Netzer Precision Motion Sensors has taken a revolutionary position sensing technology, originally developed for harsh environment specialized applications, and made it available for today’s broader range of defense, homeland security, aerospace and instrumentation motion control requirements. Standard and customized rotary and linear electric encoders are also applicable to medical, automotive and a wide range of other applications.

The Electric Encoder™ non-contact technology relies on interaction between the measured displacement and a space/time modulated electric field. It offers a blend of features unequalled by optical or magnetic encoders.

Advantages of Capacitive encoder

The main technical and economic benefits of the electric / capacitive encoder technology can be summarized as follows:

  • No glass disc, no LED light source, so that eliminates possible points of failure
  • Generous mounting tolerances
  • Very low weight, inertia, and profile (=<10mm)
  • Ring shaped, hollow shaft with a wide range of diameters
  • Absolute position output over 360° rotation range
  • Precision to 0.001° in selected models
  • Default operation range from -40°C to +85°C
  • Dual and triple redundancy options
  • No magnetic signature
  • High tolerance to condensation and contaminants
  • Insensitivity to EMI/RFI and magnetic fields
  • High customizability
  • Low power consumption
  • Ultra-high-speed options
  • Wide variety of position feedback protocols

Application scenarios for capacitive encoders

Typical reasons for using capacitive encoders:

  •     the environment is heavily affected by electromagnetic interference
  •     an extremely short axial overall length is required
  •     a large internal bore in combination with short axial length is required
  •     Robustness against dust, humidity, shock and vibration is required

Our capacitive encoder uses the capacitive measuring principle and is therefore immune to EMC interference. EMC disturbances can occur in the vicinity of power electronics or in certain medical applications such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology. Due to the holographic measuring principle, which derives the signal over the full effective area of the encoder disc, the accuracy is less sensitive to mounting tolerances than with optical angle measurement systems. The capacitive encoder has no glass disc and no light source / light receiver and is therefore insensitive to dust, humidity, shock and vibration.

Application scenarios for capacitive encoders

Typical reasons for using capacitive encoders:

  •     the environment is heavily affected by electromagnetic interference
  •     an extremely short axial overall length is required
  •     a large internal bore in combination with short axial length is required
  •     Robustness against dust, humidity, shock and vibration is required

Our capacitive encoder uses the capacitive measuring principle and is therefore immune to EMC interference. EMC disturbances can occur in the vicinity of power electronics or in certain medical applications such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) technology. Due to the holographic measuring principle, which derives the signal over the full effective area of the encoder disc, the accuracy is less sensitive to mounting tolerances than with optical angle measurement systems. The capacitive encoder has no glass disc and no light source / light receiver and is therefore insensitive to dust, humidity, shock and vibration.

Do you have technical questions or need a quote?

Contact us today to talk to an experienced MACCON engineer!

DS-Series

DS Electric Encoders™ family meets the requirements for use in a wide variety of applications, from advanced
surgical robotics to sophisticated defense applications. The contact-less core with its floating rotor is extremely durable
and resistant to vibrations and shocks. The low profile, hollow shaft structure, suits compact, high-density designs and
provides unparalleled accuracy and resolution for encoders as small as 16mm to as large as 130mm.

Type
 
Outer diameter
(mm)
Inner diameter
(mm)
Length
(mm)
Resolution
(Bit)
Accuracy
(°)
Feedback
 
Datasheet
 
DS-16164816<=0,035SSI / BiSS-C
DS-25256717<=0,0251Vss sin/cos
SSI / BiSS-C
DS-373710817 Bit<=0,0251Vss sin/cos
SSI / BiSS-C
DS-4040101017 Bit<=0,020SSI / BiSS-C
DS-5858201018 Bit<=0,020SSI / BiSS-C
DS-7070301019 Bit<=0,010SSI / BiSS-C
DS-9090501019 Bit<=0,010SSI / BiSS-C
DS-130130901019 Bit<=0,010SSI / BiSS-C

Capacitive encoder in kit form for robotics

VL series  are kit encoders (rotor+stator, no housing) specially designed for robotics.

The main features are:

  • Absolute position
  • Short axial length
  • Large throughbore (especially useful for cables which must pass through robotic joints).
  • No bearings
  • High accuracy
  • Hardened against temperature, shock, moisture
  • Hardened against EMI/EMC and magnetic fields
  • 18-20-bit resolution
  • Accuracy ±0.010°

The encoder works by measuring capacitance over the full area of the encoder disc, thus, the mechanical mounting tolerances of the encoder are very flexible. At the same time, the encoder delivers very high accuracy. As the encoder has no ball bearings, glass code disks, LED light sources and other parts subject to wear-and-tear, it is a very reliable device. In addition, the power consumption is very low. The encoder is single-turn and provides SSI or BiSS-C absolute feedback.

MACCON offers the following single-turn encoder models:

  • VLX-60 with 60 mm outer diameter and 25 mm through hole
  • VLX-80 with 80 mm outer diameter and 35 mm through hole
  • VLX-100 with 100 mm outer diameter and 48 mm through hole
  • VLX-140 with140 mm outer diameter and und 90 mm through hole
  • VLX-170 with170 mm outer diameter and 110 mm through hole
  • VLX-247 with 247 mm outer diameter andund 171 mm through hole
     
  • VLP-60 with 60 mm outer diameter and 25 mm through hole
  • VLP-80 with 80 mm outer diameter and 35 mm through hole
  • VLP-100 with 100 mm outer diameter and 48 mm through hole
  • VLP-140 with140 mm outer diameter and und 90 mm through hole
  • VLP-170 with170 mm outer diameter and 110 mm through hole
  • VLP-247 with 247 mm outer diameter andund 171 mm through hole

MACCON offers the following multi-turn encoder:

  • VLM-60 with 60 mm outer diameter and 25 mm through hole.

Please download one of the datasheets on the right-hand side for more information. Alternatively, feel free to contact us, to talk to an experienced engineer about your application.

 

Features of the capacitive Encoder

  • Lightweight miniature absolute rotary encoder
  • Hollow floating shaft
  • No bearing or other contacts
  • High precision
  • High tolerance to EMI, RFI and magnetic fields
  • Digital interfaces for absolute position

VLH- Series

The VLH encoder is especially suited for commutation and smooth motor control of DC brushless motors.

The VLH-35 is a member of the VLH series of Electric Encoders™ (EE).
EE products are characterized by features that enable unparalleled performance:

  • Low profile (6 mm)
  • Hollow shaft (Stator / Rotor)
  • No bearings or other contact elements
  • High resolution and unparalleled precision
  • High tolerance to temperature extremes, shock, moisture, EMI, RFI and magnetic fields
  • Very low weight
  • Holistic signal generation
  • Digital interfaces for absolute position

The holistic structure of the Electric Encoder™ makes it unique: Its output reading is the averaged outcome of the entire area of the rotor. This feature allows the EE a tolerant mechanical
mounting and to deliver outstanding precision. Due to the absence of components such as ball bearings, flexible couplers, glass discs, light sources and detectors along with very low power consumption enables the EE to deliver virtually failure-free performance in nearly all types of conditions. The internally shielded, DC operated EE includes an electric field generator, a field receiver, sinusoidal-shaped dielectric rotor, and processing electronics. The EE output is a digital serial synchronous with absolute position single turn. This combination of high precision, low profile and, low weight has made the encoders highly reliable and particularly well suited to a wide variety of industrial automation applications.

Datasheet of the VLH-Series

TypeODIDHighOperating TemperatureResolutionAccuracyDatasheet
VLH-3535 mm11 mm6 mm-25°C to +105°C17-19 bit±0.05°

VLX- Series

The VLX absolute encoders are a family of a state-of-the-art position sensors designed for a broad range of industrial automation applications and motion control, providing an exceptional performance to size ratio. Typical applications include highly accurate surgical robots, semi-conductor robotics, collaborative-robots, multi-axes automated machinery, as well as automotive applications. The VLX encoders have been tested to meet the most exact of industrial environmental conditions of IEC 60068-2 and feature a push-button automatic calibration process which makes for an easy and smooth calibration process on the application.

Datatable of the VLX-Series

TypeODIDHeighOperating TemperatureResolutionAccuracyDatasheet
VLX-6060 mm25 mm8 mm-40°C bis +85°C18-20 bit±0.015°
VLX-8080 mm35 mm9,6 mm-40°C bis +85°C19-21 bit±0.010°coming soon
VLX-100100 mm48 mm9 mm-40°C bis +85°C18-20 bit±0.010°coming soon
VLX-140140 mm90 mm10 mm-40°C bis +85°C19-21 bit±0.010°coming soon
VLX-170170 mm110 mm10 mm-40°C bis +85°C19-21 bit±0.010°coming soon
VLX-247247 mm171 mm10,7 mm-40°C bis +85°C18-20 bit±0.010°coming soon

VLP- Serie

The VLP absolute encoders are a family of a state-of-the-art position sensors designed specifically for harsh environment and particularly suited for a broad range of aerospace and defense applications. The VLP encoders are some of the most accurate kit encoders providing an exceptional performance to size ratio. The VLP encoders have been tested to meet the Mil-std-810 and are fully immune to magnetic fields. They can be further customized with different coatings, connectors, and wires in accordance with the specific requirements of each customer and application.

Datasheet of the VLP-Series

TypeODIDHeightOperating
Temperature
ResolutionAccuracyDatasheet
VLP-6060 mm25 mm6 mm-40°C to +105°C18-20 bit±0.010°
VLP-8080 mm35 mm6,6 mm-40°C to +105°C19-21 bit±0.006°
VLP-100100 mm48 mm7 mm-40°C to +105°C18-20 bit±0.006°
VLP-140140 mm90 mm8 mm-40°C to +105°C19-21 bit±0.006°
VLP-170170 mm110 mm8 mm-40°C to +105°C19-21 bit±0.006°
VLP-247247 mm171 mm9 mm-40°C to +105°C18-20 bit±0.006°

Do you have technical questions or need a quote?

Contact us today to talk to an experienced MACCON engineer!

Multi-turn Encoder for multi-axis systems

The VLM-60 multi-turn encoder is an extremely low profile, hollow shaft absolute rotary encoder. The Encoder ensures the accuracy and reliability demanded by these applications. A 17-bit single-plus-15-bit multi-turn resolution ensures smooth and continuous production since the master reads the multi-turn positions from the encoder both at start-up and throughout the operation. In case of a power outage or a machine shutdown, the VLM-60 maintains the multi-turn absolute position by utilizing an internal battery or an external power source.

The encoder is resistant to extreme environmental conditions such as, humidity and dust, extreme temperatures, shock and vibration, as well as resistant to magnetic fields and electromagnetic interference (EMI), enabling trouble-free performance under almost all conditions.

 

Features

  • Multi-turn encoder – 17 bit single + 15 bit multi-turn resolution
  • Low profile (<8 mm)
  • High resolution and precision
  • Hollow shaft
  • Adaptable resolution
  • Environmentally durable

VLM- Series

The VLM multi-turn absolute encoder is implemented with a revolution counter. The VLM includes an internal battery as well as an external battery connection in order to keep turn-count and absolute position in case of power disconnect or shut-down.

Datatable of the VLM-Series

TypeODIDHightOperating
Temperature
ResolutionAccuracyDatasheet
VLM-6060 mm25 mm8 mm-20°C to +65°C17 bit±0.010°

Application examples

The encoder's versatile features make it suitable for a wide range of demanding tasks in the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical and robotics sectors.