Smart sensors for clean and predictive maintenance

Leuze offers the 33C and 35C sensor series with stainless-steel housings, perfect for hygiene-sensitive production and demanding industrial cleaning processes. With advanced Power PinPoint LED technology, these sensors allow quick and precise alignment. The Sensor People from Leuze are launching two new series with sensors in stainless-steel housings: Series 33C in a hygienic design and Series 35C in a robust wash-down design. They are appropriate for hygiene-sensitive production and packaging processes.

Hygiene-sensitive production and packaging processes place high conditions on sensor technology. Devices must be robust, reliable and approved for direct food contact. With two new sensor series from the company in stainless-steel housings, manufacturers can play it safe: Thanks to its smooth housing with no mounting holes, Series 33C is particularly suited for applications in the food, beverage or pharmaceutical industry – even in production areas with unpackaged products. The 35C series is designed for robustness. It is excellent for high mechanical loads and intensive cleaning processes. The versatile series sensors can be employed in the food industry, the automotive industry, or machine tools.

Each series includes diffuse, through-beam, and retro-reflective photoelectric sensors. The 33C and 35C series range also includes special solutions for packaging processes. These include retro-reflective photoelectric sensors for glass and PET detection, sensors with background suppression for detecting small objects, dynamic reference sensors, and powerful through-beam photoelectric sensors for penetrating plastic films. The new 33C and 35C series' small housing size complements the 53C and 55C series' stainless-steel miniature sensors.

The demand for sensors installed above open foodstuffs is very high. Only components authorised for contact with food may be employed. The 35C series' DRT35C dynamic reference diffuse sensor with its stainless-steel housing is an excellent option for this. The sensor system does not need to be additionally enclosed.

The new 33C and 35C series provide sensors with Power PinPoint LED for the first time. This light technology means the sensors can be aligned and set up quickly and easily. This is accomplished thanks to a bright, round and homogeneous light spot. The light spot's size, shape and homogeneity remain constant throughout the working range. Laser or infrared devices can also be an alternative to the Power PinPoint LED.

Protecting plastic-bodied sensors with complex, specially manufactured and costly stainless-steel protective covers in harsh environments is often essential. Only then can they withstand the high-pressure cleaning regimes. This is not necessary with the series' stainless-steel sensors hence this decreases the system's complexity, lowers installation time and, therefore, reduces costs. The devices are designed for reliable operation in wet areas and during intensive cleaning. They have protection classes such as IP67, IP68, and IP69K, as well as ECOLAB, CleanProof+, and Diversey certifications.

The 33C series' PRK33C.PPTT3 retro-reflective photoelectric sensor is appropriate for detecting transparent bottles in an aseptic filling line. The hygienic design avoids residue buildup thanks to its smooth housing with no fixing holes. The sensor is also attached gas-tight using a mounting spigot.

Both series are equipped with an IO-Link interface. This allows quick and easy configuration of the devices as well as diagnostic data that can be used to plan predictive maintenance.