Festo Pneumatics & Automation
Your Festo pneumatic and automation system is a high-performance investment, but its reliability, efficiency, and longevity depend on our access to expert support and the quality and purity of the compressed air that powers it. As an official Festo partner, Control Gear offers the specialist services you’ll need to get the most from your investment, minimise your downtime, and reduce running costs.
At Control Gear, we offer comprehensive supply, service, and technical support for Festo valves, cylinders, air preparation units, and electric automation components across South Wales and the West of England.
Why Choose Control Gear for Your Festo Systems?
Choosing the right technical support for your air compression system is just as important as choosing the right equipment and at Control Gear, we provide the local expertise and rapid response needed to keep your automated processes running smoothly and efficiently.
- Official Festo Partner
- Guaranteed access to the full Festo catalogue, direct manufacturer support, and genuine spares.
- 50+ Years of Fluid Power Expertise
- Decades of hands-on experience designing, installing, and maintaining complex pneumatic systems.
- Local, Rapid Support
- Based in South Wales, we offer swift call-outs to Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Bristol, and throughout the region. And, with our engineers on call 24/7, you’ll never be left waiting for spares or support.
- Brand-Agnostic System Knowledge
- We service entire systems, not just single components, so our expertise spans all major brands, ensuring we provide the optimal solution for your facility.
Air Quality and Festo Performance
Tiny contaminants in your compressed air system can grind a production process to a halt, and the most frequent problems with high-precision pneumatic systems, like irregular cylinder motion, sticking valves, and premature seal wear, can all be attributed to substandard compressed air quality. Any moisture, oil, or solids in your compressed air will damage your system, and Festo components are designed to work with compressed air that is of the highest ISO 8573-1:2010 purity class.
This is where our holistic expertise delivers its real value; we understand that the demand for world-class Festo automation requires a best-in-class compressed air backbone, and that’s what we supply. We specialise in integrating Festo components with high-efficiency Atlas Copco compressors, dryers, and filtration to deliver a complete, reliable, and compliant system.
Our Festo Pneumatics and Automation Services
We’ll provide the comprehensive support you need to ensure your Festo equipment is providing maximum productivity and efficiency to your facility, throughout its lifecycle.
Troubleshooting, Repairs, and Spares
Our engineers use advanced diagnostics to pinpoint the causes of pressure issues, flow problems, and slow response times in your compressed air system. And, when it comes time to fix it, we have extensive expertise in repairing and sourcing spares for key Festo product lines:
- Actuators & Cylinders: Servicing DSBC/DNC series ISO cylinders, including optimising the self-adjusting PPS cushioning.
- Valves & Valve Terminals: Diagnosing faults on VUVG, MPA, and the digitalised VTEM Motion Terminals.
- Air Preparation: Maintaining and configuring modular MS Series service units (FRLs).
- Exact Replacements and Spares: Sourcing the exact replacement parts for imported machinery, a common requirement for German-made OEM equipment.
System Upgrades and Retrofits
At Control Gear, we frequently modernise older systems to improve their performance, as well as making them easier and more cost effective to maintain. Our typical modernisation projects involve replacing several legacy valves with a single modern Festo valve terminal to reduce leaks in your system, improve diagnostics, and simplify the process of sourcing replacement parts and spares.
Energy Efficiency Audits
Compressed air is a significant operational expense; that’s why our audits identify and quantify sources of waste across your entire system to ensure your investment is working as efficiently as possible. We combine Atlas Copco’s VSD compressor technology with Festo’s smart pneumatics to deliver the lowest possible running costs.
An audit with Control Gear will help you:
- Reduce your energy bills by finding and sealing costly hidden air leaks.
- Improve your system’s performance with stable, reliable air pressure.
- Reduce your carbon footprint and support your ISO 50001 goals.
- Prevent unexpected downtime by addressing potential issues and fixing them before they can cause you problems.
Festo Automation Solutions for Your Industry
We provide tailored Pneumatic equipment and solutions, in collaboration with Festo, for the unique demands of various UK sectors:
- Food & Beverage: Hygienic design & washdown-resistant components for packaging & processing lines.
- Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences: Cleanroom compliant components designed for precision control in sterile environments.
- Automotive & Tier Suppliers: Robust actuators & valves for body-in-white (BIW) welding, assembly and end-of-line (EOL) testing.
- Packaging & FMCG: High-speed valve banks, vacuum generators, and grippers for quick pick and place applications.
- Electronics & Assembly: High-precision handling, grippers, and electric actuators for small-part pick-and-place automation.
- Water & Utilities: Reliable actuation for dosing pumps, aeration gates, and process control valves, and frequently combining Festo controls with Atlas Copco blowers.
- General Manufacturing: Components for CNC machines, conveyors, test rigs, and more across broader Industrial automation systems.
UK Compliance and Best Practices
Operating a safe and compliant compressed air system is a legal requirement in the UK, so we designed our services to help you meet those obligations as smoothly and efficiently as possible. With any failure to comply with PSSR inspections or ISO 8573-1 requirements potentially resulting in unplanned downtime, regulatory fines, and product contamination, there is ample reason to take advantage of our proactive services to ensure your system remains safe, legal, and audit-ready.
- PSSR 2000: We’ll ensure your compressed air vessels are inspected and fully compliant with the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000.
- ISO 8573-1 Class 0: We design systems that deliver certified oil-free air, to prevent product contamination, for sensitive industries such as food and pharmaceuticals.
- ISO 50001 & CCAs: Our energy efficiency audits and system improvements directly support your ISO 50001 Energy Management System, helping you meet targets under the UK Climate Change Agreements.
Understanding the Benefits of automation in UK manufacturing is the first step, and ensuring it runs reliably and efficiently is the next; Control Gear is your partner for both. For expert design, supply, and service of Pneumatic control equipment, or complex Customised Pneumatics Solutions, contact our team.
Your Trusted and Accredited Partner
We take quality, safety, and technical excellence very seriously at Control Gear, and our accreditations are proof that your systems are in safe hands. And, with ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 accreditation, every installation and repair we conduct is of the highest quality and safety standards, so you can have complete peace of mind.
- Official Festo Partner
- Authorised Atlas Copco Service Provider
- ISO 9001: Quality Management
- ISO 14001: Environmental Management
- ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety
Get Expert Festo Support Today
Get same-day access to Festo parts and rapid on-site support; speak to our engineers today.
Why Work With Us?
