7 Types of Industrial Sensors and How to Choose the Right One for Your Application
Discreet yet essential, industrial sensors serve as one of the most important devices in automation. From monitoring to control, sensors are one of the most important peripheral parts, offering machine-readable data that drives productivity, safety, and performance.
Not every industry has the same requirements, nor do they use similar sensors. However, the safety and productivity of a given industrial automation system depend on the efficiency, accuracy, precision, and latency of the connected sensors. This makes it important to choose the most durable, reliable, and accurate sensors compatible with the application.
Here, we outline the seven most common types of industrial sensors and how you can choose the right one for your application.
What Are Industrial Sensors
Industrial sensors detect, monitor, and collect critical data from connected processes. These capture the variables from the environment and provide a machine-readable output that checks product quality, ensures production consistency, plans for scheduled maintenance, and predicts equipment failure.
Thus, they serve as key devices that offer foundational data for intelligent, automated, and efficient industries and production processes.
7 Types of Industrial Sensors Key to Efficient Processes
Different industrial applications call for different types of industrial sensors, whether its photoelectric based safety barriers or temperature sensors. The seven most popular types of industrial sensors are as follows:
1. Temperature Sensors
Using thermocouples, RTDs, thermistors, or non-contact IR sensors, these detect the temperature of industrial machinery and prevent overheating/freezing. Thus, systems run efficiently, avoiding temperature-related faults and failures. Further, temperature sensors also increase the life of key components.
2. Pressure Sensors
Pressure sensors assess whether flow pressure is higher or lower than normal using a pressure-sensitive subcomponent. When the readings go beyond set parameters, a warning is triggered, and the operator is alerted. This preemptively detects the need for repairs and prevents unplanned downtimes.
3. Flow Sensors
In water treatment, energy, food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries, flow sensors detect the flow of a fluid (air, process gas, or liquid) that passes through a given pipeline. This helps adjust connected devices and process parameters, ensuring safety by identifying blockages, excessive pressure, and leaks.
4. Level Sensors
Level sensors serve as gauges that read and monitor the level of a fluid in a given process vessel, tank, or silo. This offers real-time data, prevents overflow and critically low levels, and can even be used to trigger pumps and connected devices for refilling/draining. These are available as both point-level and continuous-level sensors, which need to be chosen as per the application.
5. Position Sensors
In automation, material handling, robotics, and manufacturing, being able to determine a material/device’s position is key. Position sensors (both linear and rotary) detect whether or not a given piece of equipment or workpiece is in place. Further, based on their design, they can detect both static and real-time (dynamic) positioning data.
6. Motion Sensors
Industrial motion sensors come with a field of view from which it detects and gathers movement data and converts this into an electrical signal. They offer both local sensing that detects movement in small, confined spaces (like process automation safety barriers), and area sensing for outdoor monitoring and compound-wide security. In process automation, these are often connected to emergency shutdown switches and stops that prevent contamination and accidents in case of a breach.
7. Vibration Sensors
Industrial equipment have multiple moving/rotating parts that need to stay in place for uninterrupted processes. Vibration sensors track acceleration, velocity, and displacement data, predicting possible vibration. These are a great tool for scheduling maintenance by detecting the peaks and valleys in vibration data.
Things to Consider Before Choosing Industrial Sensors
Before you choose process automation safety barriers and industrial sensors for your industrial setup, it is important to look at certain key criteria:
Detection Accuracy and Sensor Sensitivity
Precise measurements are crucial for quality control, and the installed sensor must have the ability to measure accurately over the entire process parameters. Further, the sensor data must match the equipment’s reading precisely to prevent slips in performance.
Output Signal and Device Compatibility
The chosen industrial sensor must integrate and communicate smoothly with the existing system. Thus, it is important to check whether you need an analog or digital sensor, alongside the allowed voltage levels, current requirements, and supported communication protocols.
Sensor Size and Mounting
Certain industrial applications call for compact, lightweight sensors, while others require heavy-duty sensors with high IP ratings. Further, the installed industrial sensor must remain securely in place, held through specific mounting hardware or brackets, regardless of vibration, movement, or other physical stresses.
Energy and Voltage Requirements
For effective, fault-free operation, the industrial sensor used must match the power supply capabilities. Be sure to check for compatibility, energy consumption, and electrical noise sensitivity among the technical specifications of the sensor.
Sensor Resolution and Range
If precision is essential to your application, choose a high-resolution sensor that measures the smallest increment (change). Further, account for your process parameters and make sure that the sensor’s range (minimum and maximum value measured) fits your application.
Response Speed and Latency
Sensor latency is the delay between the event taking place and the sensor detecting and reporting the change. This varies with the type of sensor (capacitive, inductive, or photoelectric), signal type (analog and digital), and resilience to the environment in which it is installed.
Linearity
The linearity of an industrial sensor evaluates how well (proportionality and precision) the output changes with a change in actual process values. Opting for a sensor that offers high linearity makes data interpretation and system calibration easier.
Environment and Durability
Industrial sensors must be able to withstand physical and chemical factors like vibration, pressure, wear, debris, moisture, high temperature, hazardous substances, and UV. Thus, account for the factors that can affect the sensor and choose one that has the necessary IP rating.
Connectivity and Compatibility
Installed industrial sensors must be compatible with popular industrial communication protocols like Ethernet, MODBUS, CANbus, and others. Check the communication protocols supported by your industrial devices and implement one that is compatible.
Flowchart to Follow When Selecting an Industrial Sensor
From Pepperl+Fuchs safety barriers to CORON or Pilz sensors, here is a stepwise guide that can help you make the right choice in industrial sensors:
- Define your application and determine which process parameter to measure.
- Identify the ambient/operating environment, i.e., presence of dust, moisture, high vibration, etc.
- Determine the level of accuracy, precision, latency, and linearity required for the specific application.
- Make considerations for the physical requirements, like sensor size, mounting, and power rating.
- Evaluate the output type of the sensor and check whether it supports the same communication protocols as your industrial processes.
- Assess the cost of ownership and deployment by accounting for the price of the product, installation costs, and future upgrades.
Best Practices to Follow For an Efficient Sensor Selection
Whether you are opting for Pepperl+Fuchs Industrial Sensors or those made by Pilz, SICK, or Honeywell, when selecting the final product, adhere to the following best practices:
- Conduct a needs assessment that accounts for the specifics of your industrial application.
- Consult sensor manufacturers, industry experts, and professional consultants.
- Prototype and test sensors to validate sensor performance before factory-wide implementation.
- Opt for a system that accommodates future upgrades by supporting higher activity levels and new technologies.
- Go for the greener, energy-efficient alternatives that lower energy consumption and overheads.
Wrapping Up
Choosing the right sensors is key to safety, efficiency, and performance in industrial automation. Engineers need to evaluate their process requirements to opt for sensors that are compatible with the existing infrastructure, support upgrades, offer accurate data and monitoring, and drive process safety.
Implementing Industrial Automation Through the Right Industrial Sensors
Looking for efficient industrial sensors that offer low latency, high accuracy, and excellent precision? Opt for Pepperl+Fuchs Industrial Sensors or those by other top manufacturers for reliable operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is It Important to Choose the Right Industrial Sensor?
Selecting the appropriate sensor is crucial for ensuring system performance, accuracy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of industrial operations. An incorrect sensor can lead to inaccurate data, system failures, increased maintenance costs, and potential safety hazards.
Are Pepperl+fuchs Safety Barriers Effective?
The Pepperl+Fuchs safety barriers offer energy limitation, galvanic isolation, and ensure functional safety by using inductive, photoelectric, ultrasonic, and radar sensors for object detection, collision avoidance, and level measurement. This makes them highly effective in industrial applications.
What is the Difference Between a Sensor and a Transmitter?
A sensor measures a physical quantity, while a transmitter converts the sensor’s raw signal into a standardized format (e.g., 4-20 mA or Modbus) that can be sent to a control system, such as a PLC or DCS.
Can Inductive Sensors Serve as Position or Motion Sensors for Non-metallic Objects?
No, inductive sensors are designed to detect metal objects by using an electromagnetic field and cannot detect non-metallic materials. For non-metallic materials, you need to opt for capacitive or photoelectric sensors, which are typically more suitable.
