Automation firm launches new slide unit along with cylinders

Automation technology provider Festo has introduced a new compact slide unit – the DGST. The company claims it is the most compact unit in the industry.

It is being launched together with a new range of compact cylinders and guided cylinders to provide the ideal drive combination for compact assembly systems. 

Aruj Abbas, product manager at Festo, said: “In electronics assembly, medical and laboratory automation, testing and analytical applications, compactness is key. The market for handheld electronic devices and growing demand for desktop laboratory automation are just two examples which are driving our customers’ demands for smaller and lighter pneumatic solutions. We have responded to this with a trio of new products, meaning these applications can now benefit from the high quality and reliability that Festo is renowned for, in an even smaller footprint.”

Mini-slides feature an integrated guide unit driven by a pneumatic cylinder. In addition to standard cylinders they provide increased performance and reliability in applications which require a smooth, precision guided, non-rotating platform ideal for the mounting of tooling or other actuators. The guidance is particularly important where side or pressing / insertion loads are present. A good mini-slide is a combination of compactness, precision, accuracy and reliability. 

The DGST mini-slide is available in a twin piston design with diameters of 6 – 25 mm and stroke lengths of 10 – 200 mm. The slide houses the integrated guide and the end plate: all manufactured from a single part, eliminating torsion and misalignment issues and so providing extremely precise movements. Impact shocks at the end of stroke are reduced by the integrated cushioning elements, seated within the body length.

Symmetrical mounting interfaces enable easy installation to other actuators without the need to design or machine additional mounting plates, saving time and cost. This can be useful in pick and place applications where the DGST slides can be placed in different orientations and mirrored on either side of a robot arm or conveyor belt. 

The second new pneumatic drive range is the ultra-compact ADN-S cylinder, which is now available in 6 mm and 10 mm diameters.

The cylinder can be mounted in any orientation and is used for testing applications, such as testing electronic equipment within small footprints and tight pitches between test location points.

Completing the trio of introductions is the DFM compact guided cylinder family, comprising a single pneumatic piston with an integrated twin rod guiding platform to move heavy loads without bending and wear for a high product service life. 

The guiding design enables the DFM to handle higher torques and payloads when compared to competitive products, ensuring reliable and durable performance even in the smaller footprints.

Abbas added: “Our new linear drives are small, yet deliver the high performance that our customers need. With our new offering we are once again setting a size and performance benchmark and opening-up new application possibilities for our customers.”