances. This is where special casting resins come in. The “mini-dis” desktop machine from bdtronic allows high-precision dispensing processes in a very small space – thanks, among other things, to the compact handling system YXMx from Festo.

In practice

The skin factory

Our skin – not only the biggest organ of the human body, but also an extremely delicate and injury-prone one. On average it has a thickness of just a few millimetres. Now it is the first organ that can be artificially reproduced – for some years even in a fully automated process.

In practice

An acquired taste

With 100,000 smoked sausages produced each day, it is an art in itself to continuously maintain a consistent taste, colour and consistency, depending on the product type. Bösinger Fleischwaren has been doing this for decades using globally well-known smoke generators and smoke houses from Germos. In the latest product generation, standard components from Festo are increasing system availability.

In practice

Maximum pleasure, minimum consumption

Energy-saving measures are a cornerstone of the corporate philosophy of global firm Unilever. The company is now significantly reducing its compressed air consumption on a machine producing Magnum ice creams by using the new energy efficiency module MSE6-E2M.

In practice

Colorful combination on the transport track

Today filling and packaging thousands of bottles of perfume, tomorrow just a few tubes of cream and the day after batch size 1 – everything on one and the same system. How this works is demonstrated by the Multi-Carrier-System MCS®, a joint project of Festo and Siemens, put to work in a filling and packaging machine from the machine manufacturer Optima.

In practice

Staying on track

The track and camber of vehicle axles has a major influence on driving behaviour. In automotive production, track and camber adjustment used to be a time-consuming, manual process. The current generation of machines from AuE Kassel GmbH performs fully automatic track and camber adjustment in less than 60 seconds. Festo components guarantee precision and speed in this process.

In practice

Make some room!

With the “Breakthrough Generation of Machines” from Italian packaging machine manufacturer Cama, manufacturers of consumer packaged goods and pharmaceuticals are experiencing a completely new feeling of space in their factories.The new machines from Cama take up one third less space—thanks to the valve manifold concept CPX/MPA.

In practice

Test passed - compact precision

Mobile electronic devices are developed in highly automated processes. Yet their touchscreens and keys are generally still tested manually. PKC Electronics decided to go in a completely new direction with its Chameleon test platform. It offers automated, fast and reliable testing of mobile devices using different adapters. The mini planar surface gantry EXCM is completely in its element in this environment.

In practice

As precise as a Swiss watch

The Swiss watch industry protects the legendary reputation of its watches with the quality label “Swiss Made”. This level of quality can only be achieved with fast and accurate automation equipment. This led Amax Automation AG to create a multifunctional palletiser – with robotic and handling systems such as the ready-to-install delta robot EXPT from Festo.

In practice

Hot recycling coolly calculated

Disposal and fuel costs are an important competitive factor in the steel industry. Industrial waste management company Diproinduca operates a highly productive recycling plant for waste from blast furnaces on the site of the ArcelorMittal steelworks in Mexico. Festo provided a complete solution spanning several levels of the automation pyramid for the plant.

In practice

Minimalism

Bringing together all the factors important for success in one automation solution is no easy task. The aim of handling a large range of batch sizes is in direct conflict with the requirement for a lean budget. However, these conflicting demands can be reconciled, as the mini H-gantry EXCM from Festo shows.

In practice

Getting to the point

The production of sensors for the automotive industry requires increasingly sophisticated solutions. A new machine concept developed by IPTE Factory Automation enables the fast and reliable soldering of printed circuit boards in the plastic housing. The ready-to-install industrial robot from Festo used in the concept makes cycle times of less than three seconds possible, despite a moving mass of more than 60 kg.

In practice

Quick changeover

Industrial multi-needle quilting machines add a wide range of stitched patterns to mattress covers. Up to now, the stumbling block to quick pattern changes has been the need to manually adapt the needle configuration. A new quilting system from Emil Stutznäcker facilitates customised, program-controlled selection of individual sewing positions from a bank of sewing units. A cylinder/valve combination developed by Festo optimises the assembly, changeover and upgrading of systems.

In practice

Five hundred cylinders at the same time

Even though automation technology has become highly sophisticated, there is always potential to make processes even better. A stacking system for blanks shows how even the smallest of innovations in pneumatic cylinders and valves can result in a major leap forward in safety and efficiency.

In practice

Gentle, low-vibration testing

Fuel cells offer great hope for sustainable power generation. They have an extremely wide range of applications. In a new system for the quality assurance of bipolar plates, electric cylinders EPCO help to prevent vibration to allow continuous testing with short cycle times.

In practice

A Swedish recipe that really hits the spot

The fact that spot welding is becoming ever faster and more reliable is illustrated by a customer-specific solution installed at Volvo in Sweden. The ingredients for this special Swedish recipe are electric actuator technology and vision systems from Festo, linked to the CPX automation platform. This means more reliability in the production of the sheet-metal components for Volvo car bodies, and more safety for the plant operators.

In practice

Up and away

When the material is free of stresses, the product keeps its shape. A proven method for the internal harmonization of materials is tempering. Modern thermal systems such as those produced by CeraCon GmbH do this by conveying components through heat tunnels on multiple levels to save space. In a new system, safety and axis systems from Festo are used to optimize the stress relief process for car headlights during tempering.

In practice

Leakage detection in practice

Festo Energy Saving Services reduce the operating costs of industrial plants the world over. Hidden sources of errors can be found by analysing compressed air generation, consumption and quality as well as through targeted leakage detection. At Tate & Lyle in the Netherlands, the energy efficiency experts uncovered losses of 6,000 l/min.

In practice

Air is money

Well-organised energy management increases the efficiency of pneumatic systems and components. It provides protection against gradually increasing compressed air losses and ensures a long-term gain in performance through the integration of new technical developments. Accurate analyses form the basis for lower energy costs.

Bionics

Talking to machines

"Siri, what will the weather be like today?" "OK, Google, turn the music down!" "Alexa, order the blue trainers for me again!" Voice assistants have already made technology that responds to words part of everyday life. For voice control to work smoothly, complex software processes are running in the background. The correct interpretation of spoken commands requires plenty of preparatory work, high computing power and, last but not least, artificial intelligence.

Bionics

Collision-free swimming with ultrasound

Dolphins and pilot whales can even find their way in murky and dark waters thanks to their natural echo sounder. Submarines also use ultrasound technology for locating purposes. Ultrasound sensors can calculate distances, even to transparent materials and underwater. The BionicFinWave uses these characteristics to its benefit. Thanks to ultrasound sensors, the bionic underwater robot swims collision-free through a pipe system made of acrylic glass.

Bionics

Taking a close look at wings in nature

The dream of being able to fly is one of the oldest human dreams. We have always been fascinated by the animal world, which shows in all sorts of ways how flying is done. In the Bionic Learning Network, too, flying is a recurring theme. For years, Festo, in association with universities, institutes and development companies, has been developing research platforms whose basic technical principles are based on nature.

Bionics

Programming a robot is child’s play

When it comes to programming, most of us probably think about complicated lines of code with lots of abbreviations, brackets and other symbols. But programming a robot can actually be very easy, as is shown by the software that Festo developed for its pneumatic lightweight robot, the BionicCobot.

Bionics

Neatly knitted

Whoever thinks that knitting is old-fashioned is wide of the mark. More and more products are being made out of a variety of materials using 3D knitting – and in very different industries. Flexibility and stability combined with an effective and environmentally friendly production process are just a few benefits of this innovative technology.

Bionics

Parametric design

The Water Cube Olympic swimming pool in Beijing and the walkable roller coaster Tiger & Turtle in Duisburg clearly show that the structure and shape of buildings have left the geometric limits of straight angles and parallel walls and ceilings a long way behind. Different organic shapes and bizarre-looking designs – fantasies in the minds of designers and architects turned reality – are possible thanks to the methods of parametric design.

Highlights

Controlled Pneumatics: new opportunities

Pressure, flow rate and movement can now be controlled very precisely, and with exactly the energy actually required. Controlled Pneumatics is the combination of proportional technology, sensor technology and control algorithms, and not only improves automation processes that are already known. It also opens up new opportunities, especially for controlling pressure and flow rate. Piezo valves, which enable very precise control, also play a role.

Highlights

Ecological innovation

Protecting the climate and conserving resources are becoming urgent tasks. How can we save energy and reduce CO2 emissions? How can we reduce our consumption of materials, recycle more and find alternative materials?

Highlights

Electric automation always fits

What makes electric automation from Festo stand out? How do two experts on this technology from two continents explain it? Tom Worsnopp from Festo USA and Qiming Guo from Festo China discuss how easily different requirements for electric automation technology can be brought together under one roof with the automation platform from Festo.

Highlights

Automated and electric

Batteries are a crucial part of electric vehicles. The demand for batteries is huge. That is why gigafactories are being built around the world to produce battery cells. The trend is clear: electric cars are on the rise. The market share for internal combustion vehicles continues to decrease; according to experts, it will fall to about 45% in the next 5 years. The challenge is to profitably produce such huge quantities in high quality. The answer is automation. It guarantees efficiency and economy.

Highlights

Technologies for a better life

A growing and ageing world population requires more medical diagnostics and therapy. Thanks to advances in medicine, new diseases are being identified and cures are found. And to make reliable diagnoses, samples need to be precisely analysed. Medical technology is used in therapy to enhance and protect human life. The global demand for medical technology and laboratory analytics is therefore growing rapidly. We provide this growth market with our technological expertise for precise, reliable automation of sensitive processes. ​

Highlights

Sustainability and climate protection

Climate protection begins within your own four walls. That is why at Festo we are pursuing a sustainability strategy that is aligned with the United Nations Development Goals (SDGs). From 2023 onwards, all our buildings in Germany as well as our global production and logistics sites will be carbon neutral with regard to Scope 1 and 2. From 2026, the entire Festo Group will be carbon neutral. With our decision to go carbon neutral, we are taking responsibility as a family-owned company – you can read here exactly what that means for us and how we support you in achieving your own goals.

Innovation

Optimising liquid handling results

In dispensing or pipetting applications in laboratory automation, it is important to obtain reliable results, which are analysed by calculating the accuracy and precision. To achieve these results, several influencing factors have to be taken into account, from the measuring equipment to external and internal influences.

Innovation

5 benefits of pressure-controlled liquid handling

There are different systems available for liquid handling in laboratory automation. Festo favours pressure-controlled dosing systems for liquids because they offer a wide range of impressive benefits.

Innovation

Easy integration of piezo valves

Extremely energy-saving, silent and without any heat build-up – piezo technology offers many benefits for efficient and precise gas handling in medical technology and laboratory automation. The biggest difference between piezo valves and proportional solenoid valves is the energy consumption, which is up to 95% lower. Up to now, it has not been possible to simply replace proportional solenoid valves since piezo technology needs voltages of up to 310 V and thus specific electronics. Now, however, there are simple solutions for this, which we will be presenting in this article.

Innovation

Design for manufacturing lab-on-a-chip devices

Mobile in vitro diagnostics is a growing market. The demand for fast and reliable point-of-care tests is steadily increasing. With Festo as a partner, scientists, universities, start-ups, and even established manufacturers can reduce the time-to-market for their lab-on-a-chip systems and get started with mass production straight away. This is made possible through collaborative engineering and a modular system of ready-to-install, pretested subsystems.

Innovation

Saving lives with the right antibiotic

Until now, it used to take two to four days to find out which antibiotic in which dosage would work to combat a patient's infection. A new diagnostic platform finds the appropriate preparation within 24 hours. Included: dispense heads and gantries from Festo.

Innovation

Integrated solutions for liquid handling

One of the main topics in laboratory automation is handling extremely small quantities of liquid, from millilitres down to nanolitres. That is why Festo offers compact and perfectly integrated functional units. These standardised components enable system and equipment manufacturers to shorten their development times, and at the same time meet strict quality requirements reliably and efficiently. This makes Festo not just a valuable partner for customers in the healthcare sector, but also in other industry sectors where accurate liquid handling is required, for example in the production of food and cosmetics, in printing and cleaning, or for breeding and incubation processes.

Innovation

No longer afraid of the dentist

No one enjoys going to the dentist, young children even less so. To help future dentists and dental assistants deal with children during dental treatments, Japanese company tmsuk has developed a humanoid robot that realistically simulates the behaviour of young children during these treatments, including fidgeting, flinching or closing the mouth. The dummy's realistic movements are generated using proportional pressure regulators with piezo technology.

Innovation

On the hunt for high throughput diagnostics

Global diagnostics companies and laboratories are in a race against time to adapt testing capacity to current demand. Due to the global COVID 19 pandemic, the demand for testing far exceeds the available capacity.

Innovation

Ideal for developers: Liquid Handling Starter Kit

Pressure-controlled dispensing systems are used wherever precision, throughput and reliability are required. Festo offers developers in laboratory automation a starter kit for dispensing liquids that simplifies and speeds up the initial setup of a new dispensing application.

Innovation

Repetition accuracy in liquid handling

The need for an external air supply means that space is limited when installing liquid handling systems. Also, the multiple dosing of liquids places very high demands on repetition accuracy. Festo has found solutions to both challenges, which are described in more detail in this article.

Innovation

Accurate removal of prostate tissue

Medical robots are playing an increasingly important role in medical diagnostics. Semi-automated handling solutions enable precise sampling of suspicious areas in the prostate, delivering more accurate biopsy results and better detection of prostate cancer.

Innovation

The road to Le Mans

When racing, drivers usually use their arms and legs constantly to operate the accelerator, gears, clutch and brakes. The newly developed pneumatic control system from Team BRIT and MME Motorsport means that all of the team’s racing drivers can now compete in races using the same car, regardless of their physical limitations. Spurred on by this innovation, the drivers have now set themselves an ambitious goal: the Le Mans endurance race.

Innovation

Faster development of sample handling systems

Festo USA has collaborated with PerkinElmer to develop a compact sample handling solution for a global leader in manufacturing medical devices. Thanks to the customer's involvement in the development process at an early stage, the subsystem is easy to integrate into the customer's platform – with standard components from Festo, a PerkinElmer® JANUS G3 workstation and a modified rotary gripper module. This approach resulted in minimal complexity with maximum productivity and process reliability.

Innovation

Mixing & dosing gases – 4 applications, 1 solution

The VEMD is a closed-loop, thermal mass flow controller that precisely supplies inert gases and oxygen at flow rates from 0 to 20 ln/min. Its piezo technology delivers an industry-leading dynamic response and energy efficiency, all at an excellent price/performance ratio. Since no pulse-width modulation signal is required to control the flow rates, the VEMD is quiet during operation. Thanks to its compact installation dimensions, low weight and low energy consumption, it is ideal for use in mobile devices, as the first application example shows.

Innovation

DNA extraction machine for plant breeding

Dutch company Synchron Lab Automation developed an automated DNA extraction system with very high throughput by working very closely together with Festo. As a result, customers in the seed industry can collect DNA from up to 40,000 samples per day.

Innovation

Opening and closing sample vials

The handling of sample vials – in particular opening and closing – is a special challenge in the field of laboratory automation. The goal is to unite high levels of process reliability with minimal complexity. You’ll find out here which factors are important for finding the right solution.

Innovation

Part 1: Precision and accuracy in liquid handling

A key process in laboratory automation is dispensing liquid aliquots, for example using automated liquid handlers. Evaluating the performance of liquid handling systems is important for laboratory technicians as well as for manufacturers of liquid handling technology. The benchmarks for evaluating dispensing performance are precision and accuracy.

Innovation

Part 2: Precision and accuracy in liquid handling

A key process in laboratory automation is the handling of liquids and samples. The objective performance evaluation and optimisation of automated liquid handling systems is extremely important for laboratory technicians as well as manufacturers of liquid handling technology.

Innovation

Solutions for laboratory automation

Small liquid droplets with volumes in the microlitre range are used in many applications today. Areas where these droplets can play a particularly important role include liquid handling in life sciences and pharmaceutical research, diagnostics and microfluidic applications. Two typical techniques for handling liquids are pipetting (a contact technique) and dispensing (a non-contact method).

Innovation

The laboratory of the future – the SMART lab

As laboratory processes become more complex, automation solutions are essential to ensure the accuracy and consistency of processes and to improve efficiency.

Innovation

Valves with piezo technology

Certain ceramics have piezoelectric properties, which means that when these ceramics are mechanically deformed, voltage is created in the material. This effect also occurs in the opposite direction: applying voltage to these ceramics leads to their deformation.

Innovation

System solutions in laboratory automation

It is useful to distinguish between laboratory automation and laboratory robotics. While the former refers to software and hardware technologies and technical adaptations that control instruments without human intervention, the latter refers specifically to the physical handling of samples and their containers.

Innovation

Through the eyes of the future

You wear glasses so you can see better. You wear augmented-reality glasses so you can see more. These new spectacles enhance the surroundings with computer-aided information. Technologies with augmented reality (AR) make it possible to look at everyday situations as well as the working world of the future in a different way.

Innovation

Electronics to wear

So-called wearables are in high demand, whether for smart watches, fitness wristbands or data glasses. In the private sphere, these devices offer many ways of acquiring data. For example, distances covered, sleep patterns or body temperature can be checked. The technology also creates potential for use in companies, especially with regard to optimizing processes.

Innovation

Fascinating interaction

Whether at Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida or in the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg, visitors like to converse with the humanoid robot RoboThespian. It approaches them directly and does so with movements that look quite natural. All this is made possible by the latest technology from Festo, such as the fluidic muscle and piezo valves. The 1.75-metre-tall humanoid weighing 33 kilograms was developed by Engineered Arts Limited in the English town of Penryn in Cornwall.

Innovation

The keeper of time

Joachim Ullrich is President of the PTB – Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig, Germany’s national metrology institute. The clocks that tick here are among the most accurate in the world. In this interview, the physicist explains how they work, what this has to do with Coordinated Universal Time and why it’s a good idea to define a second to sixteen decimal places.

Insights

Paring down costs: energy efficiency

What does a pencil sharpening system have to do with energy efficiency? Quite a lot! In the “Experience Energy Efficiency” exhibition in the Festo corporate head office in Esslingen-Berkheim, the pencil sharpening system shows how one optimisation measure for energy efficiency combines with another one to produce an overall concept with impressive energy credentials through the reduction of friction and weight, recovery of energy, selection of the right components and efficient actuation and control.

Insights

Even saltier than sea air

Snow and black ice sometimes turn driving into a slippery experience in winter. Although spreading salt makes the roads slightly safer, it is harmful to the environment as well as to the metal parts of a car. The salt attacks the metal on the bodywork, leading to blisters in the paintwork and ultimately to peeling and corrosion. The resistance of a material to corrosion can be tested in standardised test processes, for example, in a salt spray chamber.

Insights

Virtual planning

A metre rule, pen, notepad and a keen eye – you don’t need anything besides that to measure buildings or facilities. Or do you? As in many other areas of life, digitization is also taking hold here.

Insights

Training rooms in the factory

Education, knowledge and individual learning are an integral part of the Festo corporate culture. The training factory at the Scharnhausen Technology Plant is incorporated directly in production and thus bridges the gap between practical learning in the workplace and theoretical learning in the training centre. Think tanks also provide a platform for cooperative technology and product development.

Insights

Overflowing with power

Everyone comes into contact with electroplated objects without noticing it. From frames for glasses, plug connectors in coffee machines to chrome-plated taps on washbasins and galvanized components in the car. Using this technology, tools and scissors, for example, are nickel-plated to protect them against rust.

Insights

10 to the power of 40 variations

Whether it is a batch size of one or an annual production volume of 2.5 million, the new Festo Scharnhausen Technology Plant shows how flexibility and speed go hand in hand. Industry 4.0 has been implemented wherever possible. Thanks to the synergy between manual production and modular assembly lines, the plant can produce 10 to the power of 40 product variations.

Learning

Jamaica: technical education creates opportunities

It took a great deal of perseverance on the part of the initiators in Jamaica and Germany, but it was worth the effort. Since September 2018, young engineers and mechatronics technicians are being trained in the shadow of the former pirate port of Kingston, Jamaica. These students are a source of hope for the economic development of this emerging Caribbean state.

Learning

Changing vocations

Change: Industry 4.0 will lead to changes in the industrial work environment and therefore, in the associated professions as well. A lot of things that appeared inconceivable 10 or 15 years ago are already reality today, or are being targeted as goals for Industry 4.0. But how will this affect employees? In focus: workers and skilled workers.

Learning

Mr. and Mrs. Robot as teachers

Human beings are taking enormous strides in tinkering with the creation of their own likenesses. Artificial intelligence accompanies us more and more frequently as a helper in daily life – we even meet up with robots in the classroom and other educational settings.

Learning

Modern learning – creative, independent, digital

Early in the 19th century, when Swiss educator/social reformer, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, propagated learning with the head, the heart, and the hand, the world knew nothing of multidimensional learning. But the vision of a holistic approach had just been born. Since then, life has become much more complex, and the execution of complex tasks requires complex methods – or?