Festo, a leading provider of pneumatic and electric technology and solutions for factory and process automation, has recently introduced its new line of pneumatic service units, the MS-Basic series. These service units are designed to offer powerful, lightweight, and inexpensive compressed air preparation for a wide range of applications.
What are pneumatic service units?
Pneumatic service units are devices that prepare compressed air for use in pneumatic systems. They typically consist of a pressure regulator, various filters, a branch module, and pressurization and exhaust valves. The service units ensure the correct compressed air quality and filter out compressor oil, condensate, and dirt particles from the air.
Proper compressed air preparation is essential for increasing the service life of pneumatic components, avoiding downtime and machine failure, and improving process and product reliability. Depending on the application, different requirements for compressed air purity, pressure, and flow rate may apply.
What are the features and benefits of the MS-Basic series?
The MS-Basic series is part of Festo’s Essentials, a collection of products that fit most pneumatic applications. The MS-Basic series is suitable for standard applications that do not have special demands for compressed air purity. The MS-Basic series offers the following features and benefits:
- Powerful performance: The MS-Basic series can handle flow rates up to 14,500 l/min and pressures up to 16 bar. The service units can also cope with high temperatures up to 60°C and low temperatures down to -10°C.
- Lightweight design: The MS-Basic series is made of high-quality plastic materials that reduce the weight of the service units by up to 50% compared to metal versions. The lightweight design also reduces the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the pneumatic system.
- Inexpensive cost: The MS-Basic series is priced competitively and offers a good value for money. The service units are easy to install and maintain, which lowers the total cost of ownership.
- Modular configuration: The MS-Basic series is compatible with the modular MS series, which allows for flexible and customized combinations of service units. The MS series also offers a wide range of service modules, such as sensors, valves, regulators, and lubricators, that can be added to the service units as needed.
How to select and size the MS-Basic service units?
Festo provides an online engineering tool that helps users to select and size the optimal service unit combination for their application. The tool uses typical application parameters, such as flow rate, pressure, and air quality class, to produce a recommendation for the service unit components. Alternatively, users can specify their own compressed air purity class or assemble a filter cascade directly. The tool also suggests the best layout and size of the service units according to the required flow rate.
The table below shows some examples of service unit combinations for different applications, based on the engineering tool:
| Application | Flow rate (l/min) | Pressure (bar) | Air quality class | Service unit combination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packaging machine | 500 | 6 | 3.4.3 | MSB4-1/4-D6-AS-B |
| Painting robot | 1000 | 8 | 1.2.1 | MSB4-1/4-D8-AS-B + MS4-LFX-1/4-D8-A |
| Pneumatic cylinder | 2000 | 10 | 5.4.4 | MSB6-1/2-D10-AS-B |
| Air motor | 5000 | 12 | 6.4.4 | MSB6-3/4-D12-AS-B |
Where to buy the MS-Basic service units?
The MS-Basic service units are available for purchase online from Festo’s website. Users can also find more information about the product specifications, features, and accessories on the website. Alternatively, users can contact Festo’s local representatives in Indonesia for further assistance and support.
