METTLER TOLEDO’s new sensor systems are helping industries that rely on accuracy avoid limited and cumbersome weighing techniques.
Traditional radar or ultrasonic sensors have long been the standard in tank level measurement, but they rely on internal positioning, exposing them to the tank’s environment.
If a product is corrosive, foams, or bridges under the surface, this can lead to reduced reliability and accuracy – an unacceptable outcome for industries that rely on accuracy like chemical processing or food production.
METTLER TOLEDO product manager Chris Paassens said a gravimetric solution can help to avoid these issues entirely.
“With our AnyLevel system, we’re weighing the entire tank from the outside,” he told ABHR. “So what’s going on inside doesn’t matter to us.”
Reducing operational risks
By placing AnyLevel sensors outside the tank – typically at its base rather than on top – METTLER TOLEDO also reduces risks for maintenance personnel.
“One of the biggest risks is just the fact that normally those sensors are on the top of the tank,” Paassens said. “So maintenance personnel physically need to get up there. Because ours sit underneath, they’re much easier and safer to access. And since the sensors aren’t in contact with the product, there’s no risk of contamination or exposure during servicing.”
This approach offers a distinct advantage in sectors like oil and chemicals, where exposure to contents inside the tank can present significant health, safety, and environmental risks.
The PowerMount system further supports industrial safety and reliability by constantly monitoring the status of individual load cells. Unlike traditional analog systems, where faults can go undetected, PowerMount uses digital signal processing to identify issues before they become operational failures.
“In a traditional system, if a load cell is failing, you might not know. The tank’s weight keeps changing as it’s filled and emptied, so the fault often goes unnoticed,” Paassens said.
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“But our system monitors each load cell individually – constantly. Even temperature changes are accounted for. If there’s a failure, the operator and automation system are alerted before any bad batch leaves the facility.”
This proactive alerting helps manufacturers avoid undetected faults that could lead to out-of-spec production, wasted materials, or even recalls.
Recalibrating weighing systems after cable or load cell replacement is another long-standing issue in high-volume industrial operations.
The use of POWERCELL digital load cells provide a solution that drastically reduces downtime.
“Because each load cell has its own analog-to-digital converter and stores its own calibration values, replacing a damaged cable is as simple as unplugging and re-plugging it,” Paassens said. “There’s no need to recalibrate. Even if a load cell fails, we can apply its previous calibration values to a new one. It’s much quicker to get back up and running.”
This feature proves particularly beneficial in 24–7 manufacturing environments where uptime directly impacts profitability.
Built-in intelligence
To support preventative maintenance strategies, METTLER TOLEDO’s systems include several intelligent features: Smart5 alarms, CalFree Plus, and individual load cell diagnostics.
“Smart5 is a simplified way of presenting all the alerts our system can generate. Instead of a massive list of codes, we’ve grouped them into five categories – from complete failures to simple reminders like calibration due,” Paassens said
Meanwhile, CalFree Plus leverages factory calibration to allow rapid, highly accurate initial setup.
“Our load cells come pre-calibrated to their full capacity. With CalFree Plus, you can place them under a tank and get around 90 to 95 per cent accuracy straight out of the box,” Paassens said. “You still want to use test weights for fine-tuning, but you’re off to a strong start without time-consuming manual calibration.”
Beyond the technology itself, Paassens said METTLER TOLEDO’s gravimetric systems simplify a complex and confusing process.
“With our competitors, it’s hard to know if you should use radar, laser, or another sensor type. But with us, it’s simple,” Paassens said.
“We just need to know the tank capacity and how many support legs it has.
“From there, we can specify the right equipment. There are only a few sensor capacities and three mounting options. That’s it.”
This streamlined approach removes guesswork and helps ensure faster, more accurate equipment selection.
“It’s all about simplifying accuracy,” Paassens said. “We’ve made it easier to specify, install and maintain and much harder to get wrong.”