Many of today’s industries and applications rely on photoelectric sensor technology. Contactless operation and long sensing ranges are ideal for numerous automation tasks, including in the packaging industry. With an integral IO-Link interface, Contrinex sensors bridge the gap between production machines and the digital world for the future industrial Internet of Things (IoT). Small, flexible and easy to integrate into different machine environments: all these requirements are met by the new photoelectric sensors of Contrinex’s short M18 series. This includes reflex, through-beam and diffuse sensors with or without background suppression. The small plastic housings with M18 diameter are only 33 mm long in the cable version or 37 mm in the connector type.…

When it comes to detecting transparent objects, the limits of conventional photoelectric sensors are soon apparent. Since clear glass or plastic absorb only a small amount of light, there is little difference between emitted and received light levels. As a result, switching signals may be unclear. Contamination by dust or moisture on the lens – unavoidable in many areas of application – can lead to counting errors. Until now, such problems have been mitigated through the use of complex algorithms in the controller or by constant fine adjustment. A new approach offers a solution. The Contrinex TRU-C23 photoelectric sensor is ideally suited for the presence control of transparent objects. Its patented technology uses…