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Pneumatics division branches off from automation specialist

24th April 2015

By: Dylan Stewart

Creamer Media Reporter

  

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In March last year, automation solutions provider Tectra Automation’s pneumatics division began sourcing its products from a new standalone pneumatics manufacturing company called Aventics, which has increased Tectra Automation’s focus and specialisation in the field of pneumatics, says Tectra Automation GM Kevin Lombard.

Before the shift to Aventics, Tectra Automation sourced its pneumatics products from Bosch Rexroth.

He explains to Engineering News that the name Aventics was established when the pneumatics division of Bosch Rexroth was sold to Nordic investment firm Triton Funds in March 2014.

Lombard says the separation was motivated by the improved specialisation strategy of the two companies.

“Since splitting from Bosch Rexroth, Aventics has been able to substantially increase its investment in pneumatic research and development,” he says, adding that Tectra Automation continues to use Bosch Rexroth – which is prominent in the industrial and automation industries – as a supplier for its linear motion, assembly technology, and electric drives and control divisions.

However, Tectra Automation sources its specialised products for the pneumatics division from Aventics, and the vacuum products from Schmalz, a leading supplier of vacuum components, grippers and related systems.

New Products
Since Aventics was established, Tectra Automation began supplying an improved range of valve banks and rodless cylinders to its clients, says pneumatics divisional manager Malan Bosman.

He adds that, since the establishment of Aventics, Tectra Automation has been supplying the AVO3 and AVO5 pneumatic valve systems. The AVO5 was launched in April 2014 at the Hanover Messe exhibition and is currently the most advanced valve bank that Tectra Automation supplies.

Bosman adds that the new valve banks are rugged and more compact, with a high flow rate, despite their smaller size.

The compact and lightweight design of the AV range allows for closer mounting to actuators, which results in less requisite compressed air. The design boosts air channelling so that the valve system can increase the flow rate up to 700 ℓ/m.

Meanwhile, the AVO7, due for release later this year, is an addition to the range, with a flow rate of 900 ℓ/m.

Bosman explains that Tectra Automation has been supplying Aventics’ new range of rodless cylinders along with the previous upgraded range, which is now suitable for the food packaging industry.

While rodless cylinders, which use a carriage instead of a shaft, have been on the market for a while, the new cylinders are more compact and create less friction, owing to a redesigned seal system.

“Tectra Automation is set to begin assembling these cylinders in South Africa within the next six months,” says Lombard, adding that the cylinders will be imported in kit form to be cut, manufactured and assembled at Tectra Automation’s warehouse, in Johannesburg.

“This will enable the company to engineer and meet clients’ specific stroke demands in a third of the time,” he emphasises.

Air-Saving Technology
Another major stride that Aventics has made is to reduce the air requirements for pneumatic operations.

Digital flow sensors and flowmeters monitor and detect the amount of required air and the quantity used, reducing excess air.

Lombard and Bosman emphasise the importance of air savings in the pneumatics industry, as compressed air is particularly expensive to generate.

Bosman explains that all the newer pneumatic products currently being developed are engineered with air-saving capacity. “The new valve banks, for example, have an improved design to ensure that there is no dead space in the valve.”

Using Aventics’ control systems that monitor operations can amount to air savings of up to 70%, resulting in significant yearly cost savings for large operations.

Lombard cites the aluminium smelting industry as an example where this system is most useful. During aluminium smelting, a crust develops on top of molten aluminium and, to feed bauxite into the molten aluminium, the crust needs to be broken, which is best achieved using a pneumatic cylinder.

He adds that this process of breaking the aluminium crust typically uses significant amounts of air and that Aventics has developed a control system that measures exactly when the tool made contact with the crust.

Edited by Samantha Herbst
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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