Types of Sensors There are many different types of sensors. Here at Variohm, we offer a full range of sensors for industrial and commercial use. Sensors are used throughout almost every industry for applications which we come into contact with on a daily basis as well as more industrial and specialist applications. Sensors can be found in the home, the office, in our cars, buses, trains, trams, computers, medical facilities, labs, power plants, restaurants, food processing factories, production lines etc A Sensor is used to take a measurement, the measurement will be processed and the result of the process, an output will be given. The output will then cause something to change or move. A simple example is the temperature sensor in a thermostat. The temperature sensor is constantly monitoring the temperature, once the measurement taken reaches the desired temperature, the measurement is processed and the output causes the boiler to switch off. Types of Sensors There are many different types of sensors, the main categories are; Position Sensors Pressure Sensors Temperature Sensors Force Sensors Vibration Sensors Piezo Sensors Fluid Property Sensors Humidity Sensors Strain gauges Photo Optic Sensors Flow and Level Switches These categories can all be split further into subcategories for example, within position sensors there are the following types; Contacting Non-contacting Rotary Linear And these types of sensors can be split even further, within non-contacting you have the following types of sensors; Hall effect Capacitive Eddy Current Ultrasonic Laser Proximity By splitting one category – Position Sensors it is clear to see that the number of sensors present in today’s world is so vast that one blog post could not cover every type of sensor. However, here is an overview of different types of sensors Variohm can offer. Types of Sensors – Position Sensors As discussed above there are many varieties of position sensor; linear, rotary, contacting, non-contacting and use a variety of different technologies. Position sensors are used to measure and monitor the position or displacement of an object. We have been supplying position sensors for over 40 years and have developed our own range of position sensors which have been added to the comprehensive range from our suppliers and partners. Our own range includes; Linear position Sensors VLP VXP ELPM VLPSC Rotary Position Sensors Euro-X Hall Effect Euro-XP Puck – 2 part puck and magnet design Euro – XPD – D shaft CMRS CMRT CMRK Further reading on Position Sensors What is a Position Sensor? Position Sensor Applications Types of Sensors – Pressure Sensors Pressure sensors are often split into the following two categories; Pressure transducers and pressure switches. The main difference is that pressure transducers give accurate feedback on real-time pressure and pressure switches have a set limit which causes them to switch. Both pressure switches and pressure transducers have mechanisms which use the formula – Pressure = force divided by area to detect pressure. Pressure sensors can measure the pressure in gases, liquids or solids and are used in a variety of industries. Underwater pressure transducers are referred to as level meters as the pressure they measure is directly related to the level of the water. Pressure can be gauge, differential, absolute or vacuum and can be measured in Bar or PSI. Many of our pressure sensors come from our trusted suppliers and we also have our own range of; Pressure Transducers – EPT range Pressure Switches - EPS range Further reading on Pressure Sensors Pressure Transducer Applications What is a Pressure Sensor? Types of Sensors – Load Cells and Force Sensors Load Cells are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They are used to measure various types of force, the main one being weight. Load cells are used in all types of scales; from bathroom scales to counting scales, industrial scales, truck scales, hopper scales and everything in between. Most load cells use internal strain gauges to monitor force based on the level of distortion on the strain gauge. Our load cells come from our trusted suppliers. And can be seen on our website. Further reading on Load Cells Load Cells for Weighing Load Cell Types and Applications Types of Sensors – Temperature Sensors Temperature Sensors are another very common type of sensor – they are all around us. Temperature sensors are used to measure and monitor temperature, whether this is the main variable requiring measuring or a secondary variable which requires monitoring as a safety precaution within another application. Different types of temperature sensors will require different approvals. Medical approvals will be required for temperatures used for patient monitoring or within medical devices. Other certifications will be required for temperature sensors in food and beverage applications. Temperature sensors come in many different shapes sizes and types; thermistors, probes, thermocouples, RTDs and temperature transducers to name a few. Temperature Sensors is another type of sensor which we carry our own range of; ETP – Eurosensor Temperature probes – these are fully customisable to your requirements. Further reading on temperature sensors; Temperature Sensor Applications Types of Temperature Sensors Other Types of Sensors Position, Pressure, Load and Temperature are our most popular sensor types here at Variohm. We also provide many other types of sensors for various applications. Piezo sensors are well used in the medical industry, Strain gauges are often used within other sensors to monitor small changes in stress and strain, vibration sensors are used throughout many industries and there are many different types of sensor within this category. These are just a few examples of the different types of sensor we can offer and what is available on the market. Take a look at our Product Portfolio to see all of the different types of sensor we can offer. Types of Sensors from Variohm Holdings Ltd Variohm Eurosensor is part of Variohm Holdings Ltd; a group of companies working in great autonomy to supply a sensor or solution to any application in any industry. Each company is specially suited to a specific product area; Variohm Eurosensor – Sensors and Transducers Supplier and Manufacturer Heason Technology – Motion Control Solutions Herga Technology – Switches and Sensors Ixthus Instrumentation – Test and Measurement Sensors Positek – Non-Contacting Position Sensors and Transducers If you would like more information on any types of sensor please contact us. Article published on: 11/05/2020 Article last updated on: 11/05/2020