POSITAL’s versatile rotary encoders: Precision motion-control solutions for every industry

Rotary encoders come in many forms.

POSITAL-Fraba counts rotary encoders as one of its specialty industrial solutions. These devices are used in motion-control systems in such applications as packaging machinery, medical equipment, mobile construction machinery, and resource extraction. POSITAL and other manufacturers keep offering better-performing, more versatile, and less expensive encoders for evolving customer needs.

These products come in a broad range of mechanical configurations, and POSITAL offers three main categories of encoders: incremental, absolute, and kit encoders.

Perfect for position control

Incremental encoders produce a stream of pulses at a rate directly proportional to the rotation speed, which makes them compatible with speed control. Absolute encoders output multi-byte digital signals that report the absolute rotary position of the unit’s shaft at a specific moment, and this makes them perfect for position control. POSITAL makes special hybrid models of rotary encoders that offer both outputs in one device, for customers who require both incremental and absolute functions.

Multi-turn absolute magnetic encoders report the amount of full revolutions that the encoder has experienced, and they are recommended in tasks in which drive motors turn multiple times during a positioning application. Multi-turn encoders have measurement ranges that extend to several million revolutions, and some models (like POSITAL’s IXARC family) include self-powered rotation counters, so no backup batteries are required for substantially reduced maintenance needs.

In contrast to self-contained rotary encoders, kit encoders are separate measurement modules designed to be built into a motor’s housing to measure shaft rotation directly; this eliminates the requirement for a separate encoder shaft, bearing, and seal, making the encoder more compact and inexpensive than standalone encoders are. Adding motion feedback abilities upgrades the motor into a servomotor, a perfect option for many motion-control applications.

Optical encoders are traditionally favoured for high accuracy and dynamic response, but high-performance magnetic capacitive encoders now deliver peak performance in compact, rugged, cost-efficient packaging, based on magnetic or capacitive measurement technology. These solutions usually use embedded micro-controllers to handle signal processing and communications. Users can customize these encoders via software updates.

POSITAL offers these encoders with numerous communications interfaces and protocols as well.

For more information, contact POSITAL.

• Tweet