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Selecting the best sensor for your application can be confusing. Photoelectric, proximity and capacitive sensors are used in a wide variety of machines and industrial equipment, but which one is right for you? Knowing your target will help narrow down your choices, so check out this video to learn more about sensors types and our Object Detection tool that’s available right now on AutomationDirect.com!
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Selecting the best sensor for your application can be confusing. Photoelectric, proximity and capacitive sensors are used in a wide variety of machines and industrial equipment, but which one is right for you? First consider these aspects: Type of target sensed, background and objects to ignore, space constraints, sensing distance, sensor housing and form factor, mounting method and electrical connections and cabling. Knowing your target will help narrow down your choices but let’s dig a little deeper into each type. Photoelectric sensors use infrared, red and blue LED or laser light to detect the object via a variety of different technologies. Retroreflective (reflector needed) and diffuse designs have the emitter and receiver in the same housing, while through-beam sensors have a separate emitter and receiver. As compared to proximity and capacitive sensors, photoelectric sensors can sense the widest range of objects at the longest distance; however, they are the sensor type most affected by ambient conditions such as dirt and debris, so carefully review the application to identify potential causes of false triggers. If you are sensing metal, especially ferrous targets, a proximity sensor is generally the first choice. These sensors work well in most metal detection applications, but don’t forget to reduce the sensing distance when trying to detect non-ferrous metals like aluminum or stainless steel, as the sensing range may be reduced by 30% to 50%, or choose a model with Factor 1 technology where the metal type does not change the range. Proximity sensors have a maximum sensing distance of 50mm, with most typically being 12mm or less. Capacitive sensors detect the density of the sensed target or area, and therefore work best with high-density targets. Because of this, they are commonly used to sense liquid and bulk dry material levels in tanks. They can be mounted externally and sense through the insulating material, like wood or plastic, in storage container walls. Adjusting the gain is key to sensing the material and not the cardboard box or plastic tank wall containing it. Because these sensors can detect a wide variety of objects, ambient conditions may cause false triggers. Like proximity sensors, these have a limited sensing distance up to a max of 40mm. If you’re shopping for sensors, look no further than AutomationDirect! With our object detection tool, just answer two questions and we can point you in the right direction. Choose what you want to detect and then the follow up question will narrow the choices that might work best for you. Use the faceted search on the left side of the website to determine more characteristics of the sensor needed for your application. As always, If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our free technical support or access our free eBooks available on the library site for more information on all things industrial automation! We’ll see you soon at AutomationDirect.com! Click here to learn more about the sensors we offer. Click here for more videos!
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