Page 19 - MetalForming July 2014

aluminum components in automated stamping processes. While inductive proximity sensors have long been used for die protection and monitoring (feed), the ideal target for these sensors is mild steel— ferrous content in target materials ensures reliable detection in metalforming processes.
For sensing target materials other than mild steel,
such as stainless steels and copper and aluminum
alloys, metalformers opt for proximity sensors that fea-
ture correction factors—an adjustment calculation that
dictates how the sensor must be placed in the tool, and how far away the sensor must be from the target material. These sensors, commonly called Factor One devices, incorporate a multi-coil design that enables them to sense all metal alloys—ferrous and nonferrous—at the same sensing distance. Factor 1 sensors will eliminate a few of the painful issues encountered when switching to aluminum strip or sheet.
Don’t Waste Time Threading Sensors
Threaded, tubular inductive proximity sensors have become the go-to standard in virtually every automated industry. However, in toolrooms and die shops this form-fac- tor can be a pain. Die tools are heavy and complex forms, with moving parts and precision-cut tool steel. Why tap a 2-in.- deep threaded hole in the steel to accept a threaded tubular sensor? It’s no wonder that many dies have no sensors or lim-
Inductively coupled wireless-connector systems send power across a small air gap and communicate sensor signals without any mechanical junction connection between components.
ited sensor usage. The threaded tubular proximity sensor just wasn’t made for in-die sensing.
But there is a significant change happening in the design of inductive proximity sensors: flatpack housings, available in a variety of form factors and sensing ranges. A 20-mm square face can provide an impressive 7 mm of sensing dis- tance, very similar to an 18-mm proximity sensor but with the depth of only 8 mm in some cases. Drop-in and bolt-down mounting allows for unparalleled versatility in sensing appli- cations. Where a tubular style was completely unfeasible before, a flatpack sensor makes easy work for the die builder.
Eliminate Mechanical Connections for Quick Die Changes
While the use of umbilical connectors that energize sen- sors and carry signals between the die and the press controls
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