Festo Pneumatics and Automation, New Zealand

RFQ / Festo

Every Festo item has two identities: a type code that describes it, like DSBC-32-100-PPVA-N3, and a numeric part number that orders it. The type code tells you what it is. The part number is what we buy against. Send both if the label has both.

Festo is on almost every packaging, food and materials handling machine in New Zealand. Most of what we are asked for is not obsolete, it is simply not held locally in the exact variant the machine needs.

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Reference pages

Page	Covers
Pneumatic cylinders	Reading bore and stroke out of the type code, the magnetic piston that decides whether sensors work, cushioning, mountings as separate parts, seal kits, and what DNC became
Valves, valve terminals and CPX	The manual override as a free diagnostic, single against double solenoid and the three centre positions, replacing slices rather than terminals, the separate valve supply that fails silently, pilot air and blocked silencers

Reading a Festo label

What you see	What it is
DSBC-32-100-PPVA-N3	The type code. Describes the product and its options
A six digit number	The part number. What it is ordered as

The type code is readable and the part number is not. That is useful, because it means a photo of the label tells us the bore, the stroke, the cushioning and the options without anyone having to look anything up.

Where a label is damaged, the type code is usually recoverable from the product itself. Send a photo of the whole item and we will work it out.

The families

Actuators

Prefix	What it is
DSBC	Standard cylinder to ISO 15552. The volume line
DNC	The predecessor to DSBC. Still everywhere
DSNU	Round cylinder to ISO 6432
ADVU, ADN	Compact cylinders
DFM	Guided cylinder
DGC	Rodless linear drive
DSM, DRVS	Semi rotary drives
HGP, HGD, DHPS	Grippers

Valves and valve terminals

Prefix	What it is
CPE	Compact solenoid valves
VUVG, VUVS	General purpose solenoid valves
MFH, JMFH, MEH	The older Tiger generation. Long serving and still supplied
CPV	Compact valve terminal
VTSA, VTUG, MPA	Valve terminals
CPX	The electrical side of a valve terminal. Bus node and I/O
VPPM, MPPE	Proportional pressure regulators

Air preparation and fittings

Prefix	What it is
MS series	Service units. MS2, MS4, MS6, MS9, MS12 by size
LFR, LF, LR, LOE	Filter regulators, filters, regulators, lubricators
MS6-SV, HEE, HEL	Soft start and dump valves
QS, NPQH	Push-in fittings
PUN, PAN	Tubing

Sensors and vacuum

Prefix	What it is
SME, SMT	Cylinder position sensors. Reed and electronic
SDE	Pressure sensors
SFAB	Flow sensors
VN, OVEM	Vacuum generators
ESS, VAS	Suction cups

Electric automation

Prefix	What it is
EGC, ELGA, DGE	Electric linear axes
DNCE, EPCO, ELGC	Electric cylinders
EMMS-AS, EMMS-ST, EMMT	Servo and stepper motors
CMMP-AS, CMMO-ST, CMMT-AS	Motor controllers

The electric side is a matched world like any servo brand. Controller, motor and cables go together, so send all of the part numbers rather than one.

The solenoid coil is a separate part

The most immediately useful thing on this page, because it turns a valve order into a coil order.

A solenoid valve is a valve body plus a coil, and the coil is orderable on its own.

Symptom	Often
Valve will not shift, no click	Coil, or the signal to it
Coil hot, or burnt smell	Coil
Valve clicks but the cylinder does not move	Air supply, the valve spool, or the cylinder
Works cold, fails warm	Coil breaking down when hot

So on a valve that will not operate, check whether the coil is getting its signal and whether it clicks. A coil is a fraction of the price of a valve and it is the part that actually wears out.

Better still, press the manual override on the valve first. If the cylinder moves, the pneumatics are fine and the fault is electrical. That test is free and it is covered on the valves and valve terminals page.

Coils are not generic

Must match	Why
Voltage	24 V DC and 230 V AC are both common on the same site
Connector type	Plug form and size vary
Coil family	Matched to the valve series

Tell us the valve type code as well as the coil, because the coil has to suit that valve. And check the voltage on the coil itself rather than assuming the machine is all 24 V.

Seal kits before whole cylinders

The same principle on the actuator side.

A cylinder that has started leaking or has become sluggish is often a seal problem rather than a scrap cylinder. Festo publishes repair kits for many actuators.

Symptom	Consider
Air escaping from the rod end	Rod seal. A kit
Cylinder slow or weak	Piston seal bypassing, or air supply
Scored rod, bent rod	A new cylinder. A kit will not fix that
Cylinder slams at the end of stroke	Cushioning adjustment, not a fault

Ask us for the kit first where a kit exists. If the rod is damaged or the bore is scored we will say so and quote the cylinder.

Air quality causes most pneumatic failures

Worth stating plainly, because it is the reason components fail repeatedly in the same place.

Contaminant	What it does
Water	Washes out lubrication, corrodes, freezes on exhaust
Compressor oil	Attacks seals not designed for it
Particulate	Scores bores and jams spools
Pipe scale and rust	From the ring main, not the compressor

If valves or cylinders fail repeatedly at one machine and identical ones elsewhere last for years, the answer is upstream. Filter element, drain, or the ring main feeding that leg.

Filter elements are consumables and they are cheap. A blocked element also causes low pressure at the machine, which presents as slow or weak actuators and gets diagnosed as worn cylinders.

So before replacing pneumatics in quantity: check the pressure at the machine under load, and check when the filter element was last changed.

Valve terminals are two products bolted together

The trap on the CPX and valve terminal side, and it catches people badly. Covered fully on the valve terminals page.

Half	What it does
The pneumatic half	Valve slices, manifold, sub-bases. MPA, VTSA, CPV, VTUG
The electrical half	CPX bus node and I/O modules

The bus node determines the network, and it is a distinct part number from the valves it drives.

Three things follow:

An individual valve slice can usually be replaced on its own. That is much cheaper than a terminal and it is often what is actually needed.

The bus node carries the configuration and the address. A replacement arrives at defaults, so record the address and the settings before removing it.

And a valve terminal is built to order. The number on the terminal may describe a configured assembly rather than a stock item, so it needs breaking down into its parts to quote.

Send a photo of the whole terminal, front and end plates. That shows the slices, the node and the arrangement in one image, and it is much faster than a parts list.

Cylinder sensors need a magnetic piston

Covered fully on the cylinders page, and worth flagging here because it is the most common wrong order on this brand.

Position sensors work by detecting a magnet in the piston, and not every cylinder has one. A cylinder with a magnetic piston and one without look identical from outside and differ in the type code.

So a correct-looking replacement cylinder can leave a machine with no end-of-stroke signals, which stops the sequence even though the cylinder moves perfectly.

Sensors: reed against electronic

	Reed, SME	Electronic, SMT
Mechanism	Mechanical contact. Wears out	Solid state
Life	Finite switching cycles	Longer on high cycle machines
Typical failure	Intermittent, then stuck	Less common

An intermittent end-of-stroke signal on a fast machine is very often a worn reed switch. On a high cycle application an electronic sensor is the better answer, and it fits the same slot.

Tell us the cycle rate and we will say which is worth fitting.

Mountings and accessories are separate parts

Foot mounts, flange mounts, clevises, swivel eyes, rod eyes, trunnions and sensor brackets are all separate order codes. A cylinder arrives as a cylinder.

So if you are replacing like for like, the existing mountings normally transfer and you only need the cylinder. If the machine is new or the mounting is damaged, tell us and we will quote the set.

This is the most common omission on a first-time Festo order, and it is the sort of thing that turns a scheduled job into a second visit.

Before ordering

Symptom	Check first
Valve will not shift	The manual override, then the coil and its signal
Cylinder slow or weak	Pressure at the machine under load, and the filter element
Air leaking at the rod	Seal kit, unless the rod is scored
Intermittent end of stroke signal	A worn reed sensor
New cylinder fitted, no sensor signal	No magnetic piston
One machine keeps eating pneumatics	Air quality upstream, not the components
Cylinder slamming	Cushioning screws, which are adjustable
Whole terminal got slower	Blocked silencer on the exhaust
Valve terminal replaced, no communication	Bus node address and configuration

What to send us

The type code and the part number. Both are on the label.

A photo of the item, which frequently recovers a type code from a damaged label.

For a valve, the coil voltage and connector type.

For a cylinder, whether it needs position sensors.

For a valve terminal, a photo of the whole assembly including the end plates.

Whether you need mountings and fittings, or the existing ones transfer.

What the symptom is. On this brand the cheaper part is very often the answer.

What we can supply

Actuators. DSBC, DNC, DSNU, ADVU, ADN, DFM, DGC, rotary drives and grippers, with mountings and accessories.

Valves. CPE, VUVG, VUVS, the MFH generation, valve terminals and individual valve slices.

Coils and repair parts. Solenoid coils, seal kits and service kits.

Air preparation. MS series service units, filter regulators, soft start valves and filter elements.

Fittings and tubing. QS push-in fittings, PUN and PAN tubing, silencers and manifolds.

Sensors. SME and SMT cylinder sensors, SDE pressure sensors and mounting brackets.

Vacuum. Generators, suction cups and vacuum switches.

Electric automation. Axes, motors, controllers and cables, quoted as matched sets.

A sensible pneumatic spares holding

Item	Why
Solenoid coils in the voltages you run	The part that wears out, and cheap
Filter elements	Consumable, and a blocked one costs you pressure
Silencers	A blocked one slows a whole machine
Cylinder sensors	Reed switches fail on high cycle machines
Seal kits for the common cylinder sizes	Cheaper than cylinders and fixes most leaks
Fittings, tubing and a blanking plate	Trivial cost, and a machine waits without them
One valve slice per terminal type	Far cheaper than holding a terminal

Pneumatic spares are unusually cheap relative to the downtime they prevent. A box of coils, sensors, elements, silencers and fittings covers most of what actually stops a machine, and it costs less than one obsolete PLC module.

Common questions

Can you get a part that is not listed on your site?
Usually. The site shows what we hold, not what we can source.

What is the difference between the type code and the part number?
The type code describes the product. The part number orders it. Send both if you have them.

My valve will not operate.
Press the manual override first. If the cylinder moves, the fault is electrical and probably the coil.

Can I repair a leaking cylinder?
Often, with a seal kit. Not if the rod is scored or bent.

My new cylinder has no sensor signal.
It probably has no magnetic piston. That is a type code difference and the cylinders look identical.

Do I have to replace the whole valve terminal?
Usually not. Individual valve slices are replaceable.

Do you supply used equipment?
On pneumatics we generally supply new, because seals and coils are wear items and used offers little saving. Where a discontinued item only exists as surplus we will say so.

What is the lead time?
Ex stock items ship the next working day within New Zealand. We give you a firm lead time with the quote.

Do you quote in NZD?
Yes, in NZD including GST for New Zealand customers.

Send us your type codes

A photo of the label does the whole job, because the type code carries the specification. And tell us the symptom, because on pneumatics the cheap part is usually the answer. Quotes in NZD including GST.

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Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with Festo. Festo, CPX, VTSA, MPA, CPV and the product type codes named here are trademarks of Festo SE & Co KG. All trademarks, brand names and type codes are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only.