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Simple, smart and reliable – these characteristics have enabled the BASIC series of VEGAPULS radar sensors to establish itself as the benchmark in level measurement technology since its market launch in 2020. Compact, attractively priced and technologically superior, the sensors are setting a clear trend in process automation. VEGA is now celebrating a milestone: The 500,000th BASIC radar sensor was recently delivered to a European company specializing in sustainable building materials. There, a VEGAPULS 31 precisely measures levels in bulk solids silos – despite dust, noise and coarse material. Clear evidence of what has distinguished the sensor series from the very beginning: reliable measurement technology for typical applications – with minimal installation effort. With its specially developed 80-GHz radar chip, robust housing materials like PVDF, fully encapsulated electronics and industrial-grade PUR cabling, the series is designed for the toughest conditions – for example in water management, chemicals or bulk material logistics. VEGA is currently the only supplier offering radar level sensors with fully encapsulated electronic components and connection

Schiltach / Navarra, March 2025 – Within the context of a current project to equip a 500-kW prototype with instrumentation, technology company Nordex Electrolyzers has opted for sensor solutions from VEGA. The Nordex Group subsidiary develops high-performance electrolyzers for the industrial production of green hydrogen in Spain. Challenging process conditions Its alkaline pressure electrolysis system is specially designed for operation with fluctuating wind power. The prototype, which produces over 10 kilograms of hydrogen per hour, is installed in a modular container system and can be deployed flexibly worldwide. Sensors of type VEGAFLEX 81, VEGABAR 82 and VEGABAR 29 ensure safe and efficient operation under challenging process conditions, including temperatures up to 95 °C, pressures up to 27 bar and chemically aggressive media. Precision, safety and digital integration Javier Fernandez de Manzanos, Director of Electrolyzers at Nordex, explains: “VEGA impressed us with its precision, concern for safety and digital integration, as well as its excellent technical support.” The sensors are SIL and ATEX certified and offer features such as self-diagnostics,

Heating with hydrogen mixtures via existing natural gas pipelines is feasible. Supported by precision instrumentation from VEGA How can excess renewable electricity be stored and used sensibly? One possible answer to this question was provided by the groundbreaking project “NETZlabor Hydrogen Island Öhringen” – supported by precision instrumentation from VEGA. One promising approach to storing surplus electricity is to use it to produce hydrogen, which can be delivered as a fuel gas for heating systems. But is the utilisation of hydrogen or natural gas-hydrogen mixtures via existing gas pipelines technically feasible? A large-scale test carried out on the Netze BW site in Öhringen has provided much more clarity in answering this research question. Hydrogen produced in a Hydrogenics electrolyser was mixed with natural gas and distributed through the existing pipeline network. High-precision measurements The high-precision VEGA measurement technology played a key role here: Sensors like VEGABAR 82, equipped with robust ceramic measuring cells, monitored the pressure and flow rate

Partnership in the future of automation to offer customers the best possible digital networking and simple integration into digital infrastructures Today, more process data is available to industry than ever before. This brings many advantages, because digital networking makes production processes more transparent and scalable. To be able to offer customers the best possible networking as well as simple integration into digital infrastructures, instrumentation manufacturer VEGA is now participating in the Single Pair Ethernet Alliance. Single Pair Ethernet In the process industry, the networking of machines and production systems in the sense of Industry 4.0 is in full swing. A situation that has made it clear that data transfer must start to move in a new direction. That’s why VEGA, the global manufacturer of level and pressure measurement technology, has been involved in the SPE Alliance, an association of leading technology companies, since the end of 2024: founded in 2020 with the stated goal of creating a standardised, seamless network architecture based on Single Pair Ethernet, or SPE for short. Customers

VEGA simplifies digital instrument documentation for the process industry What to do about overflowing filing cabinets and time-consuming document searches? For the process industry, instrumentation maker VEGA promotes the use of standardised, digital data packages in accordance with VDI 2770, thereby boosting efficiency. Users get fast, structured access to all relevant product documents and can even automate the documentation of entire process engineering systems. Digital documents instead of a flood of paper “A thick ring binder full of paper documents for just one measuring point is unfortunately not that unusual,” says Stefan Kaspar, Product Manager at VEGA, describing the current situation. “All in all, this creates a huge mountain of paper that our customers have to spend a lot of time and manpower on.” VEGA is now putting an end to this: Making documents available according to VDI 2770 in a structured, machine-readable format enables automated processing and saves valuable working time. Structured data, high efficiency Plant

Managing Director Günter Kech has steered the fortunes of VEGA for decades. Now he is retiring. He knows VEGA down to the smallest detail and has shaped the manufacturer of level and pressure measurement technology from Schiltach like no other: after more than 50 years with the company, including 25 years in management, Günter Kech will retire on 31 December 2024. Looking back on a remarkable career. Schiltach. When a man like Günter Kech announces his retirement, he deserves the big stage to say goodbye. The VEGA Christmas party with around 1,100 employees and many invited guests of honour provided a worthy setting for the occasion. Measurement technology revolutionised Even a whole evening is not enough ‘to do justice to the work you have done for VEGA’, emphasised Elfriede Rauber and Edgar Schillinger, two of Kech’s long-time companions in the company. Be it the first instruments with ultrasonic measurement technology, which Günter Kech was involved in developing in the 1970s. Or the development of the world’s first radar two-wire instrument,

To make it possible to identify a sensor at any time and in any place, even if its type label is damaged or faded VEGA is making RFID tags available for its sensors Scratches, dents or worn areas: After years of reliable performance under diverse environmental conditions and temperatures, even a level sensor shows its age. To make it possible to identify a sensor at any time and in any place, even if its type label is damaged or faded, and trace it using every digit of the serial number, VEGA is making RFID tags available for its sensors, initially for those of the PRO series. RFID Tags RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is not new, but it is now probably the most advanced way of identifying sensors in industrial facilities. RFID tags contain a microchip that stores information. Because their robust chips make them contactlessly readable for many years, despite wind and weather, rapid temperature changes or exposure to sunlight, they are far superior to other labelling techniques. “They are an ideal addition to stamped tags or barcodes, especially for outdoor installations,” says Stefan Kaspar, VEGA product manager.

Instrumentation manufacturer co-develops high-frequency ASICs Tiny, powerful and crucial for quality: ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits), i.e. integrated circuits developed to meet specific requirements, are the basis for the success of a radar sensor. The start-up milli IC in Karlsruhe specialises in the development of such high-frequency ASICs – and VEGA Grieshaber KG is on board with this venture. A wealth of expertise in millimetre wave and high-frequency technology The two managing directors Esref Turkmen and Alexander Haag as well as KIT professor and advisor Ahmet Cagri Ulusoy, three top experts in the field of millimetre wave and high-frequency technology, have joined forces. VEGA is the fourth partner involved and, as a successful manufacturer of measurement technology for level and pressure, not only contributes a great deal of expertise in this field, but also specific areas of application for the microchips. Helping to shape technological progress As a world market leader, VEGA already has

The VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor in the new high-temperature version offers a solution for processes with temperatures of up to 450 °C. There are applications that push level measurement to its limits. Until recently, this included a process called iron briquetting, where it was almost impossible to achieve reliable measuring results due to extreme temperatures. That has changed. Now, the new high-temperature version of radar sensor VEGAPULS 6X provides a groundbreaking solution for processes at temperatures up to 450 °C. Sponge iron is an intermediate product in steel production. To store or transport it economically, it is often processed into briquettes. The technique involves passing the porous, spongy mass through heat-resistant roller presses at temperatures of 400 °C and higher. New solution for an old problem For many years, precise level measurement was the bottleneck in this process. Conventional measurement technology was not able to function reliably under the harsh conditions, because in addition to the heat, the low conductivity of iron also proved to be an impediment. For challenging

With the new subsidiaries in Denmark and Sweden, which will open in spring 2024, VEGA is actively responding to this development and moving even closer to customers with its modern level and pressure measurement technology. The demand for innovative measurement technology for industry is also increasing in Scandinavia. With the new subsidiaries in Denmark and Sweden, which will open in spring 2024, VEGA is actively responding to this development and moving even closer to customers with its modern level and pressure measurement technology. Scandinavia is not new territory for VEGA. A VEGA subsidiary has been operating in Norway since 2015. In Sweden and Denmark, VEGA was represented by local dealers until now. With the establishment of the two new subsidiaries, VEGA’s presence in the two countries with promising markets will now be consolidated. Customer service is the top priority Jürgen Schuijren, Managing Director of VEGA Netherlands, is currently at the forefront of the expansion into the north. “We want to offer these markets the level of service that customers are used to from VEGA,” he says – in other words, short logistics routes, a common language with customers,

Simplicity for the user – that’s an important guiding principle at VEGA. It also applies to the many tools that are available for operating sensors and other devices. From October 2023, the range of capabilities will be considerably expanded. What’s new? VEGA is making the previously chargeable ’full version’ of its DTM Collection the free ’standard version’ for everyone: “We want to provide our customers with everything they need for quick and easy setup, diagnosis and maintenance,” explains product manager Ralf Höll – i.e. a comprehensive range of operational and maintenance functions at no additional cost. The DTM Collection comes with many valuable functions, including a calculation assistant for complex vessel geometries, extensive instrument documentation, diagnostics, recording and storage onto VEGA DataViewer. What are the biggest advantages? The VEGA DTM Collection is an entire software package that includes many useful features. For example, it enables saving or printing simple instrument set up overview documentation into PDF format. “Another valuable tool is the DataViewer,” emphasises product manager Philipp Ketterer. This Windows-based software is used to conveniently

Four branches move into new buildings. Focus on sustainability. The measurement technology manufacturer VEGA is growing - not only in terms of turnover and employee numbers, but also visibly. The company has moved into four new buildings in recent months. In Great Britain, the USA, South Africa and Spain, the employees now have significantly more space at their disposal. With this, the specialist for innovative measurement technology with headquarters in Schiltach, where the 1000th employee was welcomed at the beginning of June, continues to invest in its future and attaches great importance to sustainability. At the same time, an environment is to be created for the company’s employees that ”doesn’t feel like just work, but like a second home,” emphasised Isabel Grieshaber, managing partner of VEGA Grieshaber KG, at the opening of the new building in South Africa. Training possibilities increased When designing the four branches, VEGA also paid great attention to expanding the training possibilities. The range

The VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor is the world’s first level sensor with built-in cyber security features, in compliance with Industrial Cyber Security Standard IEC 62443-4-2. VEGA, the Black Forest manufacturer of level, switching and pressure instrumentation, is on a security mission. In January 2023, it delivered to its customers what is unquestionably the world’s first level sensor with built-in cyber security features. With this new development VEGA wants to send a strong message, namely, that it recognizes the increasing threat of cyber criminality in industry and is taking action to combat it. From the outside, you wouldn’t see anything different or unusual: The VEGAPULS 6X radar sensor, together with its documentation, fits perfectly into its tailor-made carton which, at the end of the packaging line, gets its shipping label. Address: A chemical company in northern Hesse, Germany. But what the customer receives is something quite different from all the other level sensors previously available in the market. For the first time ever, this sensor comes with cyber protection as an integral component. It was developed in compliance