Pressure & flow · Flow sensors

Flow Sensors

Compressed-air flow sensors are the single most important diagnostic instrument for an industrial pneumatic system — they reveal leak losses (often a significant share of compressor output in older installations), per-machine consumption (so you can size correctly and bill internally), and trend deviations (a creeping rise in flow at the same load is the first sign of a coming leak or worn cylinder). The Norgren M/80 inline flow sensor measures flow, pressure, temperature and total consumption in a single instrument, with IO-Link digital transmission and an integrated TFT display for direct on-the-machine readout. Protection class III, IP65/IP67.

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Compressed-air efficiency = real moneyA 1 mm leak at 7 bar wastes several m³/h — for an industrial site with 30 leaks that's a continuous compressor running just for the leaks. Flow monitoring identifies the leak baseline and quantifies the savings from each fix, so the instrument typically pays for itself quickly.

4-in-1 measurementFlow, pressure, temperature, total consumption in one inline sensor — replaces four separate instruments and four sets of fittings. High accuracy, repeatability and measurement dynamics — fast enough to catch transient flow events that integral counters miss.

IO-Link plug-and-monitorDigital transmission via IO-Link — the PLC reads all four parameters from a single port, with full configurability of units, alarm thresholds and damping. The integrated TFT display keeps a local-only readout for technicians without PLC access. Protection class III for safety in wet / outdoor / wash-down environments.

Available series

M/80

Inline flow sensor

Datasheet (PDF) →

Frequently asked questions

Install it after the FRL but before the consumer (the machine, sub-system or production line you want to monitor). For whole-site leak monitoring, install immediately downstream of the air receiver and read the sensor at off-shift hours — that's the leak baseline. Avoid installing right after a directional valve where flow is highly transient — give 5-10 pipe diameters of straight pipe upstream of the sensor for accurate readings.

Stop production, isolate consumers, and let the system reach steady-state. Any flow shown is leakage — the compressor is making air to replace what's lost through leaks. Multiply by your site's cost-per-m³ of compressed air and the running hours to get the annual leak cost. Then fix the highest-volume leaks first; ultrasonic leak detectors are the right diagnostic tool for finding leaks, but flow sensors are the right tool for prioritizing and verifying the fix.

Functionally similar — both measure volumetric flow. The Norgren M/80 is positioned as an inline sensor with electronic IO-Link output and integrated display, intended for continuous online monitoring. Traditional flow meters (mechanical-rotameter type) are visual-only with no electronic output, intended for spot checks. For modern automated facilities, the IO-Link sensor is what the PLC needs.