text.skipToContent text.skipToNavigation

Application Possibilities of Sensors in the Washdown Area

In the washdown area, sensors must withstand hygienically demanding conditions. wenglor’s robust and cleaning-resistant sensors offer a wide range of applications in the spraying area in the food, beverage and packaging industries.

Sensors in the washdown area must meet the high hygienic requirements and also ensure precise presence and position checking, level monitoring as well as precise object measurement and illumination of the conveyor belts. Thanks to the stainless steel 316L housing and the high IP69K degree of protection, wenglor sensors can be seamlessly integrated into systems that are exposed to high-pressure cleaning and water jets of up to 100 bar and water temperatures of up to 80 °C. The ECOLAB-certified sensors can therefore withstand aggressive cleaning agents without any problems.

Presence Check

The presence check and leading edge detection must reliably detect objects regardless of shape, color or material across the width of conveyor belts or in other environments. This ensures that the next process step is initiated safely. wenglor offers an extensive portfolio of sensors that ensure precise detection of objects.

Photoelectronic sensors in the 2K miniature design or laser distance sensors Time-of-Flight in the stainless steel 316L housing have high thermal resistance and are insensitive to shocks and impacts. This ensures that the presence of objects in the immediate vicinity or at a long distance is checked safely and reliably.

Inductive sensors detect metal objects contactlessly through electromagnetic induction. The stainless steel 316L housing and IP68 degree of protection make them ideal for use in areas with high mechanical requirements as well as in cleaning-intensive presence check applications.

Presence Check Applications

Leading Edge Detection on Multi-Lane Conveyors

Challenge: Reliable detection and counting of biscuits before picking and packaging

Solution: Reflex sensors with background suppression

Benefit: Stainless steel 316L housing makes it ideal for hygienically demanding cleaning at high temperatures

Leading Edge Detection on Single Lane Conveyors

Challenge: Reliable leading edge detection of cheese pieces

Solution: Through-beam sensors

Benefit: The light band detects cheese pieces over the entire width of the web

Object Detection with Frequent and Intensive Cleaning

Challenge: Sensors must withstand frequent and intensive cleaning, while also reliably detecting food

Solution: Laser distance sensors time of flight with wintec

Benefit: Insensitive to high-pressure cleaning and high temperatures, object detection is guaranteed

Container Rotation Control in Cooling Water Basins

Challenge: Rotation of the lattice drums in the cooling water basin must be guaranteed, as the pharmaceutical products must be continuously moved and cooled in pure water solutions.

Solution: Inductive sensors with full-metal housing

Benefit: Inductive sensors with full-metal housing detect metal switch flags mounted on the drums and can be permanently used under water thanks to the IP68 degree of protection.

Cap Detection on Plastic Bottles

Challenge: Presence check on aluminum seals on the bottle neck before screwing on the cap

Solution: Inductive sensors with full-metal housing

Benefit: Robust stainless steel 316L housing for high corrosion resistance and resistance to cleaning agents

Fill Level Monitoring

For fill level monitoring, the fill level of various foods must be continuously monitored regardless of the aggregate state, color or transparency so that there are no interruptions in the process.

U2GT ultrasonic distance sensors are robust and corrosion-resistant sensors in a high-quality stainless steel 316L housing that can withstand intensive and frequent cleaning and can be used in temperature ranges from –30 °C. They are especially well suited for monitoring fill levels of liquids and bulk goods and for detecting transparent objects in challenging environments.

Fill Level Monitoring Applications

Level Measurement of Spices

Challenge: Continuously monitor the level of spice mass in the container

Solution: U2GT ultrasonic distance sensors

Benefit: Permanent fill level monitoring in containers, detection of food regardless of color and medium

Position Detection

In the food, beverage and packaging industries, the position of a wide range of objects must be reliably checked. This includes objects of different colors and sizes, as well as in the immediate vicinity or at a great distance. With a wide range of photoelectronic sensors, wenglor offers the right solution for every application.

Laser distance sensors Time-of-Flight work with red lasers and detect objects regardless of their color or surface finish – even at extreme inclinations and at a distance of up to 10 meters.

Fork sensors enable reliable detection of transparent or extremely small parts (40 µm) and operate with a fine laser beam (Ø 0.35 mm over the entire fork width) according to the transmitter-receiver principle.

Position Check Applications

Position Monitoring of Crown Corks

Challenge: Correct position control of crown caps or screw caps on bottles at high speeds

Solution: Fork sensors

Benefit: Accurate detection of objects as small as a few microns

Food Ejection Control

Challenge: Exact position control of blocks of cheese on the conveyor

Solution: Laser distance sensors time of flight

Benefit: Reliable detection of blocks of cheese regardless of inclination and gloss

Parts Measurement

Continuous and accurate measurement of objects on conveyor belts is necessary to calculate and control the exact volume or height and angle of food. 2D/3D profile sensors from the weCat3D series use the laser triangulation principle to create 2D height profiles and 3D point clouds. The profile sensors deliver precise and high-quality results with different types of laser light (blue and red) in different laser classes (1M, 2M, 3B and 3R).

2D/3D profile sensors in stainless steel housing (1.4404/316L) enable reliable use of high-precision laser technology in applications with high hygiene requirements.

Part Measurement Applications

Inline Height Check on Biscuits

Challenge: To optimize the filling of the packaging, the height of the biscuits must be reliably detected before the packaging process.

Solution: Stainless steel 2D/3D profile sensors

Advantage: The 2D/3D profile sensor uses a laser (one red and one blue) to detect all objects over the entire web width.

Volume Calculation of Potato Rösti

Challenge: In the production of potato rösti, the exact ratio of salt to raw potato mass must be determined.

Solution: Stainless steel 2D/3D profile sensors

Benefit: Reliable volume calculation of food regardless of color, size and even at high conveyor speeds.

Height and Angle Measurement of Ice Cream Cups

Challenge: The presence and correct position of the applied cardboard lids must be reliably detected.

Solution: Stainless steel 2D/3D profile sensors

Advantage: The presence, cup height and angle of the placed lids are precisely measured over the entire web width.

Illumination

Illumination of food on conveyor belts to ensure food is reliably detected. The illumination used must also be resistant to chemical cleaning agents and disinfectants and be able to withstand high-pressure cleaning.

Thanks to the food-safe housing,bar lights with IP69K protection class are suitable for industrial image processing applications in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Illumination Applications

Illuminating Biscuits for Pick and Place Applications

Challenge: Illuminating biscuits to enable a high-contrast image from the camera

Solution: Bar light with IP69K protection class

Benefit: Resistant to high-pressure cleaning and harsh cleaning agents

Product Comparison

3/4

4/4

5/4

6/4