May 7, 2014 — Festo introduces a ball valve assembly program designed to deliver a host of process application benefits. This new process-based program provides customers with a high-quality solution across multiple plant locations and ensures first-class Festo support. Festo now assembles, warrants, and supports ready to install ball valve assemblies that can include the ball valve, Namur solenoid, actuator, positioner, and sensor. Until now, most ball valve assemblies have been locally sourced and built for each plant. This leads to variations in part numbers, components, quality, support, and higher than needed inventory levels.
Consistency plant-to-plant is an issue for large multi-national corporations and major OEMs. The new Festo program ensures consistency, especially for the components, that allow precise control of the ball valve – Namur solenoid, actuator, positioner, and sensor. “Festo held a significant number of meetings with key customers to learn how our company could improve process applications from the simplest components to the more complex integrated process actuation systems,” said Craig Correia, Process Automation Industry Manager for Festo. “We found Festo would streamline operations and improve process control by assembling and supporting ball valve assemblies that had consistency in the actuation, communication, and sensing parts of the assembly.”
All of the components in this Festo program meet ISO Namur and VDE standards. Because these components are all international standards based, Festo can include, at a customer’s request, non-Festo components that meet international standards. This gives the customer utmost flexibility, a one stop shop, and Festo support.
Basic ball valve assembly offering
Festo has identified the following ball valves and components as part of the new ball valve assembly program.
- VAPB-2F: The basic ball valve, preassembled with a quarter turn actuator.
- VAPB-3F: Identical to the VAPB-2F except that the VAPB-3F is a three-piece design.
- VAPB-7F: This FDA compliant sanitary three-piece design version of the VAPB-3F comes with welded ends (or clamp) instead of threads and the valve has a 20Ra internal surface finish.
- VZBA-4F-L/T: A three-way valve that has three ports and any combination of flow paths – L, T, and Shut.
- DFPB: The Festo rack and pinion quarter turn actuator included in the above assemblies.
- SRBF: This simple, economical sensor box with metal body senses both the open and closed position of the valves.
- CMSX: A new positioner from Festo that gives the customer analog control of a ball valve.
- NVF3: Standard 5/2 and 3/2 single solenoid Namur valve for local control of the ball valve assemblies.
The stainless steel valve is a two-piece design so one of the threaded end caps can rotate to make it easier to install.
The end caps of the VAPB-3F are held on by through rods.
Customers can completely remove the end caps for threading onto pipe.
Customers can also remove the valve for service and leave the threaded end caps on the pipe.
It also comes pre-assembled with a quarter turn actuator.
Both double acting and single acting products are available.
A single part number will accept 0-10V, 4-20mA, or 0-20mA signals and control the position of the ball.
This unit has a good price point, particularly because it has so many features.
It also offers the customer analog output for verification of actual ball valve position.
The CMSX does not consume air when at rest – an energy savings feature not typically found in pneumatic positioners.
The solenoid bolts directly to Namur port on the Festo DFPB actuator.
There is no need for tubing or fittings.
About Festo
Festo is a leading manufacturer of pneumatic and electromechanical systems, components, and controls for process and industrial automation. For more than 40 years, Festo Corporation has continuously elevated the state of manufacturing with innovations and optimized motion control solutions that deliver higher performing, more profitable automated manufacturing and processing equipment.
