U2GT Ultrasonic Sensors: The Solution for Hygiene and Washdown Areas

The new full-metal ultrasonic sensors in a high-grade stainless steel housing are extremely robust with a hygienic design. The hygiene sensors are optimized for measurement and detection tasks and are used both in the hygiene area and in the washdown area.

Ultrasonic sensors operate according to the bat principle: They emit a short sonic pulse and measure the time until an echo signal arrives. The sensors are insensitive to contamination and environmental influences thanks to the contactless ultrasonic measuring principle. In conjunction with the robust stainless steel version, the range of up to 1,300 mm and the standardized communication interfaces, the ultrasonic full metal sensors set new standards. Ultrasonic full-metal sensors have been specially developed to fulfill the requirements of the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries. Thanks to the integrated IO-Link interface and the various output types, the ultrasonic all-metal sensors offer the greatest possible flexibility in parameterization and configuration.

Product Highlights of the Full-Metal Ultrasonic Sensors:

Hermetic Tightness Thanks to Stainless Steel 316L Housing

IP68/IP69K high-pressure washdown protection
High-quality housing and plug made of stainless steel 316L (1.4404)
Hygienic installation thanks to bayonet catch
Resistant to cleaning agents with ECOLAB® approval
FDA compliant for use in the food industry
Temperature range from –30 to +60 °C

Strong Performance and High Flexibility

Working range in reflex mode up to 1,100 mm
Working range in through-beam mode up to 2,000 mm
Variants with switching and analog output available
Gap-free installation option for the highest hygiene requirements
Standard M12 plug for maximum flexibility

Excellent Positioning:
Whether cleaning agents, vapors from acids or direct contact with chemical media – the stainless steel ultrasonic sensors are completely resistant due to their hermetically sealed stainless steel housing.

Diverse Usage Options:

Presence Check
Positioning
Fill Level Monitoring
Through-beam sensor

Applications

Detection of Food on Conveyor Belts with Hygienic Ultrasonic Distance Sensor: When packaging foods such as ham, cheese, fish or bacon, the objects portioned into slices are transported on conveyor belts and first wrapped in paper. To ensure that the paper is placed at the right moment, an ultrasonic sensor must first reliably detect the incoming food despite different colors, shapes and surfaces. The sensor in the hygienic stainless steel housing is mounted above the conveyor line. Thanks to IP69K protection, high-pressure cleaning (up to 100 bar) at a water temperature of 80 °C and with aggressive cleaning agents is possible.

Fill-Level Measurement of Spices in Frozen Pizza Production via Ultrasonic Sensor: Frozen pizzas are produced and the toppings added in highly automated production facilities. Spices such as oregano are sprinkled on top of the pizzas after the toppings have been added. The spice mixture is located in an open container directly above the conveyor belt. An ultrasonic distance sensor in a hygienic stainless steel housing monitors the container to detect the exact fill level at all times so the container can be refilled in good time. The level can be continuously monitored thanks to the analog output.