Piezocryst and HBM introduce new piezo-electric force washers for industrial process control. A new innovation in force measurement technology is being introduced to an audience of specialists at the SPS/IPC/DRIVES trade fair in Nürnberg. The two new force washers cover a force range up to 50kN and 140 kN and offer all the advantages of piezo-electric measurement technology: Extremely robust and virtually displacement-free, highly dynamic measurement in a compact size.

A few months after the introduction of a new generation of onboard sensors for the continuous measurement of cylinder pressures in large engines, the first Condition Monitoring Systems were put into operation in cooperation with AVL. The system, which operates under the name EPOS – Engine Performance and Operation System – is a novel monitoring and diagnostic system for large engines. Pressure sensor technology, in addition to the implementation in simple hand-held units and OEM applications, is now available for use in continual condition monitoring.

In nearly every motor you will find piston rods, which transfer the piston stroke to the crankshaft. Frequently, separated piston rods are employed which, in the past, had to be produced in multi-level processes with a high standard of production accuracy. Through the use of piezo-electric force sensors, it is possible today to produce piston rods in a much more simplified production process. Here, the piston rods are systematically cracked at a predetermined breaking point and then fitted together later. In using this procedure, not only production costs decrease, but the piston rods also exhibit better behavior in relation to shear forces.