The small beam angle suits mining's rugged environments due to its ability to penetrate through dust and material build-up, said SICK. 

The company said the sensor, which has a range of up to 120 metres, can be used to optimise material storage in breakers and stockpiles as well as for belt transfers, buffers and production silos. 

"Anyone who needs to manage the supply of bulk solids in storage vessels will understand the frustrations that can be caused when trying to achieve a reliable level measurement using a non-contact optical or radar principle when the signal is disrupted by the presence of dust or build-up of residue, or by other obstructions in the vessel," SICK UK product manager for industrial instrumentation Darren Pratt said.

"When positioned at the top of a silo, or over a heap or bunker, a SICK SicWave sensor sends a highly-focused narrow beam of microwave radar pulses and uses the time-of-flight principle to return a high-quality signal even at exceptionally long ranges or extreme temperatures and pressures."