Measuring pressure, flow, position, level, temperature and contamination are common for many of today’s fluid power systems. The use of sensors allows for remote and automated reporting and response. Some sensor choices are made at the time of original design, while other decisions are made after a system has suffered trouble or when automation is being added in. You may have heard or read terms such as 4 to 20 milliamps, pulse width modulation, 8 to 32 VDC supply, intrinsically safe, CAN Bus, SSI output, resolution and many more. How do sort through the terminology and begin to shop for what you need?
This webinar will review common fluid power system sensors from the simple to the complex and provide the participant with practical guidelines to narrow the search.
- What exact parameters do you need to measure?
- Selecting sensors to keep it simple
- Five questions to answer for electronic sensor selection
- Considerations for installation and durability
- What skills will be needed for installation/integration?
Featured Speakers
Carl Dyke, Contributing Editor, Fluid Power World
Carl’s earliest sensor purchases fifteen years ago were for hydraulic pressure transmitters on a telemetry system that travelled each week to the local dump,… yes, the landfill site. Riding along on a heavy truck while a grocery store garbage compactor was being emptied was a lesson in mounting, installation, moisture issues and much more. Since that time Carl has learned a few tricks about keeping it as simple as possible for whatever fluid power parameter needs to be measured. Of course one often has to integrate sensors with a control technology already present at a plant making reading and studying a must. Carl is a millwright/electronics tech who has built driver training, collision avoidance simulation machines to sawmill automation systems from scratch. As the president of training company CD Industrial Group he often works with his own team to build up fluid power systems that integrate sensors, or with clients who need to select them for their own machinery.
Paul Heney, Moderator, Fluid Power World
Paul J. Heney is Editorial Director of Design World, and has been writing about engineering and manufacturing topics for more than 20 years. His specific coverage areas include hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics, power transmission, green engineering, and aerospace. He has a BS in Engineering Science & Mechanics from Georgia Tech.