Pneumatics, where to order SMC solenoids?

[Dripto]

Hello there, our team has had a bad history with Festo solenoids, and would like to use SMCs. We have a couple lying around/on robots, but want to order new ones, however smcusa.com doesn't take orders directly.

Where do you guys get SMCs?

Thanks!

[ayeckley]

We try to get used ones from eBay, but in a pinch we'll buy them new from www.alliedelec.com.

[Dripto]

We try to get used ones from eBay, but in a pinch we'll buy them new from www.alliedelec.com.

Ah sorry, I should have mentioned that we have contacted Allied, they are out of stock and would have to order from Japan. :(

[ayeckley]

We've also had good results from www.coastpneumatics.com. I'm out of ideas after that...

[Dripto]

We'll check them out! thanks for the tip!

[Captaindan]

Coast Pneumatics is also a good place to get them you have to order the coils bases and centers all separate but ours just came in with coils attached :)

[its da PAT!!!]

What kind of problems do you have with festo solenoids? It's all we use and have never had a problem.

[slijin]

What kind of problems do you have with festo solenoids? It's all we use and have never had a problem.

We used them back in 2008, and whenever we have to go repair that bot, it's always the Festo that's at the root of the problem, no matter how often we replace it. Although we generally don't use pneumatics (this is the first time since '08 we've used them, actually), our experience with Festos (however limited) has made us deeply distrustful of them.

[its da PAT!!!]

That doesn't really help to tell me the problem... lol. But our team is sponsored by a pneumatics company so we always use pneumatics.

[PAR_WIG1350]

We used them back in 2008, and whenever we have to go repair that bot, it's always the Festo that's at the root of the problem, no matter how often we replace it. Although we generally don't use pneumatics (this is the first time since '08 we've used them, actually), our experience with Festos (however limited) has made us deeply distrustful of them.

Which Festo solenoids were you using?

[its da PAT!!!]

Which Festo solenoids were you using?

Yea and thats another thing the older festo (the one with rounded sides) weren't that good but the new ones are way way better.

[R.C.]

I made a post a very long time ago about SMC Solenoids as they are somewhat hard to find:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?p=908763#post908763

Adam Heard put up a whitepaper here (pretty darn helpful):

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/2414

I would buy from Motion Industries or Pneuaire, Motion has been the fastest for us.

-RC

[ayeckley]

our experience with Festos (however limited) has made us deeply distrustful of them.

There were serious issues across the board in 2008 and 2009 with the KOP Festo valves. Those issues are still unresolved here in 2012, but that's a moot point: the new Rookie KOP valves provided by Festo are of a totally different design (and much more similar to the SMC SY series valves). It's fair to say that our team's aversion to Festo valves is non-technical in nature at this point.

[FrankJ]

Go to the web site. Click on locate a distributor. Find the one that services your area. When you talk to them explain what you are doing. Most the people in technical sales think robots are cool. They might even give a sample or bend the rules about small sales.