AventicsSeries AF1 Compressed Air Flow Sensor 150-2000 l/min, 0-16 bar, 4-20 mA + 2x PNP/NPN, M12 5-Pin, AS3 Frame Size

Product Description

What this part is

This is an AVENTICS Series AF1 compressed-air flow sensor, part number R412010863, in the air-supply-on-the-right configuration. It measures volumetric air flow from 150 to 2000 l/min using a diaphragm measuring principle, displays the reading on an integral LED display in l/h, l/sec, m³/h or gal/h, and reports it electrically as a 4–20 mA analogue signal plus two independently configurable PNP/NPN switching outputs. It is a module in the AVENTICS AS-series modular air preparation system, built to frame size AS3.

Why a flow sensor on a compressed-air header pays for itself:
Compressed air is usually the most expensive utility in a plant per unit of delivered work, and it is normal for 20–30 % of everything a compressor generates to be lost through leaks. The problem is that leaks are invisible on a compressor run-hour meter — the machine simply runs more. A flow sensor in the header makes the loss measurable. A 150–2000 l/min range suits a branch header or a mid-sized machine feed rather than the discharge of a large central compressor.

Why the analogue output is 4–20 mA and not 0–10 V:
A current loop carries the same current at every point in the loop, so voltage drop along a long cable does not corrupt the reading, and a difference in ground potential between the control panel and the machine frame does not shift the zero. That is exactly the situation on a compressed-air header, where the sensor may sit 30–50 m from the PLC. The second advantage is live zero: a genuine zero-flow reading sits at 4 mA, so 0 mA can only mean a broken wire, an unpowered sensor or a failed loop. The 0–10 V DC equivalents in the same family are R412010638 and R412010637.

Published ratings

Measuring range Qn: 150 – 2000 l/min.

Measuring principle: diaphragm.

Accuracy: ±3 % of full scale per DIN 1343.

Response time: less than 15 ms.

Working pressure: 0 – 16 bar.

Medium: compressed air, maximum particle size 5 µm.

Supply voltage: 15 – 30 V DC, maximum current consumption 300 mA.

Analogue output: 4 – 20 mA.

Switching outputs: 2 x PNP/NPN, 100 mA maximum per digital output.

Display: LED, selectable units l/h, l/sec, m³/h, gal/h.

Ambient and medium temperature: −10 °C to +50 °C.

Protection class: IP65, with the plug correctly mounted.

Frame size: AS3.

Mounting orientation: any.

Weight: 0.395 kg.

Materials: aluminium and polyamide housing, ABS front plate.

Certificates: CE, EMC directive.

Electrical connection and pinout

The sensor terminates in an M12 x 1, 5-pin plug. The catalogue pin assignment is as follows.

Pin 1: 24 V DC supply.

Pin 2: OUT 1, switching output.

Pin 3: 0 V.

Pin 4: OUT 2, switching output.

Pin 5: Analogue OUT, 4 – 20 mA.

Quantity and configuration

Unit Quantity: 1 sensor module, frame size AS3, air supply on the right. It is a frame-size AS3 module that mounts into an AVENTICS AS-series maintenance unit and seals against the adjacent modules. For standalone use in a length of pipe the matching W05 block assembly kit is R412007366 for G 3/8 or R412007367 for G 1/2. The AS series spans AS1, AS2, AS3 and AS5, and AS3 is the frame size this module mates with.

Mounting data

Pressure dew point: at least 15 °C below the ambient and medium temperature, and not above 3 °C.

The sensor infers volumetric flow from the differential pressure developed across a known restriction, and that inference assumes a stable, known upstream condition and a single-phase gas. A regulator immediately upstream actively varies the pressure the sensor is referencing, so the flow calculation drifts with the regulator’s own behaviour. Entrained liquid changes the effective density and can wet or load the diaphragm, which shows up as a slow zero drift.

Branding, lineage and lifecycle

The Bosch Rexroth reference that appears alongside this part number reflects lineage, not the current designation. AVENTICS is the Bosch Rexroth pneumatics business after it was spun off, and AVENTICS was subsequently acquired by Emerson. So the trail on this part reads Bosch Rexroth Pneumatics → AVENTICS → Emerson, and you will find it catalogued under any of the three depending on the vintage of the document.

R412010863 appears in the archived 2016 AVENTICS pneumatics catalogue. The actively catalogued flow sensor family is Series AF2, covering roughly 8–2445 l/min and 22–6490 l/min. AF2 is the successor family. If you are keeping an existing AS3 station intact, the AF1 module is what fits it.

Interchange guidance

The part number is written various ways across supplier records and internal BOMs: R412010863, R-412-010-863 and R 412 010 863 all refer to this item. Within the AF1 range, the meaningful variables are the analogue output type and the supply-side orientation, so confirm both before cross-referencing: this unit is 4–20 mA with air supply on the right, and the 0–10 V DC counterparts are R412010638 and R412010637.