Ferrous Sensor

Good morning. Does anyone have a recommendation on a Ferrous sensor? I need to detect a 3/4" tall piece of Low carbon. Its a pipe fitting. 3/4" round, with a hex head on top. We have the identical part currently made out of SS, but for cost savings we are going to switch to plated low carbon. I need to verify the part is Low carbon, and not stainless steel. We will have both versions in our plant.

Thanks,
Kenneth

A standard off-the-shelf inductive proximity sensor might work if you can control the distance between the part and the sensor. It will detect mild steel at a greater distance than stainless. You'd have to experiment to see if the difference in distance is within the limits of what you can control. You'll also have to control the presentation of the part to the sensor.

A note of caution: sometimes stainless steel is magnetic. This is particularly the case with 302 and similar 18-8 grades - especially if they have been cold worked.

Thank you. I am having a detail made up to test this. My only concern is this is a hand loaded machine so i may have to move the prox in on a detail to come in and test it. The farther effective range the better. Problem also is, all the nearby details are made of Cold rolled, or D2.