Interview 8 – 9 » Festo is the only supplier on the market with a comprehensive product portfolio for pneumatic and electric drive technology. What role does research and development play in this? Dr. Ansgar Kriwet: Our background is classic pneumatics, but we recognized the trend towards electric drive technology at an early stage and were able to help shape the move toward automation technology in this direction. We have also taken pneumatics to a new level and made it controllable, something that was previously reserved for electric drive technology. For years, our research and development activities at Festo have focused on the development of solutions for electric, pneumatic, and servo-pneumatic motion in machines and systems. The challenge for our developers was to create a standardized solution that covers all motion requirements in order to make it as easy as possible for the customer. » Can you give us a concrete example of such an innovative solution that combines pneumatics and electrics? Dr. Ansgar Kriwet: Our new valve terminal VTUX with CPX-AP-A controller is a milestone. It enables us to fulfil any motion requirements customers may have, whether these are pneumatic, servo-pneumatic, or electric, and all using a standardized platform. The functionality of VTUX will continue to grow as new modules are added. For example, at the end of the year it will be available with AI. This new generation of valve terminals and manifolds meets a key demand from our customers for maximum production flexibility. » How will the market develop and how are you preparing for this? Dr. Ansgar Kriwet: The trend towards servo-pneumatics or controlled pneumatics and electric drive technology will continue. That is why we are actively investing in this area. At the same time, smart functions and AI are becoming more important. The topic of sustainability and energy efficiency will also increasingly take center stage. And in the future, new drive principles will complement our current solutions. Hence, we are carrying out research into piezo actuators and superconducting servo motors, for instance. We are all set to continue on our path to be and remain an all-round technological partner for motion. Because this ultimately makes things easy for our customers – simply Festo! “Festo long ago expanded classic pneumatics to include electric automation and controlled pneumatics as well as software and AI applications.” Frank Notz, Member of the Management Board Sales, Festo » What can customers do online in order to “find the best solution”? Frank Notz: A lot! They have access to digital engineering and design tools on our website. This provides them with a transparent comparison of our technological alternatives that consider various aspects, from power and controllability to economic feasibility. As for sustainability, there are also smart tools that use various parameters to provide specific information about environmental effects during the operating phase. The carbon footprint or ideal energy consumption can thus be included in the decisionmaking process. » What are the key challenges for the future – what are Festo and its customers facing? Frank Notz: The next major industrial transformation is in full swing: our customers’ industrial automation tasks are becoming increasingly more diverse and complex. While digitalization is now affecting the entire value chain, new requirements such as sustainability and climate-neutral production are emerging. At the same time, the pace of production processes is becoming faster, which means that they need to be as flexible as possible. Our customers appreciate that, as a complete automation partner, we can offer an extremely broad range of solutions, and ensure simple and seamless networking between systems. I know from many personal conversations that this variety from a single source makes it easier for our customers to quickly find the solution that meets their needs. Dr. Ansgar Kriwet, Member of the Management Board Research and Development, Festo Find out more about the new valve terminal VTUX
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