Sensor Technology Ltd

Oxford YASA Motors is finding that a TorqSense non-contact speed and torque sensor from Sensor Technology is an invaluable aid in the refinement of its world-leading motor designs. Used in a test rig to evaluate prototype motors, the sensor provides accurate and dependable real time information in a readily accessible format.

Manufacturing is re-emerging as a leading economic growth engine after a rather quiet summer. However this sector alone is not big enough to pull the whole of the UK back into good times. So says Mark Ingham, sales manager at Sensor Technology Ltd in Banbury, one of the innovating yet commercially aware companies identified by politicians as vital for ‘rebalancing the economy’. “It is clear that we need to rebuild the national base of manufacturing, engineering, science and technology companies. These create wealth, rather than just redistributing it. However, this is not an overnight project; it will take literally decades.

Hydrocarbon drilling accuracy has been increased tenfold by using adapted advanced aerospace guidance systems. And an equally innovative torque sensor ensures efficiency during the equipment’s regular programmed maintenance.

High performance torque measurement is helping to improve the energy efficiency of domestic washing machines, enabling consumers to make greener purchase decisions. The Eco Rating stickers that provide potential buyers with a clear assessment of white goods’ environmental performance now play a major role in retail sales. Manufactures want to achieve the best classification possible, so are redesigning their machines to reduce power consumption.

Medical experts and sports scientists are becoming increasingly reliant on engineers as their disciplines become more and more technical. Mark Ingham looks at some of the projects his company, Sensor Technology, has helped behind the scenes.

Equipment rentals are increasingly helping companies overcome the hurdle of finding investment capital to fund development and verification projects. The current phase of the economic cycle, recovery from a slowdown, is always difficult and frustrating, as Mark Ingham of Sensor Technology identifies: “Companies are seeing their markets improve, but don’t have the reserves to finance all the activities that will kickstart their sales. What money there is has to be used carefully, which usually means funding some projects but not others. As a result opportunities have to be missed.”

Manufacturing is re-emerging as a leading economic growth engine after a rather quiet summer. However this sector alone is not big enough to pull the whole of the UK back into good times. So says Mark Ingham, sales manager at Sensor Technology Ltd in Banbury, one of the innovating yet commercially aware companies identified by politicians as vital for ‘rebalancing the economy’.

Aircraft servicing times are being reduced, enabling more flying hours, thanks to a new fully automatic generator testing station developed by MEL Aviation in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Practically infinite reliability was the defining requirement when researchers wanted to run a TorqSense transducer under the sea as part of extensive trials of a green energy turbine.

Rotork Controls has established a global reputation for robust and reliable valve actuators, operating in some of the world’s most demanding and critical applications. Thorough testing of the motors used in the actuators is one of the keys to this assured performance, with TorqSense transducers from Sensor Technology playing a vital role in the test process.

The speed with which sheep shearers can have an animal shorn is a marvel, made possible by ever-developing technology. TorqSense transducers from Sensor Technology are playing an important role in new product development at Gloucestershire-based Lister Shearing, the oldest and one of the most successful suppliers of animal shearing and clipping equipment in the world. The sensors, which are based on SAW (surface acoustic wave) technology, are being used by the company as an aid to evaluating the performance of miniature electric motors.

A smart load sensor developed in the UK by Sensor Technology provides all the information needed to optimise efficiency and increase profitability of a wide range of industrial operations.

Total traceability extends to packaging as well as product in the rarefied world of pharmaceuticals. Capcoder Ltd has adopted a novel torque sensing system as the core of the datalogging capabilities of its bottle sealing machines.

The turbine will sit on a pontoon and will provide a floating test and measurement laboratory. On this will be an array of sensors and monitors, including a TorqSense the wireless torque sensor from Sensor Technology Ltd. To say that this is a harsh environment for laboratory equipment is a bit of an understatement, says Rod Bromfield, Senior Lecturer, of the Faculty of Engineering, Kingston University. We can only use robust kit with a proven industrial pedigree.

Technology transfer may prove one of the cornerstone engines for growth as the UK emerges from recession over the coming months. Sensor Technology in Oxon are virtually addicted to the habit, so we asked their Tony Ingham how it has shaped the company’s development and what the future holds.

The electrical machines laboratory at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has greatly increased in its effectiveness as a teaching resource since TorqSense non-contact torque sensors from Sensor Technology have been fitted to five machine sets. The new sensors replace an existing system of machine monitoring that had proved inaccurate.

The latest model of TorqSense, the non-contact digital torque measuring system, incorporates an integral sprocket or pulley, allowing easy fit-and-forget mounting in a vast range of plant and machinery such as drum mixers, generators, pump, dynamometers and conveyor drives.

A torque sensor is helping analyse recipes’ mixing properties in a project that could slash development costs in the food and plastics industry and help nanotechnology advances in the pharmaceuticals world.

With engine efficiency under the spotlight like never before, automotive companies are exploring all avenues for improving performance. And because engines have a rotating power output, torque is the key measurement.

Research at the University of Manchester has demonstrated servo systems with vastly improved dynamics with the most challenging of loads. The key to the increased performance is a torque transducer from Sensor Technology employing Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) techniques to deliver high-bandwidth, non-contact solution.