Polymer keeps sensors hygenic
A
Victrex product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Mar 11, 2002
Essen-based ifm-electronic is using Victrex Peek polymer combined with stainless steel in the housings of a new range of proximity sensors for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Essen-based ifm-electronic is using Victrex Peek polymer combined with stainless steel in the housings of a new range of proximity sensors for the food and pharmaceutical industries.
This material combination ensures a lasting and absolutely safe sensor function in the most demanding hygienic environments, where the proximity sensors provide feedback about the specific positions of valves and valve systems.
Essentially, the housings must resist the aggressive action of chemical cleaning agents applied at regular intervals, high pressures and high temperatures in order to guarantee the hygienic of the equipment.
This as well as the critical ingress of fluids and thermal shock resistance required the use of high-performance materials.
To assure these properties, ifm-electronic subjects its sensors to 1000h of thermal cycling at temperatures alternating from 0 to 100C.
The tightness of the housings is then tested by means of a water jet of 100bar from a distance of only 10 to 15mm.
The front face housing part, moulded in Victrex Peek polymer, has consistently shown to pass both of these demanding tests.
The material's high heat resistance and low coefficient of thermal expansion prevent the formation of gaps and subsequent leakage at the interface to the stainless steel component.
Due to the excellent chemical resistance of Peek polymer, the moulding retains its physical integrity and thus provides a very high level of safety and reliability in continuous use.
Other plastics had shown material changes leading to sensor failures.
Another key requirement in the food and pharmaceutical industry, unfilled Victrex Peek polymer also offers FDA approval for food-contact applications.
With Victrex Peek polymer, ifm-electronic has successfully developed an innovative range of inductive proximity switches, manufactured in series to the highest standards of lifetime reliability in all environments of the pharmaceutical and food industry.
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