Have you ever climbed a mountain with a backpack? Then you understand that the lower the load, the less power is needed and the lower the energy consumption. The same is true for cars. And in regard to electric vehicles, this is even more important: The more weight that can be saved somewhere else, the larger the battery can be, thus increasing the range of the electric car.
Lightweight construction is key for weight reduction. By using a sensible mix of materials, weight can be saved without compromising functionality and safety or drastically increasing costs. High-strength steels or light metals are used for body parts or seat frames. However, this mix of materials has an impact on automotive production when it comes to selecting the sensor technology. Inductive sensors have become an indispensable part of automotive construction; however, they react to different metals. This would mean frequent adjustments during production. Fortunately, we have Factor 1 sensors.
Inductive sensors react to metals. Their task is to detect metal objects without contact. The distance at which the corresponding object can be detected by the respective sensor is called the switching distance. The switching distance for standard inductive sensors depends on the material of the metal. Steel, for example, is detected much better than aluminum or copper. The switching distance can be reduced by up to 70% for non-ferromagnetic materials.
To eliminate this problem, Factor 1 sensors were developed. They offer all of the advantages of inductive sensors with the added bonus of having the same switching distance for all metals. This makes them ideally suited for the detection of changing objects (steel, aluminum, brass, copper etc.) and a perfect fit for the production of electric cars or anywhere different types of metals need to be used and identified. And because Factor 1 sensors are magnetic-field resistant, they can be used in areas with strong electromagnetic fields, such as welding plants.
For more information, visit https://www.balluff.com/local/us/products/product-overview/sensors/inductive-sensors/#/inductive-factor-1-sensors
