Photo credit: Festo
Festo introduces the System Configurator, a free online engineering tool that enables OEMs, system integrators, and distributors to design complete automation systems – including pneumatic and electric motion, remote I/O, and IO-Link devices – in one workflow.
The tool brings sizing, configuration, and commissioning together to help teams work faster and reduce design time. It is ideal for packaging, material handling, assembly, and custom machine builders.
The launch comes as machine builders face increasing pressure to develop systems faster with fewer engineering resources and less tolerance for rework. Today’s automation projects often combine pneumatic and electric motion, which not only adds complexity but brings together different disciplines. System Configurator supports these real-world requirements by allowing teams to lay out a complete architecture, specify components, and confirm compatibility before hardware is ordered or commissioning begins.
Inside the workflow
Engineers can expect a process that follows the typical machine design workflow:
- Select the PLC and fieldbus to define the control architecture
- Drag and drop servo drives, remote I/O, valve terminals, and IO-Link devices, including third-party IO-Link components
- Size axes, configure components, and select cables and accessories in the same interface
- Organize components into cabinet and machine modules for efficient control-panel layouts and smaller cabinets
- Validate compatibility and generate a complete, accurate bill of materials (BOM)
- Save and share projects across sales and engineering teams to maintain a single design reference from concept through commissioning
System Configurator ensures that pneumatic, electric, and I/O decisions made early in a project carry through consistently as designs move from specification to engineering and commissioning.
Until now, sizing, configuration, and documentation were in separate tools and had to be stitched together manually. The Festo System Configurator brings these steps into one environment, so engineers stay in a single model and move faster with fewer chances for error.
Festo has now integrated three of its core sizing and selection tools directly into the System Configurator, including Handling Guide Online, Electric Motion Sizing, and Pneumatic Sizing. This creates a seamless transition as engineers move from electric to pneumatic design decisions, keeping everything inside one unified model and delivering faster results with a lower risk of error.
Festo is one of the few automation suppliers that offers a complete one-stop shop for pneumatic, motion, and remote I/O components that are all designed to work together. With sizing and configuration now native to the workflow, teams gain faster, more accurate designs with far less risk of mismatch or rework.
For more information on the Festo System Configurator, view this YouTube video.