Field level

Field level is a term from automation, and it describes the lowest level of the automation pyramid in industrial manufacturing. The field level is subordinated to other levels, such as the control or process level. Its task is to collect data in manufacturing using the corresponding technology, such as sensors and actuators. For this reason, the field level is also synonymously referred to as the sensor or actuator level. If pumps and valves are used in a production, they are integrated in the field level as so-called field devices. Since the trend in the industry is towards more intelligence and networking in production, more and more manufacturers are equipping their pumps with state-of-the-art electronics. On the one hand, this enables devices to be flexibly integrated in automation. On the other hand, it provides the possibility of allowing them to communicate with other devices in the process. This explains why they are also called intelligent field devices.