Bulk materials | Festo DE

Individual automation solutions for your bulk materials applications

Dispensing

Sample applications for dispensing materials:

Screw feeder
Pneumatic valves
Docking

Better with Festo:
We have the right combination of automation components for you, enabling highly precise dispensing. From fully automated butterfly valve units, quarter turn and linear actuators to suitable valve terminals, we offer innovative and individual solutions for your dispensing process.

Conveying

Sample applications of conveyed materials:

Pneumatic conveying for continuous and batch processes
Dense phase conveying
Dilute phase conveying

Better with Festo:
In addition to our automated butterfly valves, our integrated quarter turn actuators with sensor boxes, gate valves and control units and our valve terminals ensure your conveyor system runs efficiently and smoothly. Compressed air preparation is part of the pneumatic automation concept.

Storage

Sample applications of stored materials:

Emptying stations for big bags or sacks
Emptying and filling reservoirs and silos
Transforming small components

Better with Festo:
Storing, relocating and refilling – the more complex the process structure, the more you can benefit from individual automation solutions from Festo. You can easily implement all the necessary controls for linear cylinders, gate valves, butterfly valves or other actuators using our valve terminal.

Mixing

Sample applications of mixed materials:

Mixing liquids with bulk materials
Colouring of granulate
Batch mixers/continuous mixers

Better with Festo:
Especially in continuous mixing processes, it is important to ensure that the materials have a homogeneous structure after they have been mixed. Components from Festo that are controlled via valve terminals also offer both a reliable and high-quality automation solution for your systems when it comes to discontinuous mixing processes, too.

Separating

Sample applications of separating materials:

Filtering out foreign particles
Breaking up products
Fractionation
Reliable feeding of processing machines

Better with Festo:
With our quarter turn and linear actuators, you can effortlessly automate deflectors, butterfly valves, gate valves and other process valves. In addition, the valve terminal, sensor box and positioner enable you to implement the optimum control concept for separating your bulk materials. The filters are cleaned by precisely dosed air jets in the opposite direction to the process direction, sometimes using large volumes.

Is a single valve or a valve terminal better?

With Festo, you can automate your bulk materials processes in one of two ways: using individual valves or valve terminals. Individual valves are still widely used in the market nowadays, even in many cases where the use of valve terminals would offer clear advantages:

Lower investment costs
Compact design
Implementation of additional functions such as proportional valves
Flexibility thanks to fieldbus, easy integration and expandability
Maximum plant and system availability thanks to system diagnostics
Overall production and installation costs reduced by up to 40%

Our white paper objectively presents both solutions side by side (PDF)

Modular automation based on the Lego principle

The same applies to processes for bulk material: intelligent automation solutions increase the efficiency and the quality of the results of the production plant. To provide solutions that are as flexible, individual and maintenance-friendly as possible, Festo uses modularisation based on the Lego principle. We call this modular automation.

Whereas in the past, the entire system was centrally controlled by a single process control system, modular automation allows the system to be scaled, expanded and adapted virtually limitlessly by simply integrating autonomous modules into the existing system. The stringent observance and implementation of the NAMUR recommendation NE 148 means that you can also rest assured that the complexity and costs of your plant and system will be efficiently reduced.

The most important advantages at a glance:

Automated modules operate autonomously and in combination
Reduced software complexity
Process control system becomes leaner
Modules can be standardised
Numbering-up/down instead of scaling-up/down
Plug & produce

AZO practical example ‘Decentralised control in bulk materials handling’ (PDF)

Digitalisation with the Festo Motion Terminal

By using apps to decouple software and hardware, the Festo Motion Terminal enables numerous new functions that go far beyond today’s possibilities. Where previously a great number of components, such as valves, pressure sensors and restrictors, were needed to achieve certain functions, everything is now integrated. Intelligent sensors for open- and closed-loop control, diagnostics and self-learning tasks eliminate the need for additional components. All the different functions are stored locally on separate apps, so they can be changed at the touch of a button. This also enables you to operate a large number of different functions on your system via the Festo Motion Terminal.

The most important advantages at a glance: