Industrial Automation Magazine India

The evolution of pressure sensors that enable smart factories

Published on : Tuesday 17-08-2021

In a smart factory, a variety of sensors enable the real-time monitoring and operational management of manufacturing equipment.

August 16, 2021 – With awareness of environmental issues growing, choosing products and services with the least possible environmental impact has become the norm. Efforts to reduce the burden placed on the environment by the manufacturing of products are also drawing attention. At “smart” factories, which aim to increase production efficiencies by leveraging the latest digital technologies, many sensors are being utilised to collect a variety of data from manufacturing facilities and equipment.

In a smart factory, a variety of sensors enable the real-time monitoring and operational management of manufacturing equipment, systems, pumps, motors and other devices, as well as the oversight of facilities and movements of workers. This has a preventative effect on machine malfunctions, improving product quality and productivity. Additionally, the data collected can be aggregated and analysed to optimise operations even further. To implement this type of DX (Digital Transformation) in manufacturing, it is essential to have a variety of sensors, such as small, high-precision pressure sensors and transmitters with networking capabilities that can be installed across various factory equipment and devices.

Factories use a wide variety of liquids and gases to drive equipment and produce products, such as air compressors, machine tools powered by hydraulic cylinders, and cleaning equipment utilising high-pressure water. By using sensors to accurately monitor and control the pressure of these liquids and gases, unnecessary energy consumption can be reduced, leading to improved production efficiencies and product quality.

TDK has created a compact MEMS pressure transmitter, which integrates a high-precision piezoresistive sensor in a package that is only 6 mm thin. With a footprint as small as 24 by 26 mm, it offers an exceptionally high accuracy of just ±1% FS (Full Scale) across a temperature range of -25° to +85°C. The device is also equipped with a connector that allows multiple sensors to be daisy-chained, enabling the sensing of multiple devices on a single network.