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Factory Automation & Process Automation Come Closer Togerth at Hanover Fair

25 April 2004 - Festo Limited Factory automation and process automation haven't come closer together for the Hanover Fair simply in terms of space. These two industry segments also face similar challenges and so intelligence moves to the fore and networking is on the increase. Equipped with a wide range of industry-specific components, Festo is on the ball where filling, pouring and shutting off are concerned.

Go for High Tech - Training Event

21 April 2004 - Festo Limited 2004 is 'The Year of Technology', and of course industry has become involved and made the 2004 Hannover Fair into an opportunity to showcase 'High Tech made in Germany' to the specialists of tomorrow, presenting it along some exciting gadgetry in Hall 23. With Festo as sponsor, Festo Didactic is hosting a 400 m2 Technology Theme Park which clearly demonstrates to trainers, teachers, students and young people that technology is exciting and forms the basis for fascinating careers.

Festo Assured Shipping Time Program

14 April 2004 - Festo Limited More than just the Fastest Service in the United States - A complete line of pneumatic products there when you need them!

High Performance Power Package for Festo

09 April 2004 - Festo Limited The high-flow-rate service unit MS12 goes on handling pressure where others quit: With six freely-combinable individual modules, it can meet the most demanding flow-rate requirements. Integrated into compressed-air supply networks, the MS12, a member of Festo's MS series, opens up new areas of applications.

Sheer Genius - Compressed Air Consumption Analysis

07 April 2004 - Festo Limited It comes as standard when buying a car, but is still new in the machine building industry, consumption details. Only by knowing the actual compressed air consumption of your production system can you optimally configure a compressed air network. With its compressed air consumption analysis, Festo ensures that machine builders never run out of puff when it comes to compressed air, in other words, efficient and reliable compressed air supply in machine building is ensured.

High-Calibre Machine SSetting for Festo

06 April 2004 - Festo Limited The new electrical compact drive MTR-DCI heralds a new generation of drive products from Festo and has been developed especially for format setting, i.e. multi-product machine setting. It produces tailor-made results in no time at all, whereas in the past it took tool setters hours. Take for example the packaging industry, where the correct guide stops need to be set for each carton size.

Setting the Pace in Tiny Spaces

05 April 2004 - Festo Limited Small, fast, with high performance but no bigger than a postage stamp, these are the new storage media of the electronics industry. Festo's new High-Speed Pick & Place unit Type HSP-AE with electrical drive is a true sprinter when it comes to handling and assembling electronic components, operating nimbly even in restricted spaces.

Dr. Horst Saalbach receives the Ellis Island Medal of Honor

05 April 2004 - Festo Limited Dr. Horst K. Saalbach, founder and Vice Chairman of the Board of Festo USA, is the proud recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medals of Honor Award in recognition of his many years of dedication and support of the State University of New York and other charitable organizations. Dr. Saalbach was nominated in recognition of his contributions to SUNY, by Mr. William Hetzler of the German Desk, at the New York State Governors office.

Electrical Peripherals for Valve Terminals Offer Wealth of Functionalities

04 April 2004 - Festo Limited An e-mail from the factory with the message: Malfunction in parts assembly, the system is down. Just a few mouse clicks later, the fault has been localised and eliminated, for CPX users this is reality and not just dreams of the future. Supplemented with new modules, these electrical peripherals for valve terminals offer a wealth of functionalities and therefore even more creative scope for electrical engineers, pneumatics engineers and system integrators alike.

Festo Thrills Technology Fans at Hanover Fair

03 April 2004 - Festo Limited At the Hanover Fair, fans of technology are sure to be thrilled by the concerted pneumatic components on display. Two miniature factories will provide a forum in which these components can demonstrate their performance to the full. The rhythmic interaction of the individual components will be backed by a harmonious range of services.

An Arena of Superlatives

01 April 2004 - Festo Limited Higher, faster, further, as if inspired by the Olympic ideal, Festo is showing its athletic capabilities at the Hanover Fair. In over 30 dynamic displays, Festo's Fluidic-Muscle and High-Speed solutions are demonstrating the speed and power which they can deliver. These cover everything from Fluidic Muscles at work in a trike, a body trainer and a press through to applications in which the top athletes of the pneumatics world exploit their high-speed strengths.

Off We Go on a Fantastic Compressed Air Trip

30 December 2003 - Festo Limited A fantastic journey with air particles through pneumatic valves and cylinders, Festo can make it happen. In the so-called Virtual Reality Show, product developers and pneumatic researchers can look into the inner workings of valves and cylinders so that the air-stream becomes visible.

Positioning at Unparalleled Speeds Not a Problem With Festo Electrical Drives

29 December 2003 - Festo Limited Positioning axes with speeds of 10 m/s make you sit up and take notice, and they supplement the comprehensive modular handling system as well. Servo-pneumatic positioning technology is used in a wide variety of food processing applications, e. g. the programmed precision filling of viscous food products in a matter of seconds. Two different technologies in comparison.

More than just the Fastest Express Service in Europe

29 December 2003 - Festo Limited Festo was honoured with the renowned 2003 German Logistics Award presented by the Bundesvereinigung Logistik (German logistics association) for its holistic approach to logistics. An important aspect of the logistics services provided by the European market leader in the field of industrial automation with pneumatics is its express service, by means of which automation products are delivered to the customer's facility in less than 24 hours.

High-Speed for Increased Productivity

21 December 2003 - Festo Limited Technical training and vocational education are widening their horizons: Whereas training in the fields of pneumatics and programmable logic controllers have dominated the course schedule in the past, increased productivity is now being pushed into the foreground. And Festo Didactic is setting new standards in this area with training programs for the reduction of setup times, inventory levels and machine idle time.

Global Network Assures Growth

18 December 2003 - Festo Limited Just like automation technology products allow for shorter and shorter cycle times, time required for the development of new technologies has also been dramatically reduced over the last 50 years: On the average, innovation cycles are only one fifth as long as they were in 1950. In our fast-moving times, global networks are absolutely essential for successful enterprises. Festo exploits its network to assure growth, worldwide.

Fast Mechatronic Systems in Miniature Format

17 December 2003 - Festo Limited Every new automobile equipped with airbags or ESP depends upon microsystems technology, and researchers in the field of biotechnology take advantage of microsystems for DNA analysis. Microsystems technology is seldom associated with mechanical engineering. However, miniaturisation with functions integration for ingenious mechatronic systems concepts is at the very top of the wish list for many customers. The Festo delta robot with parallel kinematics offers pure mechatronics.

Compressed Air for the Building

16 December 2003 - Festo Limited The use of air for design, this does not apply to Festo components alone. The market leader in automation using compressed air has built new headquarters in Esslingen-Berkheim, with airy architecture, although it is certainly not a castle in the air. Over 1,000 employees here work on the future of pneumatics.

Increased Cycle Rates & Reduced Project Engineering Time

15 December 2003 - Festo Limited The compact high-speed pick & place unit from Festo lives up to this claim. Above all, the features included with these automation components come to bear in industries like electronics and mechanical engineering, wherever small parts need to be inserted extremely quickly in very tight spaces.

Sky Blue Torments of Hell

14 December 2003 - Festo Limited Pneumatic valves which survive 900 million switching cycles, pneumatic cylinders with a service life which equates to circumnavigating the globe not once, but twice, rugged and durable Festo pneumatic components of this sort have survived the cruel torments of the instruments of torture found in the so-called Festo torture chamber.

Scoring Points with Professional Engineering Support

12 December 2003 - Festo Limited The big don't devour the small, but the fast devour the slow. Thus time-to-market has become a key factor for global competition in the field of automation technology. Festo has developed an internationally segmented network to this end, by means of which 300,000 customers all over the world get individualised products manufactured in accordance with their own requirements faster, and are thus able to reduce time-to-market.

Reducing Standstill with Real-Time

12 December 2003 - Festo Limited Reduce idle time and improve machine availability, these requirements are right at the top of the users' wish list where automation is concerned. And integrated diagnosis concepts for fieldbus valve terminals and controllers from Festo make it possible.

Automation for High-Speed Sports Cars

08 December 2003 - Festo Limited All successful automobile manufacturers have reduced their supplier base for automotive components in recent years from several thousand to just a few hundred. When this trend first began, the automobile manufacturers were receiving thousands of individual parts, but now they're ordering complete door systems, interior packages, brake systems and the like from system suppliers.

Festo wins German Logistics Award 2003

23 October 2003 - Festo Limited This year´s 20th German Logistics Award goes to Festo AG of Esslingen, Germany. The jury of Germany's largest association for logistics and supply chain management (BVL) paid tribute to the successful implementation of an integrated concept entitled 'First in motion, powered by logistics'. The leading global provider of automation technology succeeded in achieving significant reductions in logistics costs while simultaneously extending its product spectrum and enhancing services for its 300,000 customers.

German Logistics Award 2003 goes to Festo

22 October 2003 - Festo Limited Festo AG in Esslingen, Germany, a leading global provider of automation technology, has won the German Logistics Award 2003 for its integrated logistics concept 'First in Motion, powered by Logistics'. The award was presented by BVL, Germany´s largest association for logistics and supply chain management. By implementing its integrated logistics concept, Festo succeeded in both extending its global product spectrum and enhancing customer services while simultaneously achieving significant reductions in logistics costs.

Festo Continues to Grow Thanks to Innovative Products & Services

23 September 2003 - Festo Limited Motek in Sinsheim is fast becoming Europe's leading trade fair for the handling and assembly technology sector. For Festo, Motek is the ideal forum in which to impress industry experts with its latest product innovations and new application solutions offering 'plus functions', as it provides an opportunity to showcase the entire range of products and services.

WorldSkills Competition Fosters Learning at its Best

25 June 2003 - Festo Limited Efficient learning means to put the knowledge gained into practice.665 apprentices from 36 countries in 40 different vocations competed for the championship title at the 37th Career Olympics from the 19th through the 22nd of June in St. Gallen, Switzerland. 170,000 visitors, including numerous pupils, parents, trainers and teachers, were able to watch the event and get a close-up look at the latest working methods and apprentice vocations.

Killing Costs with Software & Internet Solutions

30 April 2003 - Festo Limited Amazing: In industrial automation, material costs only make up 10 % of all project costs. Approximately 90 % of costs along the value added chain therefore offer the greatest potential for savings and one which can be successfully exploited by shrewd customers by using Festo's software tools and services.

Modular Guided Drives Treated as Top Contenders at Festo

30 April 2003 - Festo Limited The DFM modular system and the small, rodless DGC drive are treated as top contenders at Festo. As part of a full range of guided drives, they both replace elaborate user-fabricated solutions, and save space as well. With characteristic features including a maximum speed of 1.5 metres per second and end-position accuracy better than 0.5 mm, these drives offer high dynamics and precision at the same time.

New Electrical Valve Terminal Link

28 April 2003 - Festo Limited Communicate successfully at all levels, this would be an appropriate slogan for the new modular electrical terminal CPX. Compatible with all fieldbus protocols and customer-specific installation standards, it simplifies the exchange of information between the electrical and pneumatic control levels.

Setting A Productive Pace

27 April 2003 - Festo Limited The HSP High-Speed Picker from Festo quickly reins in costs for handling and assembly technology. With high cycle rates and intelligent stroke adjustment, the new Pick & Place shortens production times and improves economic efficiency.

Festo Expands Worldwide R & D & Production Network

27 April 2003 - Festo Limited Global customers need global players as suppliers. Festo, an internationally leading company in the field of automation technology, consistently supports its international customers throughout the entire process sequence: from advice regarding the realisation of automation concepts, commissioning and support for initial series production, right through to after-sales services and the qualification of management personnel.

A New Definition of Service Units

26 April 2003 - Festo Limited Compressed-air preparation has a new style: Festo is presenting its MS-series, a groundbreaking new generation of service-unit modules, with a compact modern design and easy to install. Available in a wide range of variants and functions, they open the door to many applications in all kinds of industries.

Festo Systematically Expanded & Enlarged Existing Standard Cylinder Ranges

25 April 2003 - Festo Limited Whether small or large, standard cylinders are part of the basic range of all pneumatics manufacturers who promotes themselves within the market as a full line supplier. For Festo, this means 17 possible diameters with strokes of up to 2000 mm and more than 20 different features, resulting in a total of more than 1000 possible combinations.

No patents – no gain! – Creative Genius

25 April 2003 - Festo Limited One measure of a company's creative wealth is the number of patents it holds. Over the years, Festo AG & Co. KG has made a name for itself as the 'Creative genius' of pneumatics, which today establishes us as a trend-setting innovator. The basis for this development is professional patent management, and the fostering of innovations that are ready for the market.

Festo Supports BattleBot Teams

25 April 2003 - Festo Limited Festo Corporation, Hauppauge, NY, a global leader in pneumatics for industrial automation, is pleased to announce our support of BattleBots, a national robotic competition televised nationally. Two outstanding teams 'Team Killer Botz' ('Little Hater' and 'Double Trouble') and 'Team Raptor ( 'Gamma Raptor' and 'Pack Raptors') compete in the regional competitions, where the winners go on to the nationals which are televised in a weekly program.

New MPA Valve System - One for All

23 April 2003 - Festo Limited Whether connection, functionality or pressure supply is concerned, emphasis is placed upon adaptability with the new MPA valve system. Easily modifiable and expandable, it provides custom tailored pneumatics for a wide range of applications, from individual valves and multiple connector plates, right through to fieldbus valve terminals.

Pneumatic, Servopneumatic & Electrical Technology Totally Connecteded!

21 April 2003 - Festo Limited Within Festo's modular drive system, there is pneumatic, servopneumatic and electrical technology, demonstrating one principle above all, total compatibility between all components and technologies. Particularly in the case of Festo's electrical drives, a number of new features have been inspired by our 'plug and work' philosophy. The result: An open-ended choice of variants with no limits.

Open and Closed Loop Control with FEC

19 April 2003 - Festo Limited Extending the range of Festo electrical control components: Equipped with analogue value processing for additional functionality, two new variants of the tried and tested IPC FEC Standard front end controller open up new applications and consistently expand the easy to install, time and space-saving FEC range.

Ready for take-off with Festo’s New Valves & Cylinders

19 April 2003 - Festo Limited Imagine an amazing flight with molecules of air passing through pneumatic valves and cylinders, it's possible at Festo. Product developers and pneumatics researchers are able to look into the interiors of valves and cylinders via a virtual reality show, thus allowing them to observe the flow of air.

Mechatronics Knowledge Through e-Learning

18 April 2003 - Festo Limited Despite some initial reservations, the mechanical engineering sector now recognises and utilises the benefits of e-learning. Festo Didactic GmbH & Co. KG recognised this requirement at an early stage and expanded its automation and technology learning programme to include interactive web-based learning programmes. An additional learning system component is therefore available to Festo Didactic customers in all countries.

Festo USA Has A New Website!

17 April 2003 - Festo Limited Festo USA recently re-launched its' highly successful website www.festo-usa.com. The new site offers our customers easy navigation for finding industrial automation services, products, and sales and technical support.

Systematic Saving Using Compressed Air More Effectively

17 April 2003 - Festo Limited Using compressed air more efficiently helps save money, there is generally a potential for savings of 10 to 35 % of the energy costs of pneumatic systems through better maintenance of these. As the performance leader in pneumatic automation technology, Festo has taken up this challenge and is offering individual services to customers wishing to achieve more efficient use of compressed air.

An International Presence is Essential

15 April 2003 - Festo Limited DaimlerChrysler, the international Volkswagen group, Renault and General Motors, over the past number of years, all the successful automobile manufacturers have reduced their supplier basis for vehicle components from several thousand companies to just a few hundred. Where automobile manufacturers received thousands of components when this trend started, they are now supplied with complete door systems, interior fittings or braking systems by the system suppliers.

Miniaturisation of Automation Technology Components is Keeping up the Pressure

14 April 2003 - Festo Limited Miniaturisation of automation technology components is high on the wish list of many customers in manufacturing industry. But not in the process industry, where the main demand is for pneumatic rotary drives with torque ratings of up to 8,800 Nm and weighing as much as 150 kg and more. These specifications are not surprising when we consider that the materials being handled are water, sewage, chemical, liquid and paste media, gases and bulk materials such as sand, gravel and cement.

Clean Design is the New Look in Pneumatics

12 April 2003 - Festo Limited 180 Kindergarten children fall ill after eating noodles with ham, 13,000 Japanese are admitted to hospital with food-poisoning symptoms owing to a lack of hygiene in a dairy, events which have made the headlines and have given rise to uncertainty in the past number of years. In spite of high hygiene standards in industrial countries, the danger of bacterial contamination in the food industry does not seem to have been fully eliminated, not to mention the damage to the image of the food manufacturer affected by the bacterial contamination.

Festo Prepares for Further Growth

12 April 2003 - Festo Limited Turnover of Festo Group remains at level of previous year due to business conditions, World pneumatics market remains subdued, Leaner cost structure becoming effective 2003/04, Further investment in growth markets.

Festo’s Plug & Work is A Great Combination

09 April 2003 - Festo Limited Gone are the days when designers had to design expensive handling systems over a protracted period themselves: With Festo's plug and work, the shrewd customer is reaching for fully pre-assembled handling axes with grippers or vacuum suction units which can be integrated into an assembly system with a minimum of effort.

A Close Look at Micro-Pneumatics

07 April 2003 - Festo Limited Close examination reveals that microsystems are the technology of the future. Experts from the NEXUS Market Research Institute have arrived at this conclusion, and have ascertained worldwide growth in this industry from $25,000 million in 2000 to $40,000 million in 2002.

Microsystem Technology with Smart Pneumatics

01 April 2003 - Festo Limited Smaller, faster, more intelligent, the trend towards miniaturisation in the electronics industry is unstoppable. Already today, we have gigachips which are able to store the contents of 100 books each of 500 pages on an area the size of a thumbnail. Nokia alone is currently producing 150,000,000 mobile telephones each year equipped with this chip. Automation technology needs to keep up with this pace of development, and is doing so. With miniature pneumatic components and systems from Festo.

Overcoming Barriers More Efficiently Quickly Using Global Strategies

27 March 2003 - Festo Limited Customers require 'everything from a single source'. Festo meets the challenges of the international markets with global strategies. New structures bring together the resources of this hybrid organisation of a global production and development network for the products and services of tomorrow. This enables Festo to offer more flexible and individual solutions and at the same to grow in the three areas of „products', „regions' and „industry branches', an important step for Festo, the leader in performance, on the way to global market leadership.