What if you only needed one more level sensor?

The application dictates the law in sensor technology. Depending on the medium, the environment and the predetermined measurement goals, the right sensor, with the right process connections and the right antenna system, is carefully chosen. Those times are now over. VEGA enters with the VEGAPULS 6X a new era, one in which only one radar sensor is needed to map the level of all your applications.

With 1 million instruments installed with customers, VEGA can rightly call itself a specialist in radar technology. It does so with two product lines. The basic radar instruments that have the same price tag as ultrasonic sensors, but perform much better. And the PRO series, radar technology that brings even the most challenging measurements to a successful conclusion. The company headquartered in Schiltach in the Black Forest again lives up to its reputation as a radar pioneer with its latest innovation. The VEGAPULS 6X after all, can measure all conceivable level applications. Product manager Florian Burgert: "Choosing the right sensor is no easy task. Of course, our local teams are always on hand to provide support, but we nevertheless wanted to simplify this process for customers to make their lives easier. The result is one sensor, which can measure at 80, 26 or 6 GHz, and that for both solids and liquids. This gives customers the certainty that they choose the right sensor faster and always have the best solution available."

Easily tailored to the application

Does that mean the application has completely lost its relevance? Not at all. Although the heart of any VEGAPULS 6X is the same, the implementation will differ depending on exactly what the customer needs. So the customer doesn't have to worry about the technology, frequency or implementation, but instead gets a custom sensor. "Depending on the conditions the sensor will be exposed to, it is actually configured to suit the application. The user does not even need specialized knowledge for this. Via the configurator on the website, he is guided to the right configuration in a few simple steps," adds product manager Jürgen Skowaisa. "Where previously he might have needed ten different sensors to map the level in his processes, he can now have all possible electronics, antennas, mechanical connections, housing ... needed with one and the same type."

Better performance

So a huge step forward in ease of use, but also inside, a lot of hard work has gone into even better performance. Most notable is the new radar chip. VEGA has had them built entirely to its own specifications for several years. It has now brought that experience into the development of a second generation. "The new chip primarily contributes to the ease of use we strive for. With its built-in intelligence, users only need a handful of parameters to arrive at a complete setup. A second notable improvement is the higher dynamic range, which leads to better measurement results. We did the test with a metal target, the size of a marble. Standard devices on the market still "see" this target to a distance of up to 17 m. With the new VEGAPULS 6X we can easily go above 30 m. Our test track was no longer," Burgert says with a wink. In addition, the measuring range (now for both solids and liquids up to 120 m) and bandwidth (previously 1 or 4 Ghz, now 8 GHz) also improved. As a result, VEGA's radar technology again broadens its range of application. 

Safety first

Safety has also been considered. Functional safety, because the VEGAPULS 6X has a microcontroller with software fully compliant with the SIL standard and that for the entire measuring range. "For this, we have combined our know-how in radar technology with the practical experience we have been able to build up with customers in recent years. As a result, the sensor functions according to SIL safety regulations. Far fewer undetected errors occur (158 instead of 1,200) than with competitors and we have also managed to halve the number of critical errors (44 instead of 110). So we prove black and white that it can be done safely with our new radar level sensor, while at the same time remaining simple for users. They only have to go through the set-up to get to a safe application step by step," Skowaisa summarizes. But safety today goes even further than that. In the Industry 4.0 era, more and more connected devices are popping up. The VEGAPULS 6X therefore also meets the cybersecurity IEC-62443-4-2 standard. So, safety and security in one sensor.