Pneumatic and electric automation solutions provider Festo has assisted in the manufacturing of an automation system for Germiston-based precious metals refiner Rand Refinery’s small gold-bar manufacturing facility as a service to turnkey automation system solutions provider Autocon Innovations.

The automated gold-bar manufacturing system is now in full production, with commissioning and testing having been completed last month.

The system was designed to increase productivity through its higher load capacity, which has been increased from 1 500 to 4 000 gold bars produced in an eight-hour shift, with each bar weighing 100 g.

The new system also creates a higher level of control over the quality of gold, which is evident in the improved accuracy of the logo, serial number imprints and weight tolerances, which are within a margin of 5 mg.

One of the key benefits of the new automation system is the reduced risk of theft, owing to the improved imprinting accuracy.

Having worked with Festo before, Autocon trusted the company’s quick turnaround time, knowing it would deliver system accuracy and flexibility in the modular design of its units and, says Autocon Innovations MD Francois Vivier.

Festo delivered reliable products for the automated system, including the modular CPX/MPA valve terminal, with process field bus (profibus), which provides proved programmable logic controller technology to the system.

Similarly, the durable ELGG toothed belt drive, also supplied by Festo, has a tested 2 500 km service life per slide.

The automated system provides flexibility as five carriages can now be added on one drive, with the combination of the new electric drive ELGG-TB and the EGC-120 toothed belt axes.

In addition, the EG range of belt axes offers a flexible motor attachment, whereby the motor position can be freely selected on all four sides and changed at any time.

Further, the EMMS-AS servomotor, with encoder, ensures accurate motion control. This is matched to the axis and used with the CMMS-AS servo motor controller equipped with profibus.

The pneumatic side of the system is run on DGSL automated drives, which provide accuracy within a 0.01 mm margin.

This new product has a wide roller track, which provides high rigidity. This is a feature that ensures a higher load capacity and greater precision – both are key requirements for gold bar manufacturing.

“Festo is always proud to work with Autocon Innovations to assist the end- user, Rand Refinery, in keeping its busi- ness moving, while staying abreast of the latest technology,” says Festo sales engineer Ernest Snyders.

Festo says a second identical gold manufacturing line will be built in the near future “to further assist Rand Refinery in becoming a world-class gold bar manufacturer”.