Looking for prox solutions

bce123

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Join Date
Feb 2011
Location
texas
Posts
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I am trying to find a prox that I can use outdoors. my app will be doing measurements however the prox will only be doing edge detection. The distance from the product will be around 2ft and the prox will be mounted on a liner slide. I don't think I can use light/laser outdoors? I am thinking of using ultrasonic but have no practical experience using ultrasonics in this manor. has anyone used ultrasonics for anything like this? Pros/cons?
Thanks,
 
Hi

I have used sick and bummer out doors and found both to be very good. I am lucky as both reps are very good and will always call out with their box of tricks and carry out tests with me. This is what I do for any project that I have not done something like it in the past.


Donnchadh
 
You are lucky as I really have poor support for such products IFM is my choice for prox However I found one on the automation direct site that looks like it might work ultrasonic that is I am most concerned with repeat ability of the leading edge detection
 
2 feet for a prox seems a long shot. I have use photoswitches (reflector type) outdoors for sensing a scrap metal bin with a distance of about 15 feet from photosensor to reflector. If the bin had been hitched to the truck and hauled off, the scrap metal conveyor was halted until an empty bin could be moved into position.
 
The product I will be measuring is a pipe between 30 and 40 ft long. The pipe lays across rails spaced every 4to 5 ft . The pipe moves through the process rolling across these rails. Several operations along the way change the length of the pipe.the rails are sloped between stations and hydronic kickers are used to roll the pipe between stations . Several things prevent the sensors from being mounted above the pipe as well as reflectors opposing the sensors. I intend to set up an array of sensors mounted on slides that have position feedback as these will be mounted between the rails.......
 
You would likely be better with a small laser. Keyence is a good choice fopr laser and is affordable.

They will send you a unit to trial for 30 days if it does not work for you app they will take it back with no costs incurred to you.
 
The only way sunlight would bother a laser (or pulsed LED photocell) is if it was looking directly into the sun so that the light saturated the receiver.
 
The only way sunlight would bother a laser (or pulsed LED photocell) is if it was looking directly into the sun so that the light saturated the receiver.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately one of the locations I don't se a way around it. The pipe would block the sun while it above the laser although
 
bce123 said:
The product I will be measuring is a pipe between 30 and 40 ft long. The pipe lays across rails spaced every 4to 5 ft . The pipe moves through the process rolling across these rails. Several operations along the way change the length of the pipe.the rails are sloped between stations and hydronic kickers are used to roll the pipe between stations . Several things prevent the sensors from being mounted above the pipe as well as reflectors opposing the sensors. I intend to set up an array of sensors mounted on slides that have position feedback as these will be mounted between the rails.......
Click to expand...

Couldn't you use a traditional limit switch, with a whisker or a nylon hoop on it, and attach the sensor block to the support mechanism that holds up the rail?
Or, if you're dead set on a prox, how about a magnetic prox mounted so the pipe passes over it? You can put a 30mm unshielded prox there, and get maybe 15mm of sensing distance.
 
Unfortunately a limit switch would not work as I'm am shooting for +\- .015in and the pipe sits almost 2ft above where I will mount the sensors
 
bce123 said:
Unfortunately one of the locations I don't se a way around it. The pipe would block the sun while it above the laser although
Click to expand...
That would probably work, although it's certainly not pretty. If the receiver photo transistor was saturated it would result in no signal (no pipe) so you would probably be OK.
I think the bigger concern with pointing them up (which I assume is how you need to mount them) would be dirt and debris on the lens.
 
I plan on mounting them at a 45 to 60 deg. Angle. I will most likely have to build some type of hood to keep debris and rain off the sensor. I have keyence lvdts and have great luck with them
 
What type edge are you trying to sense? .
Click to expand...
the product (pipe) end. The sensor would move on the slide and the position of the slide when the prox/laser doesn't detect pipe the length of the pipe will be calculated. Three sensors and slides would be used.
 

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