Magnetostrictive linear position sensor provides absolute position

The updated Gemco 956 eBlok linear position sensor from AMETEK Factory Automation is a Rod & Barrell style package that can help simplify installation and serviceability and improve on performance and price without affecting quality.

The Gemco 956 eBlok is a high-performance, cost-effective linear position sensor designed for applications that often would choose traditional linear potentiometers for position monitoring. The 956 eBlok uses field-proven magnetostrictive technology to give absolute analog position, repeatable to 0.001% of the programmable sensing distance. Traditional linear potentiometers are contact-type devices that drift with temperature and are prone to wear and breakdowns, especially when exposed to containments or ongoing repetitive movement in applications like plastic molding machinery and other automated manufacturing machines.

Accuracy, repeatability, and longevity are much improved in modern position sensors like magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers. But these types of linear position sensors have traditionally had higher price tags compared to potentiometers. The Gemco 956 eBlok is a cost-effective linear sensing solution that outperforms linear potentiometers and other low-cost sensors in efficiency and longevity. It delivers the quality expected from magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers, but due to its limited need for service improves longevity and offers a highly competitive ROI based on the life of the instrument.

The 956 eBlok is a self-contained unit with no head assembly. The streamlined anodized aluminum extrusion houses the sensing element, electronics, and sensing magnet in a Rod & Barrel style package. The magnet assembly of the linear position sensor is enclosed in the extrusion and is attached via a bearing assembly to the piston rod. As the piston rod extends and retracts, the internal magnet moves over the sensing element determining its position and converting the signal to an analog output.

The electronics are isolated in a chamber that is sealed to IP67. The units can be ordered in lengths from 1 to 60 in. in 1-in. increments (25 to 1,525 mm), with the linear position sensor configured with features such as programmable zero and span points that allow adjusting the output to the exact requirements of the individual machine. Built-in diagnostics notify the host controller if the magnet signal is ever lost, or if the machine has moved out of the programmable range. The measurement accuracy is 16-bit and the output can be delivered as 0 to 10 Vdc or 4-20 mA, via the sensor’s 5-pin M12 style connector.

Suitable applications include plastic molding machines and other automated manufacturing machinery that experience daily, ongoing repetitive motion. The 956 eBlok is designed to work flawlessly in applications with high temperature, repetitive movement, high shock & vibration, or anywhere else that the moving magnet assembly will benefit from protection from dirt, chips, or other containments.

For more information, visit www.ametekfactoryautomation.com.