Posted to News on 6th Apr 2010, 09:38
Jet valves achieve 1ms switching time and 10billion operations
Festo is launching the new MHJ series jet valves that are claimed to provide an exceptionally rapid switching times of less than 1ms - which Festo says is an order of magnitude faster than standard pneumatic solenoid valves. Based on an innovative design featuring just one moving part, the jet valves also provide very high switching time repetition accuracies and have a service life of 10billion switching cycles. The jet valves are suitable for diverse applications, including high-volume sorting in the food processing and waste recycling industries.
Festo's MHJ series jet valves are designed for use with standard 40um filtered compressed air supplies and accommodate a wide range of operating pressures from 0.5-6bar. They offer a choice of three 2/2-way fast-switching models, with nominal flow rates of 50, 100 and 150 litres per minute. The valves employ a special short-stroke solenoid and patented damping plate, developed using extensive CAE modelling of the magnetic, temperature and flow characteristics, to optimise switching characteristics. To switch at this speed and provide such a long life, the novel design dispenses with dynamic seals and lubrication. The design of the solenoid and damped flat plate also enables the valve to deliver the consistent switching repetition of less than 0.1ms required throughout the operating lifetime of specialist sorting machines.
MHJ series jet valves have a trigger signal voltage range of 3-30V DC, enabling them to accept standard 5V PLC-level signals without any need for voltage conversion. The valves have a power consumption of 7W, which can be reduced to 2W after the initial turn-on period by use of a holding current control feature that can be supplied by Festo either integrated into the coil assemblies or incorporated into the application control board.
Follow the link for more information about the MHJ series jet valves (available in English, German and Spanish).
