Representatives of UK manufacturing gathered in force in June to mark the centenary of industrial automation specialist Festo. The event, held at Festo GB’s Innovation Centre in Northampton, was an ideal opportunity for industry organisations, customers, suppliers, and employees to discuss how automation will shape British manufacturing in the future.

Innovation in stepper motor technology means the gap between stepper and servo technology is narrowing. In applications where the performance of a servo motor is not required because there are no highly dynamic loads or high speed demands, the stepper (with its choice of battery-less encoders and motor brakes) offers closed loop positioning.

During a tour of the Hannover Messe at the Festo stand, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated the company on its 100-year success story: In the anniversary year, Festo welcomed the Federal Chancellor accompanied by Stéphane Dion, Special Envoy of the partner country Canada to the European Union, and Stephan Weil, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, with a special exhibit, the "Festo Incredible Machine". 

Electric automation can deliver enhanced efficiency, consistency and precision over traditional pneumatics in many industrial automation applications. However, simple oversights during design and specification can cause serious problems, turning your electric automation dream into the ‘axis of all evil’, according to industrial automation specialist Festo.