A simple combination
Pneumatics are still the tool of choice for simple motion and positioning tasks. However, in an increasingly digitized world, electrical automation and a continuous flow of information from the workpiece to the control system and to the cloud is becoming indispensable. With the Simplified Motion Series, Festo offers an automation solution that bridges the gap between easy-to-install pneumatics and flexible electrical automation.
No software or PC is required for commissioning according to the plug-and-work principle, as all parameters are set manually on the drive. The Simplified Motion Series can be connected directly to the controller using the standard integrated digital I/O (DIO) or IO-Link.
The advantages over pneumatics
With a pneumatic actuator, a simple movement between two mechanically defined end positions is solved with a hard stop or a damping. Thereby the cycle time is not always 100% reproducible. The Simplified Motion Series combines a fixed acceleration and deceleration curve with a constant speed for smooth, damped and reproducible motion.
Pneumatics have the functionality to switch from a dynamic motion to a press mode at no additional cost. With traditional electric drive technology, this can only be achieved with more programming. With the Simplified Motion Series, this is now intelligently solved. Here the speed-controlled distance is simply shortened and at this point the dynamic movement changes to a force-controlled pressing movement, which is done without any programming work.
The advantages over purely electric automation
The Simplified Motion Series from Festo is not only a relatively new series of electric drive systems, but has been completely redesigned with ease of installation in mind.
The core of this unit is an integrated stepper motor with a permanently mounted drive unit. This is pre-assembled and offers a wide range of mechanical drives. This allows linear and rotary movements with a wide range of sizes. The integrated motor is equipped with two standard connections and is based on the principle of "plug-and-work": no software and no parameterization required. Thus, this concept not only reduces the space required for installation, but also the installation time and costs in the production process.
Another advantage: IO-Link integrated as standard.
The concept of combining the simplicity of pneumatics with the advantages of electric drives gains an additional dimension because of the standard integrated IO-Link communication. Intermediate positions can be entered via IO-Link and process data can also be read remotely. 
