Pepperl+Fuchs Blog

As Industry 4.0 grows, interest in radio-based sensors is also increasing. LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is one technology that is becoming more and more popular in this context and is attracting the attention of industrial companies. In this blog article, find out what advantages LoRaWAN technology offers and if it could benefit your application.

Autonomous mobile robots, AMRs, typically use LiDAR sensors for the detection of objects. These sensors emit light and rely on a reflection to measure the distance to a particular surface. This is a great method for detecting solid objects but can create challenges when surrounded by transparent materials like glass. In these cases, the emitted light can pass through the material and cause collisions or false readings and loss of position. This type of false reading can result in product damage, downtime, or human injury.  

Double sheet sensors are used to monitor layers of materials as they are fed into machines. While the default settings for Pepperl+Fuchs’ double sheet sensors are suitable for over 90% of all usable materials, it is important to consider the following factors before choosing which settings to use: environmental conditions, material characteristics, and alignment accuracy. Each of these can affect measurement accuracy in double sheet detection and must be accounted for.

Storage tanks and silos in many different industries require overfill prevention and continuous level measurement to prevent equipment damage and downtime. This means a broad range of materials, such as chemicals, sludge, and gravel, must be reliably detected to maintain optimal process flows. Ultrasonic sensors from Pepperl+Fuchs are designed to detect and measure the fill level of liquids and solids, no matter their storage location. The 18GMA series, series 70, and F260 ultrasonic sensors are especially geared toward this purpose.

Discovery Robotics has a corporate mission “to increase human productivity, safety, and quality of life by creating robotic solutions that deliver value to [their] customers.” The Pittsburgh, PA-based robotics manufacturer created the FX250, an autonomous commercial floor cleaning robot, to accomplish this mission in the janitorial services industry.

Ultrasonic double sheet sensors help ensure continuous, error-free processes in a range of industrial applications. They are used to prevent more than one layer of material from being fed into a machine. The same technology behind double sheet detection can also be applied to label detection applications.

Hygienic Ultrasonic Sensors for the Food Industry

The food and beverage industry imposes extremely strict regulations on the design of machines and their components. According to EHEDG hygienic design principles, machines and their components must be:

In a typical day, a garbage truck visits over 800 homes and collects up to 14 tons of waste. These trucks usually operate up to 16 hours a day for six days a week and ultrasonic sensors are installed to enhance waste collection processes. Using high-frequency sound pulses, the sensors effectively detect fill level, distance, position, and presence while being unhindered by smoke, dust, light, and color. 

Are unexpected issues often determining your schedule? Have you recently had to push back a project because of recurring problems? Having to respond to unplanned issues may seem like an inevitable cost of doing business, but it is becoming harder and harder to settle for a reactive approach to plant management and remain competitive at the same time.

Large paper, plastic, textile, and sheet-metal rolls typically consist of multiple segments that are connected or spliced together. When the roll is unspooled and transformed into the finished product, these splices must be identified and removed. Depending on the spooled material’s properties, different sensors are required to detect the splice and stop the feed.