Process Sensors

Process sensors

In industrial processes where liquids, air, or gases are used, process sensors serve to measure and detect pressure, temperature, flow and levels. Pressure sensors are used to detect the system pressure of oil in hydraulic systems or to measure the hydrostatic pressure in tanks and vessels in the food and beverage industry. Flow sensors monitor the coolant and lubricant supply of machines, power units, and industrial furnaces or ensure ventilation of installations and buildings. Level sensors monitor filling levels of liquids or bulk materials in containers, tanks, and silos. Temperature sensors are critical to ensure that products are at the correct and precise temperature for product safety. In machine tool and automotive applications, the temperature or temperature difference measured at drives, gears, and motors plays an important role as an indicator of the machine condition. In the steel, metal and glass industries, temperature monitoring of cooling circuits serves to prevent overheating of plants. Valve sensors provide position feedback on linear valves, critical for dosing and control of liquids, air, or gases. Dual inductive sensors provide reliable position feedback for pneumatic valve actuators and valves.

ifm's product range of process sensors offer different measuring principles, materials, and displays to meet the requirements of different industrial manufacturing plant operations across the United States. Electronic pressure, temperature, level, flow, valve, and position sensors can prevent damage or downtime caused by wear and tear of mechanical moving parts, offering a longer lifecycle than traditional sensors that have critical failure points. Their application areas range from simple monitoring tasks as an on/off switch to precise digital measurements. Use the “Select By Application” tool to narrow your search for a process sensor based on media type, and read more about the underlying measuring principles and technology of a sensor group by accessing the orange “Learn More” button on the product group level.

Almost all ifm process sensors have come equipped with IO-Link technology for close to a decade, allowing you to increase the amount of process data available to you and to log that data over time for trend analysis. This technology is truly plug and play for whenever you want to harness its power. Simply plug your sensor into ifm’s IO-Link masters and send your sensor data directly to your SCADA, MES, ERP, or CMMS systems for analysis through the IoT port without interfering with your existing PLC infrastructure. IO-Link is the foundation of the fourth industrial revolution, commonly referred to as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), underlying concepts like predictive maintenance.