Web exclusive: white paper offers advice on Fieldbus valve manifold selection

Edited by Catlin Nalley, editorial intern

Fieldbus valve manifolds are becoming a valuable alternative for conventional hardwired solutions due to their ability to more easily perform crucial functions. A new white paper by Numatics Inc., Five Critical Factors For Selecting Fieldbus Valve Manifolds provides a guide for the selection of valves for any given application.

Enrico De Carolis highlights the five main factors that control engineers, specifiers, and buyers should consider before choosing pneumatic fieldbus valve manifolds- commissioning, distribution, modularity, diagnostics, and recovery.

• Simplicity is key when lowering commissioning costs. In this section, manufacturers are highlighted who have turned to newer designs that impact the ease of configuration and commissioning of fieldbus communication modules.
• Traditionally, fieldbus I/O modules are built to handle either valves or I/O, but newer designs are equipped to handle both. According to Carolis, this distribution allows the user to save time as well as lowers the number of nodes on the network.
• Conventional fieldbus valve manifolds have a low degree of modularity, which requires users to completely dismantle a module in the case of a malfunction. Newer system designs are connected by easily removable clips and screws, which allows for minimal disruption.
• Diagnostic indicators are key when locating a problem and its cause, but current options are often time consuming and costly. This section discusses recent designs, such as the module-integrated graphic display, that require no programming, extra cost, or additional training to use.
• Once a problem has been isolated, recovery depends on the commissioning of the replacement part from scratch. The latest fieldbus valve manifold designs have an auto-recovery module option that protects all the previous inputted data.

This white paper offers several solutions to the problems that go along with selecting a pneumatic fieldbus valve manifold, specifically in the five areas discussed above. Users have an array of options that eliminate the need for over spending and extra training while optimizing productivity.

Read the white paper here.