capacitive Archives - AUTOMATION INSIGHTS

Automation is “Rolling Out” in the Tire Industry

Automation is everywhere in a tire plant – from the old manual plants and mid-hybrid automated plants to the newest plants with the latest automation technology all over the world.

Industry challenges

Some tire industry automation challenges are opportunities for automation suppliers and machine builders. These can vary from retrofitting old machines and designing new machines to including smarter components to bring their production into the IIoT.

Plants want to save CapX dollars on new machines, so they are looking to upgrade old ones. Tire plants are learning from the past. They are limited by their older technology, but it has been hard to upgrade and integrate new technology, so there are long-term needs for adding flexible automation on machines. This requires new processes and recommissioning machines quickly. A good example of this is the addition of a vision system to improve quality inspections.

More automation is also needed due to a lack of skilled labor in the industry combined with the desire for higher throughout. The addition of robots on the line can aid with this. Plants can also simplify their wiring by migrating away from control panel i/o/analog to an IP67 network and IO-Link master and hubs.

The use of IO-Link also allows for more continuous condition monitoring. There is an increased need for quality inspections and process improvements. Plants are collecting more data and learning how to use it and analytics (Industry 4.0, IIoT) to achieve operational excellence. Plants need more technology that supports preventive and predictive failure solutions.

Additionally, there are automation needs on new machinery as tire designs are in an evolutional growth/change period – in the electric vehicle (EV) market, for example, where rapid change is happening across all vehicle manufacturing. Smart tires are being designed using RFID and sensors embedded in the tire ply.

Successfully matching up automation products to meet plant needs first requires understanding the plant’s main processes, each with millions of dollars of automation needs.

How tires are made

1. Raw materials logistics – raw materials are transported to the mixing and extrusion areas for processing.
2. Mixing and extrusions – up to 30 ingredients are mixed together for a rubber blend tire.
3. Tire components – extruded rubber ply is measured and cut to size to meet the needs of the specific tire and then loaded onto reels feeding the tire building machines.
4. Tire build machines – tires are built in stages from the inside out. They are crated without tread and transferred to the curing press machines.
5. Tire curing press machines – here, the “green” tires are vulcanized, a chemical process that makes the tire more durable. Tire parts are then compressed together into the final shape and tread pattern.
6. Inspection and test machines – tires are quality tested and undergo visual, balance, force, and X-ray inspections.
7. Logistics material handling, conveyor, ASRS, AGV – finished tires are taken to the warehouse for sorting and shipping.

In the past, not many people outside the tire industry understood the complexity and automation needs of these high volume, high quality, highly technical plants. Tires are so valuable to the safety of people using them that manufacturers must be held to the highest standards of quality. Automation and data collection help ensure this.

In the meantime, check out these futuristic tires and imagine all the automation to manufacture them.

Capacitive Prox Sensors Offer Versatility for Object and Level Detection

When you think of a proximity sensor, what is the first thing that comes to mind? In most cases it is probably the inductive proximity sensor and justly so because they are the most widely used sensor in automation today. But there are other types of proximity sensors. These include diffuse photoelectric sensors that use the reflectivity of the object to change states and proximity mode of ultrasonic sensors that use high frequency sound waves to detect objects. All of these sensors detect objects that are in close proximity of the sensor without making physical contact.

One of the most overlooked proximity sensors on the market today is the capacitive sensor. Why? For some, they have bad reputation from when they were released years ago as they were more susceptible to noise than most sensors. I have heard people say that they don’t discuss or use capacitive sensors because they had this bad experience in the past, however with the advancements of technology this is no longer the case.

Today capacitive sensors are available in as wide of a variety of housings and configurations as inductive sensors. They are available as small as 4mm in diameter, in hockey puck styles, extended temperature ranges, rectangular, square, with Teflon housings, remote sensing heads, adhesive cut-to-length for level detection and a hybrid technology that is capable of ignoring foaming and filming of liquids. The capability and diversity of this technology is constantly evolving.

Capacitive sensors are versatile in solving numerous applications. These sensors can be used to detect objects such as glass, wood, paper, plastic, ceramic, and the list goes on and on. The capacitive sensors used to detect objects are easily identified by the flush mounting or shielded face of the sensor. Shielding causes the electrostatic field to be short conical shaped much like the shielded version of the inductive proximity sensor. Typically, the sensing range for these sensors is up to 20 mm.

Just as there are non-flush or unshielded inductive sensors, there are non-flush capacitive sensors, and the mounting and housing looks the same. The non-flush capacitive sensors have a large spherical field which allows them to be used in level detection. Since capacitive sensors can detect virtually anything, they can detect levels of liquids including water, oil, glue and so forth and they can detect levels of solids like plastic granules, soap powder, sand and just about anything else. Levels can be detected either directly with the sensor touching the medium or indirectly where the sensor senses the medium through a non-metallic container wall. The sensing range for these sensors can be up to 30 mm or in the case of the hybrid technology it is dependent on the media.

The sensing distance of a capacitive sensor is determined by several factors including the sensing face area – the larger the better. The next factor is the material property of the object or dielectric constant, the higher the dielectric constant the greater the sensing distance. Lastly the size of the target affects the sensing range. Just like an inductive sensor you want the target to be equal to or larger than the sensor. The maximum sensing distance of a capacitive sensor is based on a metal target thus there is a reduction factor for non-metal targets.

As with most sensors today, the outputs of a capacitive sensor include PNP, NPN, push-pull, analog and the increasing popular IO-Link. IO-Link provides remote configuration, additional diagnostics and a window into what the sensor is “seeing”. This is invaluable when working on an application that is critical such as life sciences.

Most capacitive sensors have a potentiometer to allow adjustment of the sensitivity of the sensor to reliably detect the target. Today there are versions that have teach pushbuttons or a teach wire for remote configuration or even a remote amplifier. Although capacitive sensors can detect metal, inductive sensors should be used for these applications. Capacitive sensors are ideal for detecting non-metallic objects at close ranges, usually less than 30 mm and for detecting hidden or inaccessible materials or features.

Just remember, there is one more proximity sensor. Don’t overlook the capabilities of the capacitive sensor.

The Evolving Technology of Capacitive Sensors

In my last blog post, Sensing Types of Capacitive Sensors, I discussed the basic types of capacitive sensors; flush versions for object detection and non-flush for level detection of liquids or bulk materials. In this blog post, I would like to discuss how the technology for capacitive sensors has changed over the past few years.

The basic technology of most capacitive sensors on the market was discussed in the blog post “What is a Capacitive Sensor”. The sensors determine the presence of an object based on the dielectric constant of the object being detected. If you are trying to detect a hidden object, then the hidden object must have a higher dielectric constant than what you are trying to “see through”.

Conductive targets present an interesting challenge to capacitive sensors as these targets have a greater capacitance and a targets dielectric constant is immaterial. Conductive targets include metal, water, blood, acids, bases, and salt water. Any capacitive sensor will detect the presence of these targets. However, the challenge is for the sensor to turn off once the conductive material is no longer present. This is especially true when dealing with acids or liquids, such as blood, that adheres to the container wall as the level drops below the sensor face.

Today, enhanced sensing technology helps the sensors effectively distinguish between true liquid levels and possible interference caused by condensation, material build-up, or foaming fluids. While ignoring these interferences, the sensors would still detect the relative change in capacitance caused by the target object, but use additional factors to evaluate the validity of the measurement taken before changing state.

These sensors are fundamentally insensitive to any non-conductive material like plastic or glass, which allows them to be utilized in level applications. The only limitation of enhanced capacitive sensors is they require electrically conductive fluid materials with a dipole characteristic, such as water, to operate properly.

Enhanced or hybrid technology capacitive sensors work with a high-frequency oscillator whose amplitude is directly correlated with the capacitance change between the two independently acting sensing electrodes. Each electrode independently tries to force itself into a balanced state. That is the reason why the sensor independently measures the capacitance of the container wall without ground reference and the capacitance of the conductivity of the liquid with ground reference (contrary to standard capacitive sensors).

Up to this point, capacitive sensors have only been able to provide a discrete output, or if used in level applications for a point level indication. Another innovative change to capacitive sensor technology is the ability to use a remote amplifier. Not only does this configuration allow for capacitive sensors to be smaller, for instance 4mm in diameter, since the electronics are remote, they can provide additional functionality.

The remote sensor heads are available in a number of configurations including versions that can withstand temperature ranges of -180°C up to 250°C. The amplifiers can now provide the ability to not only have discrete outputs but communicate over an IO-Link network or provide an analog output. Now imagine the ability to have an adhesive strip sensor that can provide an analog output based on a non-metallic tanks level.

For additional information on the industry’s leading portfolio of capacitive products visit www.balluff.com.

Sensing Types of Capacitive Sensors

Similar to inductive sensors, capacitive sensors are available in two basic versions. The first type is the flush or shielded or embeddable version however with capacitive sensors they are sometimes referred to as object detection sensors. The second type is the non-flush or non-shielded or non-embeddable version however again with capacitive sensors they are sometimes referred to as level detection sensors.

CapacitiveTypes1

The flush or object detection capacitive sensors are shielded and employ a straight line electrostatic field. This focused field is emitted only from the front face of the sensor allowing the sensor to be mounted in material so that only the face of the sensor is visible.

The highly focused electrostatic field is perfect for detecting small amounts of material or material with low dielectric constant. The typical range of a flush 18mm capacitive sensor is approximately 2 to 8mm depending on the objects dielectric constant. As with any capacitive sensor the sensor should be adjusted after installation.

CapacitiveTypes2

If the sensors are mounted adjacent to each other the minimum gap should be equal to the diameter or the adjusted sensing distance whichever is less. These sensors can also be mounted opposing each other however the distance should four times the diameter of the adjusted sensing distance whichever is less.

CapacitiveTypes3 Shielded or flush capacitive sensors are perfect for detecting solids or liquids through non-metallic container walls up to 4mm thick. If you are detecting liquid levels through a sight glass with the sight glass mounting bracket then the flush mounted sensor is the preferred choice.

CapacitiveTypes4 The non-flush or level detection capacitive sensors are not shielded and employ a spherical electrostatic field. This field is emitted from the front face of the sensor and wraps around to the sides of the sensor head. Unlike the flush sensor this version cannot be mounted in material where only the face of the sensor is visible. Non-flush sensors have better characteristics and better performance in applications with adhering media.

CapacitiveTypes5 The spherical electrostatic field provides a larger active surface and is perfect for detecting bulk material and liquid either directly or indirectly. The typical range of a flush 18mm capacitive sensor is approximately 2 to 15mm depending on the objects dielectric constant. As with any capacitive sensor the sensor should be adjusted after installation.

CapacitiveTypes6 If the sensors are mounted adjacent to each other the minimum gap should be equal to three times the diameter or the adjusted sensing distance whichever is less. These sensors can also be mounted opposing each other however the distance should four times the diameter of the adjusted sensing distance whichever is less.

Shielded or flush capacitive sensors are perfect for detecting solids or liquids through non-metallic container walls up to 4mm thick. If you are detecting liquid levels through a sight glass with the sight glass mounting bracket then the flush mounted sensor is the preferred choice.

Capacitive sensors are perfect for short range detection of virtually any object regardless of color, texture, and material.

To learn more about capacitive sensors visit www.balluff.com.

What is a Capacitive Sensor?

Capacitive proximity sensors are non-contact devices that can detect the presence or absence of virtually any object regardless of material. They use the electrical property of capacitance and the change of capacitance based on a change in the electrical field around the active face of the sensor.

Capacitive sensing technology is often used in various detection tasks:

Flow
Pressure
Liquid level
Spacing
Thickness
Ice detection
Shaft angle or linear position
Dimmer switches
Key switches
X-y tablet
Accelerometers

Principle of operation

The external capacitance between the target and the internal sensor plate forms a part of the feedback capacitance in the oscillator circuit. As the target approaches the sensors face the oscillations increase until they reach a threshold level and activate the output.

Capacitive sensors have the ability to adjust the sensitivity or the threshold level of the oscillator. The sensitivity adjustment can be made by adjusting a potentiometer, using an integral teach pushbutton or remotely by using a teach wire. If the sensor does not have an adjustment method then the sensor must physically be moved for sensing the target correctly. Increasing the sensitivity causes a greater operating distance to the target. Large increases in sensitivity can cause the sensor to be influenced by temperature, humidity, and dirt.

There are two categories of targets that capacitive sensors can detect the first being conductive and the second is non-conductive. Conductive targets include metal, water, blood, acids, bases, and salt water. These targets have a greater capacitance and a targets dielectric strength is immaterial. Unlike an inductive proximity sensor, reduction factors for various metals are not a factor in the sensors sensing distance.

The non-conductive target category acts like an insulator to the sensors electrode. A targets dielectric constant also sometimes referred to as dielectric constant is the measure of the insulation properties used to determine the reduction factor of the sensing distance. Solids and liquids have a dielectric constant that is greater than vacuum (1.00000) or air (1.00059). Materials with a high dielectric constant will have a longer sensing distance. Therefore materials with high water content, for example wood, grain, dirt and paper will affect the sensing distance.

When dealing with non-conductive targets there are three factors that determine the sensing distance.

The size of the active surface of the sensor – the larger the sensing face the longer the sensing distance
The capacitive material properties of the target object, also referred to as the dielectric constant – the higher the constant the longer the sensing distance
The surface area of the target object to be sensed – the larger the surface area the longer the sensing distance

Other factors that have minimal effect on the sensing distance

Temperature
Speed of the target object

Sensing range

A capacitive sensor’s maximum published sensing distance is based on a standard target that is a grounded square metal plate (Fe 360) that is 1mm thick. The standard target must have a side length that is the diameter of the registered circle of the sensing surface or three times the rated sensing distance if the sensing distance is greater than the diameter. Objects being detected that are not metal will have a reduction factor based on the dielectric constant of that object material. This reduction factor must be measured to determine the actual sensing distance however there are some tables that will provide an approximation of the reduction factor.

Rated or nominal sensing distance S_{n is} a theoretical value that does not take into account manufacturing tolerances, operating temperatures and supply voltages. This is typically the sensing distance listed in various manufactures catalogs and marketing material.

Effective sensing distance S_ris the switching distance of the sensor measured under specified conditions such as flush mounting, rated operating voltage U_e, temperature T_a = 23°C +/- 5°C. The effective sensing range of capacitive sensors can be adjusted by the potentiometer, teach pushbutton or remote teach wire.

Hysteresis

Hysteresis is the difference in distance between the switch-on as the target approaches the sensing face and switch-off point as the target moves away from the sensing face. Hysteresis is designed into sensors to prevent chatter of the output if the target was positioned at the switching point.

Hysteresis stated in % of rated sensing distance. For example a sensor with 20mm of rated sensing distance may have a maximum hysteresis of 15% or 3mm. Hysteresis is an independent parameter that is not a constant and will vary sensor to sensor. There are several factors that can influence hysteresis including:

Sensor temperature both ambient and heat generated by the sensor being powered
Atmospheric pressure
Relative humidity
Mechanical stresses to the sensor housing
Electronic components utilized on the printed circuit board within the sensor
Correlated to sensitivity – higher sensitivity relates to higher rated sensing distance and a larger hysteresis

How to determine a capacitive sensor’s sensitivity

Capacitive sensors have a potentiometer or some method to set the sensor sensitivity for the particular application. In the case of a potentiometer, the number of turns does not provide an accurate indicator of the sensors setting for a couple of important reasons. First, most potentiometers do not have hard stops instead they have clutches so that the pot is not damaged when adjusted to the full minimum or maximum setting. Secondly, pots do not have consistent linearity.

To determine the sensitivity of a capacitive sensor the sensing distance is measured from a grounded metal plate with a micrometer. The plate is grounded to the negative of the power supply and the target is moved axially to the sensors face. Move the target out of the sensing range and then move it towards the sensor face. Stop advancing the target as soon as the output is activated. This distance is the sensing distance of the sensor. Moving the target away and noting when the output turns off will provide the hysteresis of the sensor.

To learn more about capacitive sensor technology visit www.balluff.com.

Level Sensing in Machine Tools

Certainly the main focus in machine tools is on metal cutting or metal forming processes.

To achieve optimum results in cutting processes coolants and lubricants are applied. In both metal cutting and metal forming processes hydraulic equipment is used (as hydraulics create high forces in compact designs). For coolant, lubricant and hydraulic tanks the usage of level sensors to monitor the tank level of these liquids is required.

Point Level Sensing

For point level sensing (switching output) in many cases capacitive sensors are used. These sensors detect the change of the relative electric permittivity (typically a change of factor 10 from gas to liquid). The capacitive sensors may be mounted at the outside of the tank wall if the tank material is non metallic like e.g. plastic or glass. The installation may even be in retrofit applications yet limited to non metallic tanks up to a certain wall thickness.

When using metal tanks the capacitive sensors enter the inner area of the tank via a thread and a sealing component. Common thread sizes are: M12x1, M18x1, M30x1,5, G 1/4″, NPT 1/4″ etc. For conductive liquids specially designed capacitive level sensors may be used which ignore build up at the sensing surface.

Continuous Level Sensing

Advanced process control uses continuous level sensing principles. The continuous sensor signals e.g. 0..10V, 4…20mA or increasingly IO-Link deliver more information to better control the liquid level, especially relevant in dynamic or precise applications.

When using floats the magnetostrictive sensing principle offers very high resolution of the level value. Tank heights vary from typically 200 mm up to several meters. Another advantage of this sensor principle is the high update rate (supporting fast closed loop systems for level sensing)

In many applications the requirements for the level control solutions are not too demanding. In these cases the ultrasonic principle has gained significant market share within the last years. Ultrasonic sensors do not need a float, installation on the top of the tank is pretty easy, there are even sensor types available which may be used in pressurized tanks (typically up to 6 bar). As ultrasonic sensors quite often are used in special applications, field tests during the design in process are recommended.

Finally hydrostatic pressure transducers are an option for level sensing when using non pressurized tanks (typically connected to ambient pressure through a bore in the upper area of the tank). With the sensor mounted at the bottom of the tank the level is indirectly measured through the pressure of the liquid column above the sensor (e.g. 10m of water level resembles 1 bar).

Summary

Concerning level sensing in metalworking applications in the first step it should be decided whether point level sensing is sufficient or continuous level sensing is required. Having chosen continuous level sensing there are several sensor principles available (selection depending on the application needs and features of the liquids and tank properties). It is always a good engineering practice to prove the preselected sensing concept with field tests.

To learn more visit www.balluff.com

Level Detection Basics – Where to begin?

Initially I started to write this blog to compare photoelectric sensors to ultrasonic sensors for level detection. This came to mind after traveling around and visiting customers that had some very interesting applications. However, as I started to shed some light on this with photoelectrics, sorry for the pun but it was intended, I thought it might be better to begin with some application questions and considerations so that we have a better understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of solutions that are available. That being said I guess we will have to wait to hear about ultrasonic sensors until later…get it, another pun. Sorry.

Level detection can present a wide variety of challenges some easier to overcome than others. Some of the questions to consider include the following with some explanation for each:

What is the material of the container or vessel?
- Metallic containers will typically require the sensor to look down to see the media. This application may be able to be solved with photoelectrics, ultrasonics, and linear transducers or capacitive (mounted in a tube and lowered into the media.
- Non-metallic containers may provide the ability for the sensors look down to see the media with the same technologies mentioned above or by sensing through the walls of the container. Capacitive sensors can sense through the walls of a container up to 4mm thick with standard technology or up to 10mm thick using a hybrid capacitive technology offered by Balluff when detecting water based conductive materials. If the container is clear or translucent we have photoelectric sensors that can look through the side walls to detect the media.

What type of sensing is required? The short answer to this is level right? However, there are basically two different types of level detection. For more information on this refer to the Balluff Basics on Level Sensing – Discrete vs. Continuous.
- Single point level or point level sensing. This is typically accomplished with a single sensor that allows for a discrete or an on-off signal when the level actuates the sensor. The sensor is mounted at the specific level to be monitored, for instance low-low, low, half full (the optimistic view), high, or high-high. These sensors are typically lower cost and easier to implement or integrate into the level controls.
- Example of in-tank continuous level sensor
  
  Continuous or dynamic level detection. These sensors provide an analog or continuous output based on the level of the media. This level detection is used primarily in applications that require precise level or precision dispensing. The output signals are usually a voltage 0-10V or current output 4-20mA. These sensors are typically higher cost and require more work in integrating them into system controls. That being said, they also offer several advantages such as the ability to program in unlimited point levels and in the case of the current output the ability to determine if the sensor is malfunctioning or the wire is broken.

Because of the amount of information on level detection this will be the first in a series on this topic. In my next blog I will discuss invasive vs non-invasive mounting and some other topics. For more information visit www.balluff.com.

Multiple Sensing Modes for Miniature Capacitive Sensors

In a previous blog post we discussed miniature capacitive sensors and their use for precision and small-part sensing. Here we will discuss the different sensing modes available with separately amplified miniature capacitive sensors.

Standard Switching Mode

Std_Switch_Mode

This is the most commonly used teach method for most sensing applications. As an object is placed statically in front of the sensor at its desired detection point, the amplifier is triggered to teach-in this value as its switch point (SP1). Once the value is taught, the output will then switch when the switch point is reached.

Two-Point Switching Mode

TwoPoint_Switch_Mode

As the name sug
gests this teach method has two separate teach-in points, a switch-on point (SP1) and a switch-off point (SP2). These points can be taught wide apart or close together, depending on the application need. One application example is for fill-level control by teaching in min. and max. fill-level points.

Window Function Mode

Window_Mode

This teach method creates a window between two separate switch points (SP1 and SP2). If the sensor value falls inside this window, the output will switch on. If the sensor value is outside of this window, the output remains off. An application example is material thickness (or multiple layer) detection. If the material is too thin or too thick (i.e., sensor value is outside the window) the output remains off; however, if the material is at the correct thickness (i.e., sensor value falls inside the window) the output switches on.

Dynamic Operation Mode

This mode only responds to moving objects and ignores static conditions. This mode is commonly used to ignore a close background, and only detect objects moving in front of the sensor.

Analog Output Mode
Analog_Mode

Additionally, an analog output (either voltage or current) is available. To utilize the whole analog range, two separate teach points are needed. SAHi, analog signal high, and SALo, analog signal low, are taught accordingly to obtain the full range. An application example would be continuous fill-level detection across the sensing area.

For more information on capacitive sensors and their remote amplifiers, click h
ere.

Miniature Capacitive Sensors for Small Part Detection

As discussed in a previous blog post, miniature sensors are an ongoing trend in the market as manufacturing and equipment requirements continue to demand smaller sensor size due to either space limitations and/or weight considerations. However, size and weight aren’t the only factors. The need for more precise sensing — higher accuracy, repeatability, and smaller part detection — is another demanding requirement and, often times, the actual main focus point.

This post will look specifically at capacitive sensors and how smaller capacitive sensors can lead to better detection of smaller parts.

cap4 — Parallel-plate capacitor equation

Capacitive sensors provide non-contact detection of all types of objects, ranging from insulators to conductors and even liquids. A capacitive sensor uses the principle of capacitance to detect objects. The equation for capacitance takes into account the surface area (A) of either electrode, the distance (d) between the electrodes, and the dielectric constant (ε_r) of the material between the electrodes. In simple terms: a capacitive sensor detects the change in capacitance when an object enters its electrical field. Internal circuitry determines if the gain in capacitance is above the set threshold. Once the threshold is met the sensor’s output is switched.

When looking at small part detection, the size of the capacitive sensor’s active sensing surface plays a significant part. Now there isn’t a defined formula for calculating smallest detectable object for a capacitive sensor because of the numerous variables that need to be considered (as seen in the equation above). However, the general rule for optimal sensing is that the target size should be at least equal to the size of the sensor’s active surface. The reason behind this is if the target size is smaller than the sensor’s active surface, the electric field would travel around the target and cause unreliable readings.

Taking the general rule into consideration and comparing a miniature 4mm diameter capacitive sensor to a standard 18mm diameter capacitive sensor, it’s simple to determine that the 4mm diameter capacitive sensor can reliably detect a much smaller target (4mm) than the 18mm diameter capacitive sensor (18mm).

So when looking at small part detection, the smaller the sensor’s active sensing surface is, the better its ability for small part detection. Therefore, if an application requires detection of a small part, it’s best to start with miniature capacitive sensor.

For more information on miniature capacitive sensors click here.

Tag: capacitive

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