Laser displacement sensors provide reliable, fast and high-precision non-contact measurements of position, displacement, and distance of objects. They are widely used for measurement in industrial environments for quality control, process automation, production monitoring, control and testing applications.
There are currently two technologies used in laser displacement sensor: Red and Blue laser sensors. Red laser sensors provide excellent measurement stability when used for dynamic applications such as measurement on fast-moving objects, measuring on wide range of surfaces, such as matt and low-reflective surfaces, etc. For certain objects, red laser sensors may not be suitable. Blue laser sensors can cover the gaps where red laser sensor cannot provide required measurement stability.
| Red Laser | Blue Laser | |
| Advantages |
|
|
| Disadvantages |
|
|
Applications
RED LASER SENSOR:
Many different industries employ paper and plastic coils. The processing sector, including the automotive industry, particularly needs steel strip bundles. They are employed to move large, flat metal or alloy objects. Large dimensions of about 1.8 m in diameter and the massive weight of the coil continue to pose difficulties for manufacturers. The coils need to be unwound before the material may be further processed. In order to monitor the uncoiling process properly and predict the coil changeover time early on, continuous diameter detection is required for this purpose. Red laser distance sensors use the phase comparison method to measure the coils. A sensor is positioned for this measurement duty between 0.2 and 10 metres away from the coil’s radius. It measures the distance to the coil continually. Continuous coil unwinding causes the diameter to decrease. As a result, the gap between the coil and the sensor widens. The sensor accurately determines this change in distance and sends it as a measurement value to the production process’s control system. This technology enables exact and wear-free control of the production process.
BLUE LASER SENSOR:
For instance, in the automotive industry, it is crucial to optimize the internal combustion engine’s internal processes. For engine management purposes, a variety of metrics are essential. One significant source is the exhaust gas temperature, which is measured using a thermocouple inside the manifold, however the high temperature in the flow of exhaust gas leads to the thermocouple self-fluorescing. It is vital to look at the structure’s tendency to vibrate as well as its mechanical rigidity in order to verify how it is fastened. Blue laser sensor is an ideal choice for measuring vibrations on the engine manifold. Due to the short wavelength of the blue laser sensor employed, the light emitted from the thermocouple does not blind the sensor and it accurately measures the vibrations via an interface to the PC.
Summary
Laser displacement sensors have been widely used in designing industrial measurement systems. However, due to the wide variety of products available and specific specifications required for your projects, choosing suitable sensors can be challenging. For instance, you must be aware of the properties of the target surfaces that the sensors measure, whether the surface reflection changes during operation, will the target object move during the measurement process, and what accuracy level is required. These questions will determine whether a blue or red laser is better suited to your industrial application.
At Bestech Australia, our technical experts can help you simplify the selection process and select the ideal sensor for your measuring needs. We are an authorized partner of Micro-Epsilon in Oceania and offer measurement support for the applications of non-contact laser displacement sensors for industrial tests and measurement tasks. We can also provide customers with laser sensors that are tailored to their specialized industrial applications.
Also Read: Types of Measurements that can be Performed Using Laser Sensor
