Hydro Aluminium improves system reliability with a Contrinex sensor solution

The company is always looking to adopt new products and processes to ensure best production practices and when an automated storage-still facility, located inside a fenced-off personnel-free zone, developed reliability issues, Tony Horvath, maintenance team leader at Hydro Aluminium, turned to W.Mearns for a solution.

The sensors fitted to the existing handling system had insufficient spare sensing range to detect reliably the lifting-point flanges of the still that need to be located for it to be moved. In addition, due to the variations of these flanges, the sensors also suffered failure due to collision damage causing further system malfunctions.

W.Mearns, an approved Contrinex technical distributor, recommended using the rugged all-stainless steel Series 700 sensors. Because this Contrinex range is form-fit and functionally compatible with the existing sensors, there were minimal adjustments required to fit the new sensors.

In addition, Series 700 sensors have triple sensing distance on all metals so the Contrinex sensors always detect the lifting flanges despite the variations in position and angle. As this tough range is made from solid stainless steel, even if collisions do occur no damage results.

Series 700 range can withstand extreme impact, high shock levels and is resistant to virtually any chemical stress. The use of patented, sensor technology known as Condet® produces a sensing distance that is, size for size, three times that of conventional sensors and is stable over its full temperature range from -25ºC to +85ºC.

They are supplied in M8, M12, M18 and M30 sizes, in embeddable and non-embeddable plus cable or pluggable formats with a built-in LED plus short circuit, voltage reversal and overload protection.