SPECIALIZED MANUFACTURING SENSORS Follow one batch of product through a factory and you meet a different sensor at almost every step. Each one removes a problem before it becomes a rejection. PART 25 OF 25  |  4 MIN READ  |  BY SUBODH RAJ IN THIS ARTICLE 7:00 a.m. Setting up the press 9:00 a.m. Machining 11:00 a.m. Welding 1:00 p.m. Surface and thickness 3:00 p.m. Moving material 5:00 p.m. Leak test Final checks on food and pharma lines The 11 sensors in this part 7:00 a.m. Setting up the press A double-sheet detector checks that exactly one metal sheet enters the die. Two sheets would crack the tool. It does this with ultrasound or an inductive method that notices extra thickness. 9:00 a.m. Machining Tool-breakage and tool-wear sensors watch spindle current, vibration or force. A worn tool leaves a poor surface. A broken tool ruins the part and can damage the machine. Changing tools by measured wear, not by the clock, saves both tools and scrap. 11:00 a.m. Welding A...

PARTICLE & ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SENSORS You cannot see most air problems. Fine dust, carbon dioxide and chemical vapours are invisible, and each needs its own sensor. This guide explains what each one tells you and what to do about it. PART 24 OF 25  |  4 MIN READ  |  BY SUBODH RAJ IN THIS ARTICLE CO2: the ventilation indicator PM2.5 and PM10: the dust numbers Laser particle counters VOCs and gas Smoke detection Temperature and humidity Placement tips The 10 sensors in this part CO2: the ventilation indicator People breathe out CO2. Outdoor air is about 420 ppm. Levels above roughly 1,000 ppm in a room usually mean poor ventilation, and above 2,000 ppm many people feel drowsy. CO2 sensors use infrared absorption, so they are stable and selective. PM2.5 and PM10: the dust numbers PM2.5 are particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres and can reach deep into the lungs. A laser dust sensor draws air past a beam and counts scattered light. Typical guideline values are ...

FORCE, TOUCH & TACTILE SENSORS Robots see well and move precisely, yet they still struggle to pick up a ripe tomato or turn a key. The missing piece is touch. Tactile sensors are the area where robotics is changing most quickly. PART 23 OF 25  |  4 MIN READ  |  BY SUBODH RAJ IN THIS ARTICLE What touch gives a robot Simple touch: switches and films Measuring force properly Seeing touch Electronic skin The practical limits today The 11 sensors in this part What touch gives a robot A vision system tells a robot where an object is. Touch tells it whether the object slipped, how hard it is squeezed, and how rough or soft it is. That information arrives in milliseconds, much faster than a camera can process an image. Simple touch: switches and films Resistive touch sensors press two conductive layers together. Capacitive sensors notice the electrical field of a finger. Force-sensitive resistors reduce their resistance as force rises. All are thin and cheap but not very...