Festo introduces AS-i option on valve terminals

Actuator sensor interface (AS-i) technology is an open standard, supported by a large number of leading automation companies. Designed for interconnecting digital and analogue devices such as sensors, actuators and valve terminals via a two-wire cable, it is one of the simplest industrial networking protocols on the market, and is used for a wide variety of PLC- and PC-based automation systems. There are currently more than 13million AS-i devices in use worldwide, in a diverse range of applications including food processing and packaging lines, bottling plants, conveyors, process control valves, airport carousels and elevators.

The AS-i version of Festo's VTSA configurable valve terminal is supplied as a fully assembled and pre-tested unit, enabling users to replace an entire control panel via a single order. It can accommodate up to eight ISO standard 18mm, 26mm and 42mm valves in any combination mounted on the same manifold. Festo offers a wide range of compatible 5/3, 5/2 and dual 3/2 valves. The VTSA-AS-i valve terminal - and the new AS-i versions of the MPA series valve terminals - are fully compliant with AS-i specification 2.1, which accommodates up to 62 digital slaves and 31 analogue slaves per master.

AS-i specification 3.0

Festo's new CPV-AS-i fixed grid or block type valve terminal complies with AS-i specification 3.0, and is said to be the first of its type to use the 7.A.7 profile. This facilitates A/B operation with four inputs and four outputs per slave, paving the way for even more flexible and cost-effective control schemes. Each master can accommodate up to 62 digital slaves and 62 analogue slaves, and the cycle time per slave is only a few hundred microseconds. A fully populated network using the 7.A.7 profile will exhibit a maximum bus cycle time of only 20ms. Enhancements to AS-i system functionality, combined with exciting new products fully utilising the system capabilities, makes AS-i even more attractive for machine builders.