13 June 2006 -- Balluff has introduced its SteelFace inductive sensor, designed to survive longer in environments where mechanical damage is an issue. Balluff's sensor is extremely rugged. Unlike many competing designs that use a steel end cap, Balluff's SteelFace sensor housing is milled from one piece of solid stainless steel with an impact and abrasion resistant face approximately 1mm thick.
'The most common reason for sensor failure is mechanical damage,' said Balluff product manager James Wallace.
'Many of our competitors offer only a steel end cap mated to a steel tube.
Not only is our one-piece housing design more rugged, it has superior chemical and cutting fluid resistance.
Balluff SteelFace sensors can withstand 500 lbf/in2 dynamic pressure and are rated for 1200 lb/in2 for wash down applications.
Wallace added: 'But we did not stop there - many of our competitors sacrifice sensing range for housing ruggedness.
Our design offers full sensing range capability not always found in other steel face sensors.' * Most rugged, most features, competitive cost - Balluff SteelFace sensors come in ferrous-only and nonferrous-only models.
A ferrous-only sensor detects ferrous metals such as steel, iron and nickel, while ignoring nonferrous metals.
Nonferrous-only detection models detect nonferrous metals such as aluminium, copper, and brass objects and ignore ferrous objects.
* Aluminium machining - a typical application for a ferrous-only sensor can be found in aluminium machining.
Ferrous-only sensors are used to detect tool pallets, cutting tools, and fixtures while ignoring high amounts of aluminium chips that are generated during the machining operation.
Nonferrous sensors are commonly used to detect the presence of objects such as aluminium engine blocks, while ignoring the ferrous pallets or fixtures that hold them.
Balluff SteelFace sensors, available in 8, 12, 18, and 30mm sizes, are particularly suited for machine tools, in-die sensing, wash down applications, and other applications that require a rugged sensor.
