Fluid analysis in surface treatment

With a new portable gauge, a stainless steel surface processor can easily monitor his passivation and degreasing baths in real time without a specialist.

The core business of the Swiss Hug Oberflächentechnik AG includes pickling, electropolishing and passivation of stainless steel. The company has over 40 years of experience in stainless steel finishing. The surface treatments are designed for a wide range of products, from simple parts to high-quality products for medical technology, the pharmaceutical industry and sterile technology.

With the portable Teqwave T from the supplier Endress+Hauser, Hug Oberflächentechnik AG now has a new, flexible solution for monitoring its passivation and degreasing baths. Using special sound waves, the Teqwave creates an acoustic "fingerprint" of the high-quality concentration solution. The Teqwave thus precisely measures the concentration and density of the liquid in the treatment process.

For absolute process quality, the Teqwave measures in real time and the treatment baths can thus be readjusted at any time. Now all employees of Hug Oberflächentechnik AG can operate the Teqwave easily and efficiently. This ensures consistent measurement regardless of the specialist. With the automatic documentation, the susceptibility to errors due to manual noting of the measured concentration values is practically eliminated.

Previously, the concentration in the baths was indexed daily by means of a hydrometer, also known as a hydrometer or spindle. This also included the documentation of the concentration values, which are crucial for achieving the desired process stability. The previous measurement and documentation was very time-consuming and could only be carried out by a specialist. Both manual reading and documentation were prone to errors.

The Teqwave T from Endress+Hauser convinced Hug Oberflächentechnik AG with its smart, highly flexible solution for mobile concentration measurement. With just one measuring device, concentration values can be monitored at numerous measuring points. This allows product quality to be maximized - with minimal operating costs. The Teqwave T mobile transmitter can operate for up to 8 hours without an external power supply and can be adapted to production requirements thanks to its customizable app concept and preconfigured measuring points. "The Teqwave T from Endress+Hauser has fully met our expectations in terms of functionality, performance and technical design," says Marcel Hug, Managing Director of Hug Oberflächentechnik AG. (OM-08/22)