Festo's new remote I/O system CPX-AP-I, which improves the performance of mixed valve terminals and I/O systems, is compatible with most communication protocols, including EtherNet/IP, PROFINET and EtherCAT. These rugged, compact and lightweight modules can be mounted directly on machines in IP65/IP67 rated environments. CPX-AP-I recently received a 2019 Reddot award for product design.

CPX-AP-I enables valve terminals to be moved closer to pneumatic cylinders, which reduces pressurization time and increases the machine’s overall performance. Process data in and out of each bus module is as much as two kilobytes. Scan cycles for a mix of both valve terminals and I/O are below one millisecond and are expected to approach microseconds. Latency is virtually nonexistent.

Another important feature is that communication and voltage supply are via two separate connecting cables that are also galvanically isolated, eliminating the potential for stray currents. Two separate wires enable the creation of voltage zones that provide reliable control for a host of machine processes.

CPX-AP-I comes standard with a pre-integrated IO-Link^® Master and IO-Link device tool for fast, effective application of IO-Link enabled devices. CPX-AP-I ensures that each application can be individually optimized. Cross-communication between modules enables applications requiring high speed and rapid control.

The remote I/O has the capacity of up to 80 I/O modules, which can be a mix of digital I/O, analog I/O, I/O-Link, and valve terminals. Furthermore, the distances between modules is up to 49 feet (15 meters). CPX-AP-I has a theoretical upper limit of 500 I/O modules and 164 feet (50 meters) distance between modules.