FDBusiness.com

A highly innovative range of high-performance cylinders, designed to significantly reduce energy usage and operating costs in numerous processing applications, will make its UK show debut on stand J62 at the Energy Solutions event at London Olympia on 10-11 October 2012.

Norgren, an international market leader in pneumatic motion and fluid control technologies, will showcase IVAC (integrated valve and actuator control), an integrated unit which delivers Engineering Advantage by combining pilot and control valves,

flow controls, cushioning and sensors in a single actuator package.

This integrated platform lowers costs for users in numerous ways. Eliminating air piping between valves and actuators minimises ‘dead’ volume, reducing air consumption by up to 50 per cent, and significantly cutting cost per mm of stroke when compared with conventional pneumatic systems.

Able to be retrofitted or integrated within new systems, each unit requires only one pneumatic and one electrical connection, reducing the need for multiple valve islands, components, tubing and accessories. No mechanical design changes are required, as IVAC products conform to the latest ISO VDMA dimensions. Its single M12 connection for input and output can be hardwired or plugged directly into a fieldbus system no matter which protocol is being used.

Des Cunningham, Key Account Manager at Norgren, explains: “Conventional pneumatic control involves an arrangement of valves or valve islands, actuators, flow controls and sensors, along with connectors and accessories. In typical applications, up to 13 different components can be required for each actuator function. This complexity presents some intrinsic disadvantages and performance constraints.

“When designing the IVAC range of cylinders, our key aim was to offer a unique and innovative sustainable energy improvement, via a single-unit solution. The IVAC unit has been devised to provide both OEMs and end users with a high-performance, innovative and high-specification engineered product. It will help cut energy costs, installation time, and air consumption, while reducing downtime for cleaning and maintenance. It’s a further example of how helping companies reduce energy usage and environmental footprint is at the heart of the new product development and design process across Norgren globally.”