Sensors for detecting filling levels of bulk solids, paste or liquids

Paul Boughton

Hoffmann-Krippner is now the America’s distributor for PIL’s new P53 Steel Head ultrasonic sensor, as well as other PIL sensor technologies.

Developed for use in demanding medical, pharmaceutical, food processing and industrial applications, the P53 Steelhead meets the guidelines of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG) and ensures optimum hygiene in applications where frequent cleaning processes are required. Typical applications are the food and beverage industry, the medical and pharmaceutical industry, the chemical and the filling and packaging industry. Steelhead Ultrasonic sensors are also used for detecting filling levels of bulk solids, paste or liquid, as well as for recognition and counting of objects.

Incorporating a robust, fully encapsulated stainless steel housing with gapless transitions, the PIL P53 Steel Head provides IP68 / IP69K protection. Impervious to water vapor, moisture and dust, Steel Head sensors can withstand high pressure and steam jet cleaning. Their resistance to aggressive chemical cleaning agents is certified to Ecolab standards. The P53 provides a choice of output options – a standard analog 0-10V / 4-20mA output or two switching outputs. In addition to these fixed settings, the P53 series can be programmed for various other custom settings.

Ultrasonic distance sensors are often used in harsh, industrial environments because they are independent of the material and the color of the object to be measured and are not affected by light, dust and fog. They function very precisely and linearly with background suppression. Ultrasonic sensors use an ultrasonic transducer to send and receive sound waves. Specially coded ultrasonic signals are transmitted in a set pattern, and, after being reflected from the object to be measured, the signals are received by the sensor and decoded. The recorded time of flight is temperature compensated and converted to distance data.

 Picture Caption: PIL P53 ultrasound sensors in stainless steel housing achieve EHEDG, Ecolab IP68 / IP69K protection specifications