APPLICATION REPORTS2023 Automation solutions from ifm

A passion for automation ifm is synonymous for automation and digitalisation with a passion. It makes us happy and proud to see this passion spread from us to our customers and witness how it advances them. In this eighth edition of “Application Reports”, you will once more learn first-hand exactly what this means. Because again, our customers have permitted us a look behind the scenes and shared with us how they have overcome challenges and taken innovative approaches successfully with the help of our automation and digitalisation solutions. So you can look forward to yet more exciting reports,...

Lenne-Werkstatt Quality assurance at manual workstations using ifm mate EnviroFALK Pure and ultra-pure water systems Pentair Condition monitoring for pump systems Feldbinder Digitalisation of silo trucks Trimatec Ventilators for challenging environments Holland Water Flow metering helps control water treatment BOSAQ Self-sufficient drinking and process water treatment Iturri Control technology for mobile applications Urban Corp Solutions End-to-end solutions for vertical indoor farming Kettec Special machines for the energy transition König Safety during pallet transport Leffek Efficient cooling...

AQUACHEM Fully automatic filter presses

Cleanly pressed! Sensor technology on the automatic filter unit ensures fully automatic 24/7 operation For almost 30 years, the company AQUACHEM GmbH Separationstechnik from Senden near Ulm in Southern Germany has specialised in the manufacture of fully automatically operated membrane filter presses. With the help of these filter presses, filter ash containing heavy metals from industrial plants is pressed into recyclable filter cakes. AQUACHEM relies on sensor technology from ifm for reliable operation of the fully automatic plants. James Babbé, Managing Director of AQUACHEM: “The presence of...

On the automatic filter unit, numerous ifm sensors support both the optimum process flow and the energy management. A pressure sensor of the PQ series monitors the compressed air needed to switch the valves. “The filter presses used at Chiresa AG produce and empty compact filter cakes continuously, literally around the clock,” says James Babbé, Managing Director of AQUACHEM. “The presence of an operator is not required as we can guarantee up to 98 percent machine availability. By using chamber and membrane plates the operating parameters can be optimally set to cover the span between economic...

Chiresa AG in Switzerland uses the plants for ecological and economical processing of filter ash containing heavy metals.

An adjustable rocker beneath the filter press makes sure that the container is filled evenly.

AQUACHEM relies on sensor technology from ifm for reliable operation of the fully automatic plants. Capacitive sensors Capacitive sensors, on the other hand, are used for limit value monitoring at the washing and rinsing station. The 700-litre rinsing station is used to clean the filter press. Filling it with acid dissolves suspension residues, regenerates the filter cloths and thus increases their service life. Two sensors for limit level monitoring and one sensor for fill level monitoring are installed on the rinsing station. The sensor at the bottom of the tank prevents the pump from running...

A robust ifm inclination sensor detects the angle of the rocker.

Controlling and monitoring the filling process of the container Below the filter presses there are platforms for two containers in which the filter cakes are collected for removal. Laser distance and inclination sensors support an angle-adjustable rocker that ensures that the container is filled evenly. Five laser sensors are installed on each container. Two are used to ensure that a container is available for filling. The other three sensors monitor the level to optimally align the rocker. In addition, an IO-Link master with Modbus interface was installed via which the parameter setting of the...

EnviroFALK Pure and ultra-pure water systems

Not just clean, but absolutely pure Pure and ultra-pure water treatment systems For more than 30 years, EnviroFALK GmbH has been designing, manufacturing and selling pure and ultra-pure water systems for a wide range of industries worldwide. Fundamentally, water as it comes out of the tap does not present a challenge for process sensors. Ultra-pure water, however, is a whole different story. The sensors used in these treatment processes have to be much more efficient and robust. With IO-Link, I have full transparency right down to each individual sensor via the HMI and the controller. Everyone...

Insulated downstream tanks for heating and storing pure water. Another challenge is that demineralised water will constantly try to compensate for the unnatural desalinated state by dissolving minerals from the surrounding materials, e.g. from conventional stainless steel walls, which will lead to pitting over time. This is why the pipes in this system are made from plastic or stainless steel of a particularly high quality. The same applies to the sensors that come into contact with the media. ifm provides special sensors for ultra-pure water applications. The contacting parts of the sensing...

impressed by the compact design of the sensor. We can connect it with standard M12 connection technology and do not need expensive data cables or an external evaluation unit in the cabinet, which saves time, space and costs.” The high resolution and the loss-free digital transmission of the measured values via IO-Link enable a permanently precise analysis of the water quality, ensuring flawless processes. For example, if the conductivity value rises during ultra-pure water production, this indicates that parts require maintenance. Clean pressure measurement The pressure in the pipes must be monitored...

The main advantages of IO-Link for us are the reduced sensor variety and storage costs. Precise flow rate measurement of ultra-pure water Also relevant to the customer is the quantity of pure water available at the end of the treatment process. During reverse osmosis, the feed stream is separated into a pure water stream, referred to as permeate, and a concentrate stream, which contains the particles. For example, by comparing both quantities, the plant operator can see that filters require maintenance or that the feed stream is heavily contaminated with foreign substances. To obtain an exact...