Festo has recently launched a digital platform called App World. It is an online platform for purchasing and downloading software/licenses and is aimed at simplifying the lives of customers in the automation industry that are moving into the digital Industry 4.0 space
Each year Industry 4.0 introduces new innovative digital approaches in the automation industry. These digital advancements continue to reshape the automation industry in ways that encourage customers to seek new and effective ways to achieve game-changing outcomes and remain a step ahead of the competition. The advancements introduced by Industry 4.0 constantly translate into a range of opportunities in the automation industry. One company grasping these opportunities is Festo. After carefully analysing the market and customer needs Festo launched a digital platform called App World. The App World is an online platform for purchasing and downloading Festo software/licenses.
With this platform, Festo aims to simplify the lives of customers in the automation industry, with a special focus to customers moving into the Industry 4.0 space. The Festo App World is available for all Festo account holders that wish to purchase this digital platform. Keeping convenience in mind, Festo has allowed customers to use their Festo Online Shop user login to purchase on the App World platform (www.festo.com/appworld). App World comprises of engineering tools (FluidDraw P6 and Schematic Solution EPLAN project), Smartenance, Condition Monitoring software and an expansion package for the Servo Press Kit YJKP. As automation experts, Festo is combining its extensive knowledge of industrial applications with the latest digital advancements to realise such apps for industrial automation practice.
A breakdown of the software that’s available on App World:
Festo Motion Terminal (VTEM) and apps
The launch of App World was followed by the much-anticipated launch of the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM in South Africa. The Festo Motion Terminal is one of the first products of the Industry 4.0 era to combine digitalisation and pneumatics. This VTEM is an intelligent fusion of mechanics, electronics and software such as pre-setting of travel time, Eco-drive, start package, leakage diagnostics, model-based proportional pressure regulation and proportional pressure regulation.
The Festo Motion Terminal combines the functions of over 50 individual components: this simplifies the engineering process and enables numerous hardware components to be dispensed in one product. Maintenance is also simplified, as long lists of spare and wearing parts will be greatly reduced due to the internal control of your application.
With the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM and software from the App World combined, machinery and plant manufacturers can benefit from completely new designs for platforms and modules. Plant operators can gain a competitive advantage thanks to flexible and adaptive systems, data transparency, communication ability, extreme process reliability and simpler operation of complex machinery. Adrian Bromfield, national sales manager of Festo South Africa & Nigeria, says: “We have created an automation platform that integrates all functions so that adaptive and flexible production is made economically feasible, and we have revolutionised pneumatics in the process.”
Smartenance – Mobile Digital Maintenance Manager
Preventive system maintenance is a time-consuming process which is shockingly still documented using pen and paper. Festo Smartenance puts an end to this. The software program from Festo is a digital maintenance manager for production managers and system operators.
Festo Smartenance consists of two parts: A mobile maintenance calendar as an app for smartphones and tablets and a web browser interface (dashboard) for production managers. The dashboard, with which the maintenance tasks will be managed and documented, can be accessed conveniently with a web browser and the app can be downloaded and installed from IOS, Android and Windows.
The advantages of digital maintenance are obvious: The system operator always has the maintenance calendar of his or her machine on a mobile device at hand and receives all necessary information on the tasks directly on smartphone or tablet. The production manager can monitor all his or her plants on one Dashboard and can see at a glance which tasks urgently need to be completed or what feedback has been sent by colleagues regarding possible problems or delays. With Smartenance, coordination effort can be reduced, and work can be done more efficiently.
Expansion package for the Servo Press Kit YJKP
This software simplifies several applications in the electronics industry. The configurable servo press kits can be tailored to the needs of the user, guaranteeing a flexible design and reducing investment costs. Customers do not need to be next to the press kit to control it. They can connect it online through the OPC-UA terminal and control it manually.
Condition Monitoring Library for Compact Handling System YXMx
In this digital world, all equipment and machinery are expected to provide maximum availability and reliability. The condition monitoring software helps to plan maintenance work professionally while cutting the associated costs at the same time. In addition, it allows customers to analyse the production process and offers comprehensive energy monitoring. This software enables systems and components from various manufacturers to be easily integrated into one solution.
Engineering software: FluidDraw P6
Now even better, Festo FluidDraw provides fast and standardised documentation of machines or systems. With the new FluidDraw P6, customers can create pneumatic and electric circuit diagrams even more reliably and efficiently. In addition to new features and a redesigned interface, the flexible licence models will help to find the right licence for different applications.
FluidDraw makes it easier to plan complete systems and integrate individual components. Customers can access the Festo catalogue using their own imported databases, and thus benefit from reporting functions and ready-prepared assembly drawings.
Engineering software: Schematic Solution EPLAN project
For an individually configurable product such as a valve terminal, finding the right EPLAN documentation used to be a tedious task. The type codes of the valve terminals first had to be broken down into parts before they could be used to find the individual macros. The individual macros then had to be relinked into a complete set of documentation. This is no longer the case as Festo offers a web service via the Festo App World for automatically creating a correctly configured EPLAN project using the type code. What used to take hours and was prone to errors can now be done in just a few minutes, without any errors and according to standard.
The changes brought forth by industry 4.0 advancements increase productivity as well as turnover. As leaders in the automation industry, Festo is proving to help customers easily achieve this through the launch of App World and Motion Terminal VTEM (the first valve to be controlled by apps) in South Africa. “Customers can now conveniently operate their machines using the Festo apps with just a touch of a button either on their smartphones or computers”, concluded Bromfield. Festo is more than just a supplier of innovative solutions, it is a company that provides customers with digital solutions today, for the world of tomorrow and ensures that customers are ready for Industry 4.0.