Pneumatic valves switch in a millisecond
Festo has unveiled new pneumatic valves with just one moving part, that are able to switch in less than 1ms.
Intended for high speed sorting in the food processing and waste recycling industries, Festo's 'MHJ' series of jet valves is designed for use with standard 40µm filtered compressed air supplies, and accommodate operating pressures from 0.5 to 6bar.
The company offers a choice of three 2/2-way fast-switching models, with nominal flow rates of 50, 100 and 150litres per minute and a service life of 10billion switching cycles.
The valves employ a special short-stroke solenoid and patented damping plate. To achieve the required speed and life performances, the design dispenses with both dynamic seals and lubrication.
The valves have a trigger signal voltage range of from 3 to 30VDC, enabling them to accommodate standard 5V PLC-level signals without the need for voltage conversion. The valves have a power consumption of 7W, which can be reduced to 2W after the initial turn-on period by use of a holding current control feature, which can be supplied by Festo, either integrated into the coil assemblies or incorporated into the application control board.
The valves are available as individual units with integrated push-in fittings, and can be supplied with sub-bases for manifold mounting. Festo also produces customised manifolds which enable a group of valves to share the same air supply, and these can be fitted with integrated jet nozzles, if required.
