Festo launches industry’s most compact slide unit

Automation specialist Festo has taken compact pneumatic drives to a whole new level with the launch of the DGST, which they claim is the industry’s most compact slide unit. Launched in conjunction with a new range of compact cylinders and guided cylinders, Festo might just have delivered the perfect drive combination for compact assembly systems.

Shortest pneumatic slide units on the market

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 loads are present. A good mini-slide is a combination of compactness, precision, accuracy and reliability.

The innovative DGST mini-slide is the shortest slide on the market. It is available in a twin-piston design with diameters of six to 25 mm and stroke lengths of 10 to 200 mm. The slide houses the integrated guide and the end plate, which is manufactured from a single part – eliminating torsion and misalignment issues and so providing extremely precise movements.

Cost-saving compact slide units

Impact shocks at the end of stroke are reduced by the integrated cushioning elements, seated within the body length. With in-built stroke adjustment, the DGST eliminates the need for additional parts and ensures top performance in a compact footprint.

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

The DGST’s high load carrying capacity and accuracy for its size are the direct result of the integral recirculating ball bearing guide and mounting within the aluminium housing. This miniature pneumatic slide unit sets a new benchmark for compact, yet robust and precise drives, to provide engineers with a complete solution for compact handling systems.

Ultra-compact ADN-S cylinder

The second new pneumatic drive range is the ultra-compact ADN-S cylinder, which is now available in 6 mm and 10 mm diameters. It offers outstanding performance and functionality in a compact and lightweight design. Thanks to its miniature dimensions, customers can benefit from a considerable space-saving.

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

DFM compact guided cylinders

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 DFM range now boasts two smaller diameter sizes of only 6 mm and 10 mm.

These small but robust cylinders provide a great price to performance ratio with typical applications including clamping, stopping, holding and lifting. 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.

Smaller and lighter pneumatic solutions

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.

“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,” Abbas concluded.

For more information visit www.festo.co.uk or watch the video below.