Ultrasonic Sensors for Mining Equipment

Accurate, reliable, and precision ultrasonic sensing solutions that work.

Industrial Sensors for Mining

Mining operations require reliable level and distance measurement in harsh environments. Dust, vibration, and explosive atmospheres are common challenges often found in mining.

Migatron’s mining sensor provides non-contact measurement for bins, conveyors, and material handling equipment, helping mining operators monitor levels, prevent overfilling, and maintain flow of material.

Migatron intrinsically safe sensors for mining come with approval for use in mines susceptible to firedamp, explosive gas atmospheres and explosive dust atmospheres.

Hazardous Location Ultrasonic Sensors

Migatron’s intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors are tested and approved to meet Ex ia Ma protection level for equipment used in underground coal mines and related surface facilities. This approval ensures that our sensors remain operational in explosive atmospheres that may contain firedamp (methane gas) and coal dust clouds under normal mine conditions (0.8 to 1.1 bar pressure, -20°C to +60°C).

This protection level confirms that properly designed intrinsically safe ‘ia’ circuits, such as those used in our sensors, are inherently safe even in atmospheres with a significantly higher ignition energy threshold—like those involving coal dust.

View Intrinsically Safe Sensors

A Mining Sensor for MSHA Approved Systems

Many mining environments contain combustible dust and/or gas, requiring mining sensors with approvals for hazardous areas.

Migatron offers the RPS-409A-MSHA Intrinsically Safe Ultrasonic Sensor (MSHA No. 18-ISA260001-0). The RPS-409A-MSHA is ready to be integrated into your MSHA approved system or machine for use in underground gassy mines.

Contact Us to learn more about the RPS-409A-MSHA

ATEX, IECEx, and ANZEx for Hazardous Mining Abroad

Migatron’s intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors meet internationally recognized hazardous location standards including ATEX, IECEx, and ANZEx. Migatron’s intrinsically safe sensors have an Ma protection level, so they can remain energized and functional in mines endangered by firedamp and/or coal dust clouds. The explosion protection markings for Migatron’s intrinsically safe sensors is Ex ia I Ma.

ATEX is based on European Union directives governing equipment used in explosive atmospheres. These standards require equipment to be engineered so it cannot ignite combustible gas or dust. IECEx provides a global certification framework for equipment used in hazardous environments. It allows manufacturers and engineers to deploy intrinsically safe instrumentation across multiple international markets using a standardized safety evaluation.

ANZEx is the hazardous area certification system used in Australia and New Zealand, aligning closely with IECEx while meeting regional regulatory requirements.

Learn More: Read our blog post about Hazardous Mining Environments

Mining Area / Equipment	Common Application	Measurement Needed	Suggested Migatron Sensor Direction
Underground coal mining equipment	Belt alignment, belt edge tracking, or moving equipment position feedback in gassy mines	Short-range, non-contact distance measurement where firedamp or coal dust may be present	RPS-409A-MSHA / RPS-409A-IS2 direction for intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensing in mining hazardous areas. Migatron’s mining page references MSHA use, Ex ia Ma protection, firedamp, and coal dust applications.
Conveyor systems	Conveyor belt tracking, belt drift detection, or material position monitoring	Continuous analog feedback to a PLC or control system	RPS-409A-IS2 or RPS-409A-IS3 when hazardous-area approval is required. RPS-409A-IS models provide analog voltage output, temperature compensation, and multiple sensing ranges.
Crusher feed hoppers	Monitoring material height before the crusher to prevent overfeed or starvation	Non-contact level measurement of rock, ore, or aggregate	RPS-4000 for longer-range non-contact level measurement where hazardous approval is not required. The RPS-4000 is designed for liquid and bulk material level control with a 4-20 mA analog output.
Ore bins and surge bins	High/low level monitoring or continuous level feedback	Bin level measurement for material flow control and overflow prevention	RPS-4000 for larger bins or RPS-409A-IS2 where hazardous dust or gas classification requires an intrinsically safe sensor.
Aggregate hoppers	Detecting material presence, buildup, or low-level conditions	Short-to-mid range level or presence detection	RPS-409A-IS2 for hazardous environments or RPS-401A / standard analog ultrasonic sensor direction for non-hazardous equipment integration.
Continuous haulage systems	Monitoring material transfer points or equipment position	Non-contact detection of material presence, position, or distance	RPS-409A-IS2 / RPS-409A-IS3 for hazardous mining areas because they support analog output, Sync/Tx control, and hazardous-location use when installed with approved barriers.
Chutes and transfer points	Detecting buildup, blockage, or missing material flow	Presence detection or short-range distance monitoring	RPS-400-30 for compact short-range proximity detection in non-hazardous areas. It has a 5-30 inch adjustable sensing range, NPN output, and sealed transducer for dirt and moisture exposure.
OEM mining machinery	Integrating ultrasonic sensing into custom or semi-custom mining equipment	Application-specific analog distance feedback or detection signal	Consult Migatron engineering to match sensing range, output, enclosure material, hazardous-area approval, and barrier requirements. This is especially important for MSHA, ATEX, IECEx, ANZEx, or Class/Division applications.

An Application for Mining Equipment

Conveyor Belt Alignment and Tracking

Featured Intrinsically Safe Sensor: RPS-409A-MSHA

In the mining industry, conveyor belt alignment is essential to maintaining efficiency, but misalignment can cause spillage, equipment wear, and downtime. For operations in firedamp and coal dust prone environments, OEMs and mining engineers require sensing technology that remains functional under hazardous conditions.

How It Works

The ultrasonic sensor is mounted overhead, near the belt’s edge
Continuously measures belt position using ultrasonic pulses
Transmits analog output to PLC
Enables real-time correction to reduce belt drift, wear, and unplanned stoppages

Why RPS-409A-MSHA

Analog output for easy integration with alignment control systems
Durable PVC housing and IP-rated construction for harsh mining environments

Typical Mining Applications

Migatron’s mining sensor could be used in mining equipment including:

Learn More: Read our blog post about applications for Mining Sensors

Let’s Talk Sensors for Mining

Looking for a sensor supplier that understands mining safety standards and OEM integration?
Migatron’s intrinsically safe ultrasonic sensors are built to meet the rigorous demands of Group I, Category M1 mining environments, including firedamp and coal dust. Our sensors are engineered to remain functional in the harshest conditions.

Phone: (815) 338-5800
Email: info@migatron.com
Web: migatron.com