Page 10 - Industrial Technology EXTRA - 14th April

manufacturers. At the same time, it creates
opportunities to increase efficiency and offers huge
potential for improving the machine development
process.

Meeting machine builders’ needs
An almost overwhelming number of products,
components and solutions are available from commissioning software, Festo Automation Suite,
thousands of manufacturers for mechanical axis and makes integration easier and speeds up
control systems, all with their own interfaces, commissioning significantly. These components can
hardware solutions, programming languages, be integrated virtually seamlessly into all commonly
software systems and communication protocols. This available Ethernet-based external controllers with the
means that machine builders spend a lot of time intention that users will not even notice the hardware
researching, combining and integrating them into manufacturers are different. Festo Automation Suite
their machines. A typical question is “how can I easily combines parameterisation, programming and
combine a mechanical axis, a servo motor and a maintenance in one program.
servo drive so that they perfectly complement each
other without over specifying or spending?” Conclusion
Series and bespoke machine builders have quite Seamless Connectivity from the workpiece to the
different requirements when it comes to automation cloud offers a solution to many of the challenges faced
platforms and connectivity. Series machine builders by today’s machine builders. Reducing the complexity
seek to standardise their drive solutions, whilst of the automation task enables faster, more reliable
bespoke machine builders require highly flexible build times, reduced work-in-progress and lower
solutions to enable them to respond to the highly costs. Festo has invested intensively in this approach
individual needs of their customers. They need to and developed software tools that all but eliminate
reconfigure each machine and commission it the ‘friction at the interfaces’ i.e. making it easier
individually time and again. They want to do this as mechanically, electrically and in programming
simply and quickly as possible, without investing time software to connect automation devices such as
to familiarise themselves with the idiosyncrasies of electric servo drives into the complete machine
each component. environment.
For both types of machine builder, there are From the initial conceptualisation, through the
convenient and simple solutions that meet their design phases to build, programming and
respective requirements. For example, when Festo commissioning, product data can be digitally
developed their new automation platform, priority collected, collated, processed and then re-used in the
was placed on seamless connectivity from the outset. next phase without unnecessary double working or
The mechanical system, the drive system with motor errors. This is a major benefit for machine builders
and controllers, as well as the software modules were and as it utilises many of the principles of Industry
designed as one system. Compatibility with the many 4.0 becomes the Digital Twin ready to be
controller manufacturers was also key. incorporated in the future into the complete digital
For example, the latest generation of Festo servo system.
drives (CMMT) and motors, together with the intuitive www.festo.co.uk

April 2020 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA! • p10