{"id":33533,"date":"2026-09-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=33533"},"modified":"2026-08-26T13:13:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T12:13:58","slug":"seamless-digital-retrofit-for-pneumatic-control-valves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/seamless-digital-retrofit-for-pneumatic-control-valves\/","title":{"rendered":"Seamless digital retrofit for pneumatic control valves"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"ttp:\/\/www.burkert.co.uk\" type=\"link\" id=\"ttp:\/\/www.burkert.co.uk\">B\u00fcrkert\u2019<\/a><\/strong>s SideCONTROL series of electropneumatic positioners and controllers integrate with virtually any pneumatic control valve actuator to provide the advantages of digital communications. SideCONTROL offers fast and simple integration to upgrade analogue pneumatic control valves without the time, cost or complexity of a full digital system transition. Original pneumatic control valves remain in place while SideCONTROL devices are added with no downtime or intervention required to existing processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SideCONTROL positioners and controllers can provide the advantages of digitisation to any application involving analogue pneumatic control valves. For processes that require the continuous, modulating control of flow, pressure, temperature, level, or wider process variables, upgrading to a digital system can enhance accuracy, precision and repeatability. Automating processes also enables 24\/7 monitoring, reporting, and alarms to minimise downtime and reduce labour demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Digital connectivity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of transitioning to a full digital control system, which adds cost in hardware and complexity in development and commissioning, SideCONTROL provides a seamless retrofit solution for existing pneumatic control valves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The straightforward upgrade approach is integrating a B\u00fcrkert SideCONTROL device and communicating via IO-Link to achieve a point-to-point, bidirectional digital connection to an IO-Link master module. This provides two-way, high-speed communications with standard cabling to achieve plug-and-play connectivity to the IO-Link master with no additional switches required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, B\u00fcrkert SideCONTROL devices with Profibus communications onboard can integrate directly with Profibus masters. SideCONTROL devices are also able to communicate via the AS-i protocol, as well the CAN-based B\u00fcrkert system bus (b\u00fcS), to a compatible master or gateway.<br>High-speed, Ethernet communications integration including EtherNet\/IP, Profinet, Modbus TCP, and EtherCAT protocols are also available on appropriately configured SideCONTROL devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Easy hardware integration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The B\u00fcrkert SideCONTROL range comprises the Type 8791 Digital electropneumatic positioner, designed for mounting on both linear and rotary actuators. It supports communication via IO-Link, AS-i, or b\u00fcS and features integrated diagnostic functions for valve monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Type 8792 Digital electropneumatic positioner adds a graphical display with keypad, allowing the device to be easily configured or commissioned, and extends communications via Ethernet or field bus communication networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, the Type 8793 is a digital process controller with an onboard PID to enable localised, control-loop control, and it features the same digital communication integration as the Type 8792 digital positioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Installation of the SideCONTROL devices is achieved by universal mounting to virtually all designs of pneumatic control valve actuator, including NAMUR-standard part-turn and linear actuators. The SideCONTROL positioners and controllers are also compatible with non-standard actuators including Type 3277 Samson designs thanks to an adaptor kit for valve strokes from 7.5 mm to 30 mm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Simple commissioning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To ensure valve position tuning virtually out of the box, the SideCONTROL device\u2019s X.Tune commissioning tool features self-teaching. By automatically adjusting the control parameters for the specific actuator and process conditions, X.Tune optimises the valve\u2019s response time, stability, and accuracy. It\u2019s also possible to switch from single- to double-acting actuators at any time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, automated process control initialisation for the Type 8793 digital process controller is achieved by the P.TUNE function that self-optimises PID parameters.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>B\u00fcrkert\u2019s SideCONTROL series of electropneumatic positioners and controllers integrate with virtually any pneumatic control valve actuator to provide the advantages of digital communications. SideCONTROL offers fast and simple integration to upgrade analogue pneumatic control valves without the time, cost or complexity of a full digital system transition. Original pneumatic control valves remain in place while &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33534,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1699,15478],"class_list":["post-33533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-process","tag-burkert","tag-sidecontrol-series-of-electropneumatic-positioners-and-controllers"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Seamless digital retrofit for pneumatic control valves - Engineer News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/seamless-digital-retrofit-for-pneumatic-control-valves\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seamless digital retrofit for pneumatic control valves - Engineer News Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"B\u00fcrkert\u2019s SideCONTROL series of electropneumatic positioners and controllers integrate with virtually any pneumatic control valve actuator to provide the advantages of digital communications. SideCONTROL offers fast and simple integration to upgrade analogue pneumatic control valves without the time, cost or complexity of a full digital system transition. 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