XD Solutions / Automation Systems With Real-Time Connectivity

To cope with the rising demands in most industries, manufacturers need to rely on a functioning network which can ensure that the production of goods move seamlessly from one station to the next without any damage. With automation and digitalisation, manufacturers can easily achieve this goal.

It will not be sufficient for a machine to produce at high efficiency when the product quality is inconsistent. Ideally, manufacturers need a system that provides data transparency so that they will be able to make informed decisions during the fault correction process.



Customer Challenges:

Customisation and consumer demand nowadays have revolutionised industries such as the packaging industry. A highly flexible system is required to support the varied range of requirements from customers.In order to keep up with the changes, manufacturers need to reduce changeover and setup time between package types, reduce time to market new designs, and increase machine throughput by performing actions while in constant motion.

To achieve flexibility and modularity, the key is connectivity. However, rotary tables, dynamically rotating machine components and independent movers on transport truck systems which are essential to packaging manufacturers have challenges with wired communication. Unfavourable environmental conditions will make it hard to collect real-time data with traditional wireless systems.

XD Solutions: Automation System

The Festo automation system is a flexible, decentralised, compact and lightweight automation system with a high degree of protection IP65/IP67. This system is future-proof in terms of the forthcoming demands on the digital factory.

The system is easy to assemble and adaptable to different control systems by exchanging the bus interface. It has separate cables for communication and power supply to form voltage zones and for stable data transfer. The connecting cables used can be up to 50m length between the modules.

The Festo automation system consists of a bus interface and at least one other module. System communication between the modules takes place via connecting cables. The process data is exchanged cyclically. The available module types include bus interface, IO-Link master, input modules, input/output modules and interface to the valve terminal.

The IO-Link master is connected to the bus interface via the AP protocol that enables seamless digitalisation from the drives and sensors at the field level. The data and parameters relating to the automation platform are transferred to the host PLC or if the IoT gateway from Festo is being used, to the cloud.


Benefits

The Festo automation system is compatible with all host systems that are commonly found on the market. With up to 80 modules, it can be integrated into many applications. The compact, sturdy, and lightweight CPX-AP-I is suitable for fast production processes and high-speed data transfer; making it suitable for machines with limited installation space.

It is perfect for handling and tool changing systems or in mobile applications such as the robot front end, where low weight and minimal installation space are called for. It is also applicable for plants and intralogistics where large distances matter, with a cable length of up 50m between the individual modules.

The automation system has separate cables for communication and power supply as well as two separate circuits, allowing power to be supplied for an individual module or shared as a central supply. This concept enables stable data transfer.

The Festo automation system ensures seamless communication from an individual workpiece to the cloud, tailored to your requirements.


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