Distance measuring in automation is typically done using ultrasonic and laser distance sensors. Ultra sonic sensors are great for measuring distances of any solid object especially transparent ones like films, plastic bottles, plate glass - things that optical sensors typically have difficuly with. Ultrasonics sensors also excel in industrial environments with vibration, dust, steam and smoke that can be challenging for optical sensors. Laser distance sensors provide extreme distance measurement from fractions of a millimeter to beyond the length of a soccer field with pinpoint accuracy and high speed measurement up to a thousand times faster than ultrasonic sensors. Both can connect to any PLC via a single analog input and only require a single line of ladder code to read the result. And the best part? U can do it … with AutomationDirect