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  1. Conductivity – a new approach
  2. IO-Link benefits

IO-Link benefits

With IO-Link, the LDL family of products can provide:

  • Conductivity and temperature value over a single wire
  • High measurement resolution without scaling
  • On-the-fly recipe changes and device adjustment
  • Current device status
  • Operating hours histogram
  • Internal memory for min and max conductivity / temperature
  • Automatic device replacement

Using IO-Link, the resolution of the conductivity value is the same throughout the measuring range. This is especially important when using the inductive (toroidal) version. A typical CIP process uses chemicals with high conductivity and rinse water with low conductivity. When using an analog output, the signal is spread out over a greater range, reducing the ability to detect small changes in conductivity. This can lead to residual amounts of chemicals going undetected in rinse water or products.

Comparison of resolution of IO-Link and analog signals

Measuring range

        (µS/cm)

PLC analog input card

             (12 bit)

IO-Link *
0...500                1 µS/cm  1 µS/cm
0...5,000                2 µS/cm
0...15,000                4 µS/cm
0...100,000              25 µS/cm
0...500,000            122 µS/cm
0...1,000,000            244 µS/cm

*  LDL100 measuring range is limited to 15,000 µS/cm

The LDL conductivity sensor uses internal memory for edge processing of operating hours at temperature in the form of a histogram. This data provides a temperature profile over the life of the sensor in operation, and this “life history” conductivity sensor technology can be a key tool in managing maintenance and quality assurance.