WIKA Instruments hosted the August Technology Evening. Lloyd Townsend, product support manager from WIKA, gave an insightful presentation on sensor technology and deciding factors to consider when selecting the correct sensor for an application, considering its limitations and characteristics. A sensor’s purpose is to detect events or changes in its environment and then provide a corresponding output. It is a type of transducer and may provide various types of output, but typically uses electrical or optical signals.
Gary Friend (right) thanks Lloyd Townsend after the presentation.
Pressure sensor technology, for example, generally involves measuring the deflection of a diaphragm and converting the mechanical effect into an electrical signal.
Townsend went into technical details of the technologies that WIKA uses in its sensors. He also included topics such as comparisons, limitations and diaphragm seal systems. He discussed the performance and applications of the ceramic thick film, metal thin film and piezo-resistive sensor technologies. This included the working principle of a diaphragm seal and the cooling performance on a sensor in relation to the ambient temperature, which can vary significantly depending on the application.
The evening was well attended and the branch thanks Lloyd for his informative presentation, which was followed by an interactive Q&A session.
Dates to diarise
The branch will host the Annual SAIMC Golf Day on 21 October at the Kempton Park Golf course.
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