By July 19, 2010 Read More →

Laser sensor for harsh food processing environments

100717_MEMicro-Epsilon has launched a new version of its optoNCDT 1402 laser sensor. The new optoNCDT 1402SC sensor has a stainless steel housing and is protected to IP69K, making it ideal for measuring displacement, distance and position in harsh environments, including outdoor use, food processing and other harsh process manufacturing applications.

The new sensor is available in eight models with measuring ranges from 5mm up to 600mm. The sensor benefits from an extremely robust, compact and lightweight (83g) design, making it easy to integrate into existing systems. Options include high flex cables for use with drag chain and robots.

The housing for the SC version is made from V4A steel and so complies with all food industry requirements. This version is resistant to high-pressure jet washing and to aggressive cleaning detergents and disinfection agents, including hydrogen peroxide and other alkaline and chlorine-based cleaning chemicals. In tests at Micro-Epsilon, the 1402SC was subjected to eight hours of hot water jet washing at a pressure of 80-100bar at 85°C, as well as an additional dust seal test.

Like all optoNCDT 1402 sensors, the SC version has an integral controller that automatically compensates in real time for difficult-to-measure surfaces such as shiny metal, gloss paint finishes and black rubber. This real time surface compensation (RTSC) feature enables a variety of object parameters to be more accurately measured, including thickness, roundness, position, deflection, tilt, displacement and vibration.

The sensor housing measures just 65x50x20mm. This compact design and integral controller enable rapid mounting and installation.

Chris Jones, managing director at Micro-Epsilon (UK) comments: “The optoNCDT 1402SC sensor is unique in terms of offering the customer a high performance, cost-effective laser displacement sensor for harsh environments, which compensates for changing surfaces in real time, but which is flexible enough to allow the user to adjust the measuring range to suit their individual task. An adjustable measuring rate up to 1.5kHz, linearity of 0.18% and resolution of 0.01%, combined with its high protection rating, means the 1402SC can easily cope with fast, inline production systems, food and beverage processing, assembly and quality inspection tasks.”

Visit the Micro-Epsilon website for more information.

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