Container-handling cranes in busy British seaports operate around the clock. Sensors on each hoist carriage detect its position with respect to the crane structure and prevent it travelling outside preset limits. Mechanical play in the hoist carriage allows a small amount of lateral drift as it travels along the crane structure; adequate sensing distance is…

Fault-free assembly is ensured and downtime minimized in automated facilities for high volume consumer goods assembly. Rugged inductive sensors detect the presence and position of equipment or components at each stage to ensure that parts are correctly aligned and ready for the next operation. Sensors must be accurate and responsive. In addition, an IO-Link interface…

During semi-automated heat staking of assemblies for domestic white goods, manufacturers use light curtains to preserve operator safety without compromising production throughput. The active optoelectronic protective device (AOPD), mounted directly in front of each bench-mounted heat-press, prevents the press-head from descending if it detects any intrusion in the working area, halting the operating cycle immediately.

At busy container seaports, purpose-designed container-handling vehicles operate around the clock, loading, unloading and stacking containers. Space utilization is increasingly important and correctly identifying the size of container picked for each lift is essential. Fitting vehicles with sensors that detect the container size eliminates the need for drivers to carry out identification checks, saving time…

Straddle carriers, purpose-designed container-handling vehicles, operate in highly aggressive seaport environments, necessitating frequent preventative maintenance. To measure wear in components with a high risk of premature failure, European port operators use rugged, analog-output inductive sensors. Monitoring the condition and wear rate of each component enables predictive maintenance to be undertaken only when necessary, maximizing vehicle…

To monitor the speed of industrial composting machines, robust and reliable FULL INOX sensors operate continuously inside the rotor, withstanding dust, humidity and high temperatures. Fast drying of materials, optimal decomposition and reliable sanitization are assured.

Stainless-steel-braided hydraulic hoses for water heaters undergo over-pressure testing at the final stage of manufacture. Before pressure is applied, a multi-sensor system checks each hose assembly to ensure that the correct mechanical parts have been fitted. Applying high pressure to an incomplete assembly could result in catastrophic failure, damaging test equipment and putting operators at…

A German manufacturer of industrial timing belts uses inductive sensors with analog outputs to measure the position of steel reinforcing bands during continuous production. Two long-range, high-resolution sensors, mounted above the extruded belt profile, give real-time positional data. The customer’s process-control system monitors the analog voltage outputs, alerting the operator and halting production if the…

A manufacturer of PC motherboards uses presence sensing immediately after reflow soldering to trigger a subsequent operation. A long-distance inductive sensor is mounted above the exit conveyor of the reflow oven and detects each motherboard as it passes out of the oven. The customer’s control system accepts the NPN sensor output, initiating the next process…