Valve island Type 8652 AirLINE from Bürkert Fluid Control Systems now offers even greater process reliability thanks to additional diagnostic functions as well as a pressure sensor in the supply line. In the Ethernet variant, the integrated webserver facilitates commissioning and maintenance even in demanding applications.
Pneumatic valves are widely used in process automation and are usually controlled by space-saving valve islands located in a control cabinet. This ensures the formation of compact systems even with a large number of variants. To further enhance process reliability, Bürkert Fluid Control Systems (see company text box) has extended its proven valve islands Type 8652 AirLINE.
New diagnostic functions allow constant valve monitoring. The number of switching cycles and measurement of the switching times are analysed and enable wear-optimised predictive maintenance as well as lifetime forecasts. Additional pressure monitoring of the supply line quickly detects fluctuations in the pressure supply, thereby contributing to overall safety. Both channel-based and module-based safety shutdowns are now possible irrespective of the Fieldbus communication. This boosts personal safety, e.g., when working on pipelines, valves, connectors, etc., and not just in critical applications such as the food industry or pharmaceutical and cosmetics production.
Communication with the PLC is managed by the ME43 Fieldbus gateway. It enables the use of all common Fieldbus protocols as well as the networking of various Bürkert devices via the company’s EDIP platform. The integrated web server for the Ethernet variant allows convenient access to all diagnostic data, thus facilitating commissioning and maintenance. The range of valve functions has also been extended and modularity further refined. The valve island is now also available with ATEX Zone 2 IIC, IEC Ex Zone 2 IIC approval.