Let the new Alfa Laval ThinkTop® IO-Link enhance communication between your hygienic valves and Industry 4.0 automation systems. The point-to-point IO-Link communication protocol connects sensors and actuators—regardless of fieldbus—to your automation systems. This enables real-time data exchange, improving diagnostics and simplifying configurability and control. ThinkTop IO-Link is perfect for use in the dairy, food, beverage, pharmaceutical and home-personal care industries.

“Suddenly it’s easier to capture, store, analyze and act upon meaningful data,” says René Stietz, Global Portfolio Manager for Automation at Alfa Laval. “You get all the finesse of the newly reengineered Alfa Laval ThinkTop—plus valuable benefits like more data, higher productivity and higher yields.”

Why the ThinkTop IO-Link?

Benefit from shorter installation time due to convenient M12 connectors and automatic recording of the hygienic valve stroke duration. Smarter time adjustments are enabled by the ability to assign priority to critical data. Flexibility is enhanced as a result of the capability to change data and process parameters from a remote automation system. Experience better daily operations due to enhanced data storage, availability and analytics.

Other notable features:

• Clearly visible LEDs with customizable colours and flashing-light ‘wink’ function eases valve identification on the automation system to the factory floor
• Optimized valve cleaning using a remote programmable logic controller to switch between standard time-based seat lift cleaning and burst seat cleaning
• A pressure shock counter for nearly instant detection of valve movements

Exploit the power of Industry 4.0 and demand more from your valves by putting the Alfa Laval ThinkTop IO-Link to work for your process lines.

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol. Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, oil and gas exploration, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.