Tough photo sensors for wash down applications

Specifically developed to meet the needs of users in the food and beverage industries, photoelectric sensors in Omron’s new E3FC range are detergent resistant and are ideally suited for use in operating environments where they will be subjected to regular wash down with high-pressure jets. In these tough operating conditions, E3FC sensors will provide a significantly increased lifetime compared with standard sensors.

To allow easy installation and adjustment, Omron’s new photosensors feature cylindrical threaded M18 bodies of the type often used for inductive sensors. The bodies are manufactured from corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel, and are partly filled with epoxy resin to provide optimum protection against water jets and industrial detergents and to prevent water entering via either the connector or cable-end.
All E3FC sensors have an IP68/IP69K ingress protection rating and an operating temperature range of -25ºC to +55ºC.  Their durability has been verified by extensive testing with a range of detergents and by thermal shock testing in surface-tensioned water.
Complementing Omron’s existing exceptionally wide range of sensors, the new E3FC products are available in a complete family of through-beam, retro-reflective, diffuse-reflective and background-suppression versions. All use bright visible red LED light sources that aid alignment and provide enhanced operating range. The sensors are designed for operation from nominal 10-30V DC supplies and can be configured by the user for either light-on or dark-on operation.