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LIQUID LEVEL SENSORS FOR LEAN MANUFACTURING

Product News Monday, November 27, 2017: SST Sensing Ltd

A well known issue within the manufacturing industry is the constant need to improve and decrease the amount of waste.

This is also known as lean manufacturing or lean production which is defined as a systematic method for waste minimisation within a manufacturing system without sacrificing productivity and eliminating over burden and uneven workloads. In other words, the main objective to lean manufacturing is to add value to a system or product whilst reducing cost, resource and time to the manufacturer and the end user.

Applying the lean manufacturing process to a company for the first time requires a lot of time, effort and cost as it involves careful risk assessment (also known a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) for each production process and product design. However, over time, the company will see the overall benefit as it will have minimised waste and increased the value in their product and processes.

Any company adopting this approach will see the value in eliminating parts of their process by implementing preventative methods to avoid products failing out in the field or going straight in the bin.

It is clear that many of SST’s customers implement this strategy when building a product that requires control management of liquid. SST’s liquid level sensors are used as a preventative measure in many production processes, typically in level control management or leak detection. These liquid level sensors could be responsible for providing vital feedback to a system or person regarding the state of the level of liquid.

A good example of this is a manufacturing company who monitor oil levels in a tank or vessel. They currently use a float switch for managing the liquid level of the tank. However the float switch requires regular maintenance and monitoring checks as debris and dirt are causing the float to jam resulting in failure mode of the production line. To reduce the risk of potential failure in this part of the production process, they need a solution that has no moving parts. A single point liquid level sensor is the solution in this instance. The sensor does the same job, but eliminates the risk associated with the moving parts as its solid state, reduces the maintenance time, whilst adding value and peace of mind to the process.

When selecting the liquid level sensors for any process that manages a fluid, you have to make sure that you are not only getting the right design for the process at hand, but also that these sensors are well made and equipped to handle the harshness of the production process. In some instances, you might be able to get a standard liquid level sensors and in others, it might be necessary to get a customised sensor.

Having the right sensor solution in place will increase productivity and minimise production mistakes. This will reduce waste and help to keep production on track.