Non-Contacting Position Sensors

Non-contacting position sensors – What are they? Where are they used? And why? Non-contacting position sensors are available using different types of technology. We have a variety of them within our portfolio here at Ixthus.

What is a Non-Contacting Position Sensor?

“Non-Contacting” is a term used to refer to a type of technology where there are no moving parts which touch within the sensor. This eliminates the friction within the sensor and is also known as “wear-free”. This is the opposite to contacting technologies which often use a slider and wipers which grate against each other within the sensor causing friction as well as wear and tear.

Non-contacting position sensors can be either linear or rotary measuring a wide range of position displacement in various industries.

There are many different types of non-contacting position sensors. Some use magnetic fields, lasers, sounds waves and other techniques to measure displacement.

Advantages of Using a Non-Contacting Position Sensor

Non-contacting position sensors have many benefits, many of these are due to the fact they operate friction-free:

• Dependable long life 
• Quick response
• High reliability 
• Robust
• Able to measure long range position.
• Consistent excellent performance (no wear and tear)
• More resistant to dust and dirt (than contacting alternatives)
• Well suited to various environments

Non-contacting position sensors tend to cost more than contacting alternatives, however, they do have a longer life and will need replacing less often.

Non-Contacting Position Sensor Technologies 

We can supply a wide range of non-contacting position sensor types, they each use different technologies, these are;

Eddy current – Eddy current sensors use alternating magnetic currents to determine position and displacement.  Eddy current sensors tend to be small making them perfect for applications where space might be limited.

Laser – laser sensors are widely used for a variety of positional sensing applications; many of them on production lines as they are perfect for monitoring filling levels, counting, shape determination and many other procedures. A laser is emitted from the sensor, this reflects off the object and back into the sensor. The position can be determined based on the reflected signal which is received by the sensor.

Ultrasonic – Ultrasonic sensors work in a similar way to laser sensors but instead of using a laser, sound waves are emitted and reflected into the sensor to determine the position. Because of the way they work, ultrasonic position sensors are well suited to long range applications.

Capacitive – capacitive sensors are well suited to short measurement ranges; 10 micrometres to 5 millimetres. They are ideal for high-speed rotating shafts and other targets.

LVDTs and RVDTs - Linear variable differential transformers and Rotary variable differential transformers measure position using metal coils and a metal core. They are very sensitive and can measure movements as small as one-millionth of an inch and up to several inches.

Hall Effect Sensors - our hall effect sensors are used for measuring rotary position. The principle of a Hall Effect sensor uses a piece of semiconductor material which continuously passes current through itself. When this is placed in a magnetic field the magnetic flux forces the electrons to the edge of the semiconductor, which produces a different force and alters the voltage to measure position. In a rotary Hall Effect sensor, the semiconductor is mounted in an X format giving continuous rotation.

Positek PIPS – Positek Inductive Position Sensors come from our sister company Positek. They are manufactured on site and are fully customisable to application requirements. PIPS sensors can be either rotary or linear. They work similarly to an LVDT or an RVDT but with fewer coils giving better stroke to length ratio. Find out more about PIPS here. 

Non-Contacting Position Sensors from Ixthus

Find out more about our Non-Contacting Position Sensors on our website. They come from our trusted suppliers and our sister companies within the Variohm Group.

See some of these products on the following pages of our website:

• Non-contacting Linear Sensors
• Eddy Current Position Sensors
• Laser and Fibre Optic Sensors
• Capacitive Position Sensors
• Ultrasonic Position Sensors
• Non-Contacting Rotary Sensors

For more information on non-contacting position sensors, to discuss your application or if you have any questions please contact us. 

For more information please contact: Ixthus Instrumentation Email: sales@ixthus.co.uk Tel:+44 (0) 1327  353437 Fax: +44 (0) 1327 353564