Medical thermister.

Expanding its comprehensive range of temperature sensors, Variohm EuroSensor has developed a new NTC thermistor especially designed for medical equipment use and particularly aimed at sensing small temperature changes in body and ambient medical area temperatures.

With its high resistance design (2.25kOhm @25 °C), the ENTC-EB-2.2k3977-005 offers maximum sensitivity and a fast response time in the temperature range of 32 °C to 42 °C where its resistance tolerance of +/-0.05 °C is well suited to high specification instrumentation and where temperature sensing, control and compensation are critical factors.

The new thermistor is encapsulated in a brown Stycast thermally conductive epoxy coating and electrical interfacing is via two 76 mm, 32 AWG solid Alloy 180 leads. Its miniature form, measuring just 2.4 mm at the tip, will suit straightforward integration into many types of medical probes and in pharma and medical equipment. The sensor has a full operating temperature range of -40 °C to 125 °C.

@Variohm @mepaxIntPR #Medical

Efficient container loading.

Combilift in Monaghan (IRL), is the largest global manufacturer of multi-directional forklifts and an innovator and leader in long-load handling solutions. Its recently launched Combi-CSS (Container Slip-Sheet) enables fast and efficient freight container loading for the transportation of timber, flat-packed furniture, panel products and similar goods. 

This innovative system features a large platform where goods are pre-loaded on a powered steel slip-sheet, and with integral laser-assisted container alignment and hydraulic levelling the slip sheet and its payload are driven directly into the container hold using Combilift’s patented push-pull mechanism. Significantly reducing the full load loading time to as little as 6 minutes and ensuring safety and simplifying the loading process, the Combi-CSS control system relies on SGJ series cable extension transducers (CETs) from Variohm EuroSensor to monitor the slip-sheet’s position over CAN SAE 1939 for the loading and retracting procedure.

The 16-metre-long Combi-CSS is capable of loading up to 30,000kg in 20- to 40-foot containers with the alignment and load transfer process managed by a single operator. The slip-sheet material, Hardox 500, is an extremely hard grade of steel commonly used for large structural wear plate components in construction and mining equipment. With excellent resistance to scratching and surface scraping, these properties help maintain a low sliding friction for the loading and sheet retraction process. The slip-sheet has several pairs of holes at equal intervals along its length and the push pull mechanism, which sits underneath, utilises powerful hydraulically driven linear actuators that engage with these holes in an alternating pattern to drive the sheet forwards for loading or backwards to retrieve the sheet. The distance travelled by the actuators for each push or pull cycle determines how far the slip sheet travels – with position controlled using displacement feedback from the SGJ series cable extension transducer.

SGJ series cable extension transducers (CETs)

The SGJ series CET from Variohm’s distribution partner TE Connectivity was chosen for its industrial grade quality and IP67 environmental protection rating. Its rugged glass-filled polycarbonate housing protects a precision high-cycle plastic hybrid rotary potentiometer in a spring-loaded cable and winding drum arrangement. The durable stainless-steel measuring cable is simply attached to the moving element in a "free-release" tolerant design that safeguards against damage if the cable is accidentally released. A stainless-steel mounting bracket and industry standard M12 connector makes installation straightforward in any orientation.

With several output options available in the SG series, including voltage and current as well as CANopen versions, Combilift chose the SGJ model with an integrated CAN SAE J1939 output communication profile – which is widely used on mobile equipment and factory automation applications and interfaced seamlessly with the CSS’s control system. The zero to 80-inch measurement version (2032 mm) provides an accuracy of 0.5% and a full-scale repeatability to 0.02%. The position data, in 12-bit resolution, and device status information is transmitted as ‘Proprietary B’ messages over the J1939 network. The Node ID, baud rate and date rate options are easily set using dip-switches and versions are available with or without terminal resistors. The 80-inch travel version can be mounted in a volume of less than 100 x 67 x 127 mm; a larger 120-inch travel version is also available.

CETs, sometimes referred to as ‘String pot sensors’ provide a cost-effective technology for long travel linear displacement measurement and find use across industrial applications such as mobile construction and forklift vehicle safety monitoring, winch and crane position feedback, large agricultural machines, flood management systems etc. Variohm supplies CETs in miniature designs with position measurement as small as 40 mm through to long travel models with over 40 metres linear measurement capability. The sensors used in CETs include rotary potentiometers, incremental encoders and multi-turn absolute encoders. Output options cover all industry standard voltage and current output levels as well as digital pulse and bus communication protocols. Cable actuated technology requires no critical alignment and suits applications where space is limited or where moving components may be submerged, deep underground or partially obscured by other equipment. Variohm’s comprehensive range of CETs are easily adapted for use in harsh environmental conditions with IP68 protection ratings and application matched versions supplied with hazardous area certification.

@Variohm @Combilift @TEConnectivity @mepaxIntPR #Pauto #Transport

Pressure sensor with mobile equipment.

Variohm EuroSensor’s new EPT31LE series pressure sensor features extremely fast power-up and response times and a low power consumption that perfectly suits mobile equipment pressure monitoring used in combination with battery and/or solar powered wireless transmitting systems.

Aimed at remote pressure monitoring tasks on agricultural machinery, heavy construction equipment and similar demanding applications, the sensor’s supply voltage is 3 or 5 VDC and current consumption is just 6 mA with more than twenty pressure range variants from 0.6 to 5000 bar in gauge or vacuum units.

Based on their well proven EPT3100 series pressure sensors with an innovative low power consumption piezo resistive sensing element and ASIC circuitry, the EPT31LE features impressive accuracy, non-linearity and stability specifications with safety secured through generous overrange and burst pressure ratings. The compact sensor is based on a 22 mm diameter 304 stainless steel housing with a 22 mm AF Hex fixing. Stainless steel wetted parts up to 2000 bar, and titanium wetted parts for all pressure ranges above assure durability for the most common hydraulic oils and liquid mediums. Measuring medium temperature range is -40 to +125 °C and long life is assured with more than 10 million operations.

The flexibility built into the sensor includes all common port configurations including NPT, UNF, SAE and metric thread options. Four output options include 0.3 to 2.7 V, 0.3 to 4.5 V and I2C digital. For electrical connection the sensor includes 600 mm cable with free ends with custom electrical interfacing and other modifications available on request.

#PAuto @Variohm @mepaxIntPR