Moving into the digitalised product world
HoloLens, mobile phones, 3D printing or smart glasses – the gadgets that captured the public imagination in the blockbuster movie “Back to the Future” over 30 years ago have now become a reality. All thanks to digitalisation. As Industry 4.0, it is automating the modern working world and helping the machine and system building sector reach new heights. Which smart products and solutions from Festo support this move into the new world?
“We support our customers with digital solutions at every step of the value chain and thus also guide them along their individual digital customer journey,” emphasises Dr Michael Hoffmeister, Executive Expert Digital Business at Festo. The company makes a coherent software infrastructure available for its customers and thus reduces the process costs of its customers.
Designing software à la carte
Examples of these intelligent, comprehensive software solutions are the Handling Guide Online for fast design and ordering of axis systems, the Festo Design Tool 3D online for combining individual components into pneumatic modules, the product key for the clear identification of each component and use as a digital twin and the app-based products such as the Festo Motion Terminal.
FluidDraw 365 enables designers to build up circuit diagrams more safely and more efficiently in order to document machines and installations fast and easily conforming to standards. Via an annual subscription the users have always got the updated version available on the Festo App World.
Condition monitoring in the cloud at the press of a button
With the CPX-IoT gateway, Festo is paving the way for a secure cloud solution which will enable machine and system builders and end customers to significantly improve their overall equipment effectiveness. The IoT gateway CPX-IOT connects components and modules from the field level, such as the valve terminal CPX/MPA, the energy monitoring module MSE6-E2M or handling systems, to the Festo Cloud via their OPC UA interface.
The cloud makes it possible to process and monitor the data; this in turn enables trend analyses to be worked out and early warning systems and automatic notifications to be set up in the event of incidents. The IoT gateway connects the cloud to a controller and ensures that the relevant information is communicated in the right format at the right time.
Monitoring conditions with dashboards
With the IoT gateway CPX-IOT, it is possible to have preconfigured dashboards for each Festo component – with additional customisation. The dashboard is viewed in the web browser and includes diagrams and traffic lights. Specific widgets – user interface components and graphs for energy monitoring and preventive maintenance, as well as key performance indicators for the process and for the improvement of overall equipment effectiveness – provide clarity. The condition monitoring solution improves error diagnostics and fault identification, creates transparency regarding energy consumption, delivers clear information in graphical format and offers historical data.
Digital maintenance management
Predictive plant maintenance is a time-consuming process which, astonishly, is for the most part still documented using pen and paper. With Smartenance, Festo’s digital maintenance manager, this process gets easier, faster and safer. The software enables precise scheduling and analysis of plant maintenance. Therefore, it is the fast and easy access to digital maintenance for production managers and system operators, available for download as an app. Smartenance is the first purely digital product from Festo. It is available to download as a mobile app for smartphones and tablets in the Apple and Google app stores.
The dashboard for production managers is conveniently available in the web browser. Smartenance enables end customers to schedule, monitor and evaluate system maintenance. A digital maintenance schedule makes maintenance easier, quicker and more reliable. Reciprocal checking by system operators and production managers provides greater reliability. It eliminates many processes and the need for coordination.
Smart products
With the smart digital solutions, the automation expert Festo is combining its extensive knowledge of industrial applications with the latest developments in information technology to realise online applications for industrial automation practice. Festo is also using digital communication to support its customers throughout the Digital Customer Journey. This digital journey guides customers reliably and comprehensively through the Festo portfolio, from information procurement and configuration through ordering and delivery to commissioning and maintenance or even to the technical training offered by Festo Didactic.
费斯托 (Festo)是一家全球性的独立的家族企业,总部位于德国埃斯林根。自成立以来,Festo在工业自动化技术和技术教育方面制定标准,从而为环境、经济和社会的可持续发展做出贡献。公司为超过35个行业的30万家工厂和过程自动化客户提供气动和电驱动自动化技术解决方案,其中生命科学和实验室自动化业务受到越来越多的关注。Festo产品和服务遍布176个国家。2023年,费斯托在全球61个国家的250多个分支机构拥有约20600名员工,实现销售额36.5亿欧元。每年约7%的销售额用于研发。在这家学习型企业,1.5%的销售额用于基础和进一步培训。Festo 教学培训 (Didactic SE) 是全球领先的技术教育和培训供应商,为全球客户提供工业环境中全面的数字化和常规学习解决方案。