High tech in the glassworks
Reliably integrate high-temperature sensors
Staying cool in high-temperature environments
In the glass melting process, a constant temperature of up to 1200 °C in the melting tank is a very important control component. This is because fluctuations can have a significant impact on the subsequent processes and therefore the quality of the finished products. The precise control of the glass level in conjunction with the loading machine at the oven entrance is assured by "radarCUBE", the new contactless radar measuring device from IAS (Industrie Automations Systeme). The sensor is installed above a special furnace opening directly above the melt. Here it is exposed to heat radiation of up to 300 °C, which is dissipated by a cooling system patented by IAS. A robust stainless steel housing with a ceramic radome also protects the sensor from the typical aggressive metallurgical dust and mechanical influences. But how can radar sensors like this one be reliably networked? How does measurement data get into the processing system?
Adapter board as converter and voltage transformer
Both functions are already provided by W&T interface modules, which are available as individual parts as standard. However, if such a module incl. the circuit is to be optimally matched to the function of the devices used, an individual solution must be found. In particular, the (hardware) design of the devices to be connected and the type of installation require an adapted circuit design and circuit board layout if, for example as in the case of IAS sensors, the module is to be screwed onto the spacer bolt of the radar sensor as an adapter board. The corresponding adapter board was therefore developed and manufactured specifically for the IAS high-temperature sensors as a customer-specific development. 
Development service for networked sensors: communication standards and power supply
The radarCUBES used for level detection must be reliably supplied with a voltage of 5 V for their operation. However, the connection to the overall system of the application requires a supply voltage of 24 V. The sensors also speak a different "language" to the surrounding system: while they transmit their measured values via the UART communication standard, the processing system communicates via RS485. If the operation of the sensors is to be controlled and monitored via the system, both the voltage must be converted and the sensor signals converted.
Circuit board layout for trouble-free industrial automation
Note that this cooperative effort was prompted by IAS’s positive experience with the W&T device servers (Com-Server), which provide serial interfaces via the network and even then function reliably when other components have long since ceased operation under the influence of harmful events. How nice that, in addition to the surprising robustness of our own hardware, we have now been able to support IAS with an individual design.
About the cooperation
The cooperation with the colleagues from W&T was great. It was just perfect!
[Steven Hartmann, CEO of IAS GmbH]
