IN Brief:
- ifm electronic has launched SU Puresonic Hygienic ultrasonic flow meters for food and beverage applications.
- The sensors use stainless steel measuring tubes with no internal measuring elements, seals, or moving parts.
- IO-Link integration allows high-accuracy flow data to be transmitted directly into control and monitoring systems.
ifm electronic has launched SU Puresonic Hygienic ultrasonic flow meters for food and beverage applications, extending its flow measurement portfolio for hygienic process environments.
The SUH series is designed to measure conductive and non-conductive media, including ultrapure water, water-based media, and edible oils such as sunflower and rapeseed oil. The sensors use ultrasonic measurement through a stainless steel measuring tube that contains no internal measuring elements, seals, or moving parts.
That unobstructed measuring tube supports both hygienic design and maintenance reduction. With no internal structures in the flow path, the sensor avoids potential blockage points, wear parts, and design-related pressure drops. It also supports process reliability in applications where residues, cleaning cycles, and product sensitivity can make intrusive measurement technologies less suitable.
The hygienic version has been designed for dead-space-free adaptation and compatibility with cleaning and sterilisation processes, including CIP and SIP. Standard hygienic process connections allow integration into food and beverage plants where flow measurement is needed without creating harbourage points or cleaning complications.
ifm is also introducing the SUW series with flange connections for water industry applications. Although the SUW line is aimed at wider water systems, the same ultrasonic measurement principles apply to utilities inside food and beverage plants, including cooling circuits, condensate, reverse osmosis, filtration, and water treatment infrastructure.
Both product lines include IO-Link integration, allowing measured values and sensor information to be transmitted directly into control systems. Flow measurement therefore becomes a richer data source for process monitoring, energy management, cleaning verification, and maintenance planning.
Water, cleaning chemicals, product transfer, heat exchange, and utilities all depend on accurate flow control. In many factories, those systems operate in the background while production machinery receives the attention. Yet flow deviations can affect yield, hygiene, energy use, cleaning effectiveness, and product quality.
Hygienic equipment design is increasingly being applied to components that were once treated as secondary infrastructure. NORD DRIVESYSTEMS’ hygienic surface treatment for aluminium drive systems showed how wash-down resistance, surface finish, and cleaning compatibility are shaping mechanical components. Sensors face the same pressure when they sit in or near process media.
Ultrasonic flow measurement offers advantages where mechanical or intrusive technologies create restrictions, wear points, or maintenance demands. A clear measuring tube can reduce pressure loss and simplify cleaning, while the absence of moving parts can reduce service interventions. In applications involving edible oil, ultrapure water, and water-based media, those characteristics support both process safety and energy efficiency.
The IO-Link capability extends the value of the device beyond a simple flow reading. Standardised communication allows sensors to provide diagnostics, parameter data, and condition information, helping engineers detect faults, review process conditions, and configure devices more efficiently. Digital sensor data becomes more useful when it can be accessed without bespoke integration work.
Cleaning applications are a natural use case. Accurate flow data can help verify that CIP cycles have achieved the required volume, velocity, or time conditions, while sensor diagnostics can support faster investigation when a cleaning or transfer process drifts. Better visibility can reduce reliance on manual checks and delayed troubleshooting.
Integration into existing plants will determine uptake. Food factories rarely redesign pipework around a new sensor unless there is a clear operational gain. Compact installation, hygienic connections, commissioning support, and compatibility with current control architecture will influence how quickly the SUH series moves into active production environments.
ifm’s new flow meters arrive as manufacturers continue to tighten control of utilities, cleaning, and fluid handling. The sensor itself is only one part of the process, but accurate, cleanable, digitally connected measurement gives plants a stronger view of the flows that shape production reliability.
