Pressure, level and temperature sensors with IO-Link protocol

PVL, a leading distributor of industrial automation, switches and sensors is pleased to announce the launch of a new range of IO-Link equipped sensors for deploying in Industry 4.0. systems.

The new sensors are manufactured by market leading industrial sensor specialist Euroswitch, which is part of the Profibus Consortium and Profinet Italia, the Italian reference network for industrial communication, which brings together over seventy companies that share Profibus, Profinet and IO-Link technologies.

The new range of sensors with IO-Link protocol were designed in Euroswitch’s R&D laboratories in Sale Marasino, Italy and include:

• 987 differential pressure transmitter piston operated, 2-10 bar pressure range with IO-Link and 2 PNP contacts
• ESL level/temperature sensor with 4-20 mA signal output and specifically designed to monitor the level of a fluid, featuring two settable PNP or NPN thresholds, for either level or temperature
• EST temperature sensor with standard operating temperature of -20 to +100°C (others on request), 4-20 mA signal output, two digital PNP/NPN

The common denominator of the new Euroswitch sensors is the integration of the IO-Link protocol for point-to-point communication between a compatible IO system and a device in the field. IO-Link provides standardised IO technology to communicate with sensors and actuators below the fieldbus communication layer. It can be integrated with Profibus and Profinet.

Being an open standard, IO-Link allows the bidirectional exchange of data between sensors and the devices that support it. Each IO-Link sensor has an IO Device Description (IODD) file that describes the device and its IO-Link functions.

IO-Link communication offers many advantages, such as the possibility of using a standard unshielded 3-wire cable, advanced diagnostics and increased data availability, remote configuration and monitoring, and simplified device replacement. These advantages translate into an improvement in machine management and an increase in process efficiency, with the consequent reduction of overall costs.

Steve Moorey, managing director of PVL, says: “The new IO-Link equipped sensors from Euroswitch provide short range bi-directional, digital, point-to-point, wired or wireless industrial communications to meet the growing demands of industry 4.0 in manufacturing, measuring, monitoring and process control. They can be deployed in systems to economically optimise industrial automated processes and operations.”