In industry, there is a wide range of requirements that are not always so easy to solve. At least not at first glance.
Weighing raw products is an important and necessary step in monitoring production and determining costs. How can microwave sensors help with this?
There are already a lot of solutions available, but other manufacturers tend to focus on a single area. As a production manager or supervisor, you need to have an overview of everything.
Therefore, in addition to individual solutions, we also offer complete solutions so that you are on the safe side in all respects.
Unfortunately, many deviations in quantity and weight determination are often overlooked in many places and important areas of production.
However, many processes and process sequences could easily be further increased and improved if you obtain the right information and install the right components.
Weighing different raw products in large quantities and during ongoing production, or determining their quantities, is a major challenge.
As easy as this may sound at first, production cannot and must not come to a standstill. The wide variety of products and their diverse properties make the task even more complicated.
In reality, you are already faced with many problems that we would like to solve for you.
You are certainly familiar with one or more of these problems:
Would you like to know what quantities of your raw product are in your silos, your tanks and other storage facilities and containers?
Would you like to know the throughput of your filling and transfer mechanisms?
How much bulk material passes through your belts or pipes?
Do you need to know the quantities for filling into trucks or in the course of your production?
Do you need to work with exact quantities so that your (end) product functions successfully?
Ultimately, all questions focus on the same goal: you need quantities and weights of the products you process. And preferably during ongoing use and without disrupting production.
We want to show you that successful measuring is also possible for you without great effort.
A brief overview of the difficulties
Depending on the product and its state of aggregation, there can of course be significant deviations in conventional measurement or weighing.
Powders, liquids or gases require different procedures to be successfully measured and weighed anyway.
And that's not all - every product, every powder or bulk material, for example, has extremely different properties.
Products can settle, have different grain sizes or pulverize, making weight measurement very difficult.
Weighing a moving product presents a wide variety of challenges from the outset.
Different products have different properties, and sometimes the product and its properties themselves prevent smooth measurement.
Light, gaseous or even pulverizing products may be very difficult to measure using normal methods and even less so during the ongoing process.
Well-known measurement methods using weighing are possible in principle. However, in many cases, moisture, intrinsic weight, grain size and many other obstacles can affect accurate weight determination.
It is well known that a weighing unit always needs between a few milliseconds or a little more to successfully determine a weight.
Perhaps even different raw products pass through a certain point in your production or are constantly changing?
This means that new measuring methods and a certain amount of maintenance are constantly required. This is where it gets really tricky. You are already reaching your limits in many processes, aren't you?
We don't want to keep you waiting, we'll explain our expertise to you in simple terms:
What are the alternatives?
Stopping an entire production line for quantity and weight measurement is nonsensical and no longer necessary these days.
Extensive conversion of your systems is also taboo.
With our Hense MIC sensors and their microwaves, you can carry out contactless and therefore maintenance-free measurements without interrupting production.
So you can measure your production throughput on the fly thanks to microwave sensors from Hense.
With our sophisticated software and MIC sensors, you can measure the throughput of a wide variety of products, powders or bulk solids, determine flow or non-flow and continuously adapt to the given situation.
Our MIC sensor is installed flush with the wall in your pipe system at a suitable location and requires no maintenance and is not subject to wear.
All you need to do is drill a hole and weld in an installation socket, into which the sensor is preferably embedded with Teflon tape.
The microwaves are then reflected at 24 GHz at the corresponding measuring point of your respective product and intelligently evaluated by our software in the sensor.
sensor for mass flow rate measurement of limestone flour, installed in steel pipe of pneumatic conveying system
In this way, an almost infinite number of data records for a wide variety of raw products can be saved individually and called up as required.
Calibration, i.e. fine adjustment, is possible at any time via PC. New products generally require a new setting.
The measurement results can be displayed in color on any PC or laptop. The probe on the MIC sensor is a stainless steel measuring nozzle made of V4A (this is particularly hard steel) and can withstand temperatures of up to around 200°C.
An additional ceramic shield protects the sensor in the event of high temperatures on site.
Continuous measurement guarantees high measuring accuracy and can be converted and displayed as a flow rate value in kilograms per hour (kg/h), in speed (m/h) or as absolute quantities in tons or kilograms thanks to algorithms developed by us.
This makes your daily work easier, you have an overview of your absolute quantities and your production throughputs and ultimately also a much better grip on costs.
Because it's no secret that precise quantities increase productivity.
We offer the right solution for every situation.
Microwave sensors: it's worth upgrading!
Don't shy away from the additional costs that arise at first. We know from experience that the costs of modern measuring methods pay for themselves within a short time.
Every measuring system has its limits. Conventional weighing or even estimating of products, as you know it, always has significant deviations.
These deviations add up enormously over time and can eat up a lot of money.
However, if you use optimum measuring systems in the right place, you can only win. If the particle distribution in your product is good, measurement by microwave sensors is very reliable.
In contrast to conventional systems, the installation of Hense MIC sensors does not require any significant intervention in the production plant. This is because the sensors are small and really do fit wherever they are needed.
We could install the new microwave measurement method for you in just a few hours. But in the long term, you create new perspectives and new possibilities.
Our experts will be happy to advise you on any questions you may have.
After all, what you save can ultimately be reinvested elsewhere and much better. In many cases, installation and conversion is not even complicated and comparatively inexpensive.
For which types is the MIC sensor suitable?
We recommend the MIC sensor for pneumatic conveying, for bulk materials of all kinds, in free-fall lines and on transfer chutes.
If the diameter of a line is over 300 millimetres, we recommend an additional sensor. This increases the accuracy even further.
As the sensor is virtually independent of pressure and temperature, it is suitable for an enormous number of applications and is industry-independent.
This in turn guarantees high measuring accuracy in all areas, a high level of monitoring and therefore a focused overview of costs and performance. We would be happy to work out your individual measuring task.
A well-known car paint factory, which was equipped with microwave sensors by Hense, serves as a brief example:
To prevent the paint from sticking to the filters in the system, limestone powder is used and blown through the filters at appropriate intervals.
The limestone powder also binds the paint and can then be extracted. The filters can therefore be used at all times.
The storage and quantity of limestone powder is precisely monitored using microwave sensors. The used quantities of limestone powder can be replenished fully automatically and immediately.
In this way, the paint shop can work fully automatically at all times and maintenance work or clogged filters are virtually eliminated.
Measure where it makes sense
Our team and our many years of experience will help you to determine the exact measurement method and the precise measurement points. The exact arrangement of the microwave sensors gives a more accurate result.
With an accurate result, you can in turn optimize your production, localize or eliminate potential problems and in any case reduce costs.
Measuring in the wrong place is just as much an obstacle as an unsuitable measuring system. This must be ruled out as a matter of urgency.
How exactly does the Hense MIC sensor work?
A few details for the technicians: The MIC sensor is supplied with a voltage between 20 V and 28 V DC, has a current consumption of around 400 mA and is internally fused.
It has a high level of safety protection (IP 66) against the ingress of water, dust or dirt.
The Hense MIC sensor can be controlled either via CAN bus or MODbus and outputs analog pulses. Profibus DP is even available on request.
A powerful processor already processes all data in the housing of the MIC sensor (our so-called MIC-Smart), which is then forwarded to a PC.
This means that graphical evaluation is possible online via a browser and no further processing or software is required. The corresponding software is already supplied for calibration.
The measuring accuracy depends on the installation environment and is approximately between +/- 3% - 5% for pneumatic systems and between 5% - 10% for bulk solids.
The maximum pressure must not exceed 20 bar and a sensor unit weighs only 2150 grams. The dimensions of the housing of only 115 mm x 90 mm x 82 mm allow installation in the best possible position.
The waveguide and the installation nozzle for the probe are specially manufactured from V4A steel so that they are suitable for almost all areas and industries, even food poses no problem.
They do not hinder production in any way and, conversely, the product cannot prevent measurement.
Different versions and lengths of the measuring probes are available for your specific applications. This ensures maximum accuracy.
How is the best possible method determined?
You can leave most of this work to us. With many years of experience, we will determine the most successful method for you.
Every bulk material, powder and product is different. Accordingly, we will adjust the MIC probe individually for you.
The reflection of the microwaves works with a fairly high degree of accuracy even with quite difficult products and complicated applications.
Exceptions are lumps and thick currents. In these cases, the accuracy is reduced. We will inform you individually about your required task.
Why switch to a measuring system with microwave sensors?
We will tell you the most important advantages of why you should implement your measuring tasks for pneumatic lines, bulk solids and similar applications with our MIC probe:
The advantages of microwave sensors at a glance
- High measuring accuracy between +/- 3% - 5% in pneumatic systems
- Universal application possibilities, absolutely independent of industry or product
- High stability
- heat-resistant up to 140°C, with ceramic heat shield up to approx. 200°C
- Pressure-resistant up to 20 bar
- Small sensor dimensions
- Simple and easy installation of the microwave sensors
- no special intervention in production or modification of the system necessary
- Protection against liquids, dust and dirt (IP66) and suitable for EX areas
- Various waveguides for optimum use
- absolutely maintenance-free measurement, no wear
- Continuous measurement
- High measuring range from a few kg/h to several 100 T/h
- no influence on your product
- Graphic display visible online on your PC or laptop
- works with universal CAN bus or MODbus
- direct conversion into desired units of measurement possible, for example production throughput in kg/h
- Optimization and cost reduction of your production
Furthermore:
- Individual, comprehensive and professional advice and support on site
- Remote maintenance or monitoring, if required
- Guaranteed, certified and calibrated measuring methods
Disadvantages of microwave sensors at a glance
- It is not possible to determine the density
- You have to recalibrate in the event of product changes
- Lump formation and thick currents should not occur
Conclusion
The absolutely independent measuring method with microwave sensors solves almost all measuring tasks in free-fall lines, for bulk materials in pneumatic lines and many more.
The method is non-contact and therefore maintenance-free and can be read off graphically on a PC immediately. The high accuracy allows you to directly control the quantity and therefore the costs of your products.
The small dimensions allow installation at any point and no further or cost-intensive intervention in the existing system is necessary.
Count on precise and durable measuring devices and forget about inaccurate work or estimating quantities.
Use our Hense MIC sensors at suitable points to have constant and precise control over your production throughput where other measuring systems fail or at least show significant deviations.
Use the intelligent and advanced technology of microwaves to carry out all weight measurements without contact.
Microwave sensors from Hense make a difference!