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Motion Control Sensors in harsh industrial environments

Motion Control is applied across a diverse range of industries leading to a wide range of environmental conditions. Each application condition places different requirements on the sensor technology. However to ensure availability of the production process the feedback technology must provide reliable data 24/7.

Encoders providing motion control feedback are readily available in Aluminium housing designs. Whilst this suits applications such as packaging or printing machinery there are more harsh applications which call for something different.

Haz Mat Man and a Spray Lance

Systems which operate outdoors may be subject to exposure to salt, especially if located in a coastal region. In Food and beverage processing, devices may be exposed to high-pressure hoses or wash down using caustic chemicals. In building materials or metal processing industries devices may regularly be subject to impacts. When used in these environments a device with an Aluminium housing may be susceptible to corrosion or impact damage leading to reduced lifetime with a detrimental effect on plant availability.

With the recent introduction of the SICK DFS60 Inox to the RS offer of incremental encoders with a 15mm hollow shaft (201-3640) and 12mm hollow shaft (201-3641) both with TTL/ HTL and a resolution up to 65536ppr, RS customers now have access to a robust full Stainless Steel encoder to meet the harsh requirements of more challenging application conditions. Constructed from corrosion and impact resistant V2A stainless steel. To prevent the ingress of water or dirt, all satisfy the requirements of IP67.

The DFS60 Inox incremental encoder is a programmable device. By use of a PC and programming tool (712-5434) , the resolution of the encoder can be set to any value from 1 to 65536 pulses per revolution to suit the requirements of the control system. In addition, the output signals can be set to either TTL or HTL to suit the interface requirements of the motion controller.

I'm a Product Manager at SICK in the UK. I have over 25 year experience with Motion Control Sensor technology and its application, 17 years experience with Optical & Ultrasonic distance sensors and more than a decade of experience with Level, Pressure, Temperature & Flow sensing technologies and applications. Helping customers make their Factory, Logistics & Process Automation processes more effective and efficient gives me a real buzz.
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