Insights

Insights

Paring down costs: energy efficiency

What does a pencil sharpening system have to do with energy efficiency? Quite a lot! In the “Experience Energy Efficiency” exhibition in the Festo corporate head office in Esslingen-Berkheim, the pencil sharpening system shows how one optimisation measure for energy efficiency combines with another one to produce an overall concept with impressive energy credentials through the reduction of friction and weight, recovery of energy, selection of the right components and efficient actuation and control.

Insights

Even saltier than sea air

Snow and black ice sometimes turn driving into a slippery experience in winter. Although spreading salt makes the roads slightly safer, it is harmful to the environment as well as to the metal parts of a car. The salt attacks the metal on the bodywork, leading to blisters in the paintwork and ultimately to peeling and corrosion. The resistance of a material to corrosion can be tested in standardised test processes, for example, in a salt spray chamber.

Insights

Virtual planning

A metre rule, pen, notepad and a keen eye – you don’t need anything besides that to measure buildings or facilities. Or do you? As in many other areas of life, digitization is also taking hold here.

Insights

Training rooms in the factory

Education, knowledge and individual learning are an integral part of the Festo corporate culture. The training factory at the Scharnhausen Technology Plant is incorporated directly in production and thus bridges the gap between practical learning in the workplace and theoretical learning in the training centre. Think tanks also provide a platform for cooperative technology and product development.

Insights

Wide awake

Light is very important for the human organism. This is especially noticeable during the dark winter months when there is less daylight, which often leads to depressed moods. Even a long working day under artificial light can be tiring. The less daylight there is, the more the light levels drop at the workplace and hence the ability to concentrate. Scientists have come up with solutions that are now being applied in practice.

Insights

Overflowing with power

Everyone comes into contact with electroplated objects without noticing it. From frames for glasses, plug connectors in coffee machines to chrome-plated taps on washbasins and galvanized components in the car. Using this technology, tools and scissors, for example, are nickel-plated to protect them against rust.

Insights

10 to the power of 40 variations

Whether it is a batch size of one or an annual production volume of 2.5 million, the new Festo Scharnhausen Technology Plant shows how flexibility and speed go hand in hand. Industry 4.0 has been implemented wherever possible. Thanks to the synergy between manual production and modular assembly lines, the plant can produce 10 to the power of 40 product variations.