VEGA VEGAPULS 42 IO-Link Radar Level Sensor

Overview

The VEGA VEGAPULS 42 is a radar sensor for continuous level measurement that VEGA designed for factory automation and for food and pharmaceutical applications. Unlike the loop-powered plastic sensors of the basic line, the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 is a three-wire device with an IO-Link interface, two configurable outputs (transistor PNP/NPN or an active 4–20 mA signal) and a slim stainless steel body with an M12 x 1 plug. It measures liquids and bulk solids up to 15 m with a deviation of 2 mm or better, and it can be ordered with a display and a coloured 360° status ring that is visible from anywhere on the production floor.

Seven Star LLC supplies the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 to food and beverage producers, dairy plants, pharmaceutical manufacturers and machine builders in Oman and the GCC, from our office in Muscat. The sensor is a natural fit for skid-mounted process units, mixing vessels, buffer tanks and filling machines, where the control system is a compact PLC with IO-Link masters rather than a large DCS.

Measurement Principle

The VEGA specification sheet explains that the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 sends out a continuous radar signal whose frequency is modulated. The medium reflects the signal and the antenna receives it as an echo. The frequency shift between the emitted and received signal is proportional to distance and therefore to filling height, which the sensor converts into its output signals and its measured value.

As general background, radar is well suited to hygienic and automated processes because it measures through air without contact, so it does not create a dead leg, a crevice or a surface on which product can build up inside the vessel. Clean-in-place cycles, steam, foam on a fermenting product or changes in recipe density do not change the radar distance in the way they affect mechanical floats, conductive probes or hydrostatic cells. The practical consequences are fewer cleaning validations, no recalibration after product changes and very little maintenance.

Engineering Design of the VEGA VEGAPULS 42

The VEGA VEGAPULS 42 housing is made of stainless steel 316L or PBT/PC and is available with protection ratings IP66/IP67 and up to IP69, plus Type 6P to NEMA/UL 50E, which allows high-pressure washdown. Wetted parts are PTFE and 316L, and the process seal is FKM or EPDM. Process fittings include G¾ and ¾ NPT threads, G1 and 1 NPT threads, and a G1 thread for VEGA hygienic adapters; this optional universal connection reduces installation effort and the number of spare variants a plant has to stock. The body diameter is 41 mm, and the drawings give a length of roughly 153 to 157 mm without display and about 200 mm with display.

Electrical connection is via an M12 x 1 plug with supply on pins 1 and 3 and two outputs: one transistor output and one output that can be a second transistor or an active 4–20 mA current. Operation is through an IO-Link master using the IODD from IODDfinder, through the VEGA Tools app over Bluetooth 5.0 at a typical range of 25 m, through PACTware with a DTM on a Windows PC, or on site via the optional integrated display and adjustment unit. The operating voltage is 12 to 35 V DC.

Key Features

VEGA lists the following benefits for the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 in its specification sheet and product description.

• IO-Link communication gives simple integration into PLC-based machine and line control.
• Two outputs can be set as PNP/NPN transistor switches or as one active 4–20 mA signal plus one switch.
• Measuring range up to 15 m with a deviation of 2 mm or better covers process tanks and small silos.
• PTFE and 316L wetted parts with FKM or EPDM seals suit food, beverage and pharmaceutical media.
• Process pressure from -1 to 16 bar and process temperature from -40 to +130 °C allow use on closed, heated vessels.
• An optional universal connection for hygienic adapters reduces installation work and stock variants.
• A clearly visible coloured 360° status indication, display and on-site adjustment are available as options.
• Protection up to IP69 and Type 6P supports intensive washdown in hygienic production areas.

Industrial Applications

In the GCC, the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 is relevant wherever level must be measured inside automated, hygienic production. Typical examples are milk and juice buffer tanks at dairies in the Salalah region, syrup and flavour tanks at beverage bottlers in Rusayl, ingredient hoppers in bakery and snack lines, purified water and WFI tanks in pharmaceutical plants, and dosing containers on packaging machines. Its ability to measure bulk solids also allows level monitoring of sugar, powder or granulate bins on the same IO-Link network.

Seven Star LLC supplies the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 to these users across the Sultanate of Oman and the GCC and can support the wider VEGA instrument set on a project, for example the VEGA VEGAPOINT 21 capacitive point level switch for dry-run protection, the VEGA VEGAPULS C21 compact radar sensor for utility tanks, and the VEGA VEGAPULS 6X radar level transmitter for larger process vessels connected to a DCS.

Technical Specifications

The data below for the VEGA VEGAPULS 42 is taken from VEGA specification sheet 1022366-EN.

How to Order

For a quotation on the VEGA VEGAPULS 42, send Seven Star LLC your RFQ with the medium, vessel height, required outputs, process connection and hygienic requirements. The VEGA specification sheet can be downloaded from this page for your design file. Seven Star LLC supplies VEGA instrumentation from Muscat to plants across Oman and the GCC, backed by sourcing and model selection support for selection and commissioning.