Festo: Popular VEMD Mass Flow Controller Enhanced
February 25, 2025
Recently, Festo has expanded the capabilities of its popular VEMD mass flow controller to maintain the unit’s cost competitiveness while improving connectivity, control dynamics, and flow range.
The VEMD controller is applied in the medical laboratory, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, and food industries to automate the flow control of Oxygen, Nitrogen, Argon, CO2, and air. It is also used in 3D printing applications where inert gas protects printed material during deposition.
For the most often used gases, the VEMD is configured via software, eliminating the need to purchase and use individual flow meters. Automated configuration reduces set up time and is a major feature of these enhanced controllers.
Due to the integrated control circuit with thermal sensor, the VEMD works precisely and dynamically with minimal hysteresis. It reacts quickly to setpoint changes. Flow rate is transmitted to the higher-level control system as an output value. Units can also be ordered with an on-device display.
The VEMD mass flow controller is fast, noiseless, compact, lightweight, and offers long service life with low energy consumption. Units are available in 20 l/m to 200 l/m flow rates with additional flow rates to be added over time in a range from 1 l/m to up to 200 l/m.
The gas flow at the output of the mass flow controller can be easily adjusted and linearly controlled using a setpoint specification. Various analog (0-10V, 1-5V, 4-20mA) and digital interfaces such as Modbus TCP/IP and Modbus RTU RS232 and RS485 are available for communication with the VEMD on most models.
VEMD units are ideal for use in bioreactors and fermenters. They supply microorganisms and cell cultures with the required gases in precisely controlled flows. The devices are also suitable for applications where containers must be initially filled with inert gas or when a protective atmosphere of nitrogen or carbon dioxide is required as part of the production process.
