Continuous demand

Magmeters are universally applicable in the water management, chemical, life sciences, mining and food industries and require virtually no maintenance. They measure the flow of electrically conductive fluids in pipelines with high precision. The robust design withstands the toughest environmental conditions and even enables their use in the mining industry. A frequent application in this industry is measuring ore slurries with sometimes fist-sized rock fragments.

Their unique feature is that magmeters can be installed both in smallest pipelines with diameters of just 2 millimeters as well as in those with diameters up to 3 meters. Pipelines of this size are used, for example, to supply megacities with sufficient drinking and process water. Magmeters measure even these huge water quantities with maximum precision.

The numerous approvals that have been granted are one of the main reasons for the versatile application options. These options include drinking water, hygienic or sterile applications, permanent use under water or underground (corrosion resistance) as well as for custody transfer or for use in ships on rough seas.

Through constant research and development in sensor technology and signal processing for decades, Endress+Hauser has developed high-quality MIDs equipped with numerous functions. Thanks to the wide range of fieldbuses (HART, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, EtherNet/IP or OPC UA), the flowmeters can be optimally integrated into complex applications with measurement and control technology.

Within the context of state-of-the-art networking through Industry 4.0, measured values, device parameters and diagnostic parameters can now be transmitted over the cloud, processed and made available for control tasks anytime and anywhere.

Refusing to rest on its laurels, the company constantly adapts its product line to new market requirements and customer needs. For example, a measuring electrode concept that is unique on the flow market allows the device to be mounted in the immediate vicinity of pipe fittings that generate flow disturbances – without impairing the measuring accuracy and without the measuring pipe constriction usually required for this purpose.

In plant engineering, this provides maximum flexibility when planning pipelines, even in confined spaces. Another significant innovation are magmeters that are additionally equipped with temperature and conductivity measurement, thus enabling even more comprehensive process and product monitoring.

A further highlight is Heartbeat Technology, a test function integrated into the measuring electronics. This technology includes numerous options for monitoring the functionality of a device or certain process parameters – e. g. for the timely detection of build-up formation in the pipeline or the verification of measuring devices during operation. This increases both efficiency and operational safety in industrial plants and thus contributes to process optimization.

Mirko Lehmann’s goal for the future of the company is clear: “Innovations such as these, and many more, will not only reinforce our market leadership in flow measurement, but continue to expand it over the long term.”

In order to enter the water and wastewater market, which was emerging at that time, Endress+Hauser purchased the company “Flowtec” in Bern in 1977 and moved it to a new location in Reinach (Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland). This is where the young company started to produce magmeters with just three employees in a former military barracks.

Work was done on an on-demand basis in those early years. Today, Endress+Hauser’s flowmeter production boasts state-of-the-art logistics and spans six facilities across the globe in Switzerland, France, the USA, China, India and Brazil. “This makes it possible to provide large quantities of flowmeters to our customers with just-in-time delivery. No matter where the devices are produced, flawless product quality and rapid delivery performance are what counts,” Mirko Lehmann says.

Comprehensive protective measures during the pandemic and the supply chains that have been in place for decades also ensured that magmeter production was maintained at a high level and continuously increased despite the COVID-19 crisis. Each of the six flowmeter production facilities features precise high-tech calibration rigs which are regularly checked by national accreditation bodies. This is how Endress+Hauser guarantees a consistently high measuring accuracy for each individual device.