Consortium conceives rugged encoder
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Zettlex Printed Technologies product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Nov 30, 2007
A UK consortium has developed what it claims to be the world's toughest position sensor based on a novel radio frequency (RF) technique.
The technology forms an electromagnetic field around the sensor and the identity and position of a target object can be contactlessly detected from its electronic signature.
The sensors can withstand: temperatures of 200C with flash temperatures of 500C; long-term liquid immersion; constant vibration; shock impacts to 1000g; pressures to 690bar; as well as most alkali and acid chemicals.
Versions can be designed for operation in potentially explosive atmospheres and stainless casework.
The consortium was led by C-Tech Innovation in Chester and collaborators include PW Circuits in Leicester, Zettlex in Cambridge and University College London.
The new technology is being commercially exploited by Zettlex.
The research and development programme has been funded by the UK Government's Collaborative R and D Programme.
Darran Kreit, Zettlex's Technical Director, comments: "Testing these devices has proved to be pretty challenging".
"We've hit them with sledgehammers, set fire to them, ran over them in cars - even thrown them from a multistorey car park on to a concrete pad to simulate high shock loads".
"The concrete pad was pretty much a write-off but the sensors were fine".
Ged Barlow, C-Tech CEO, adds: "Sensor technologies are evolving rapidly because of recent breakthroughs in electronics miniaturisation, software and new materials".
"It's why C-Tech Innovation sees sensor technology as a strategically important area for the growth of our business and we are delighted to see the fruits of our labour with this project".
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