Inductive Proximity Sensors
Non-contact detection of metal targets from 1 mm to 50 mm, in M8 to M80 barrels and rectangular housings.
A sugar mill is one of the hardest environments in Indian industry for sensing equipment: cane juice is acidic and sticky, bagasse dust gets everywhere, wash-down is constant, and the crushing season runs continuously for months with no window for unplanned maintenance.
Why sugar mills are hard on sensors
- Juice and molasses are corrosive and build up on any exposed surface, blinding optical sensors within hours.
- Bagasse dust is abrasive, combustible and pervasive, penetrating any housing that is not properly sealed.
- Continuous season running means a failure cannot wait for a planned shutdown — it stops crushing.
- Heavy vibration from mill rollers and cane preparation equipment loosens mountings and fatigues cables.
- Wash-down between seasons subjects everything to high-pressure water.
Where our sensors are used
- Cane yard and carriers — carrier position, chain speed monitoring and jam detection.
- Cane preparation — knife and shredder shaft speed via magnetic pickup, overspeed protection.
- Mill house — roller speed monitoring, trash plate position, turbine and gearbox RPM.
- Boiling house — level detection in tanks and pans using capacitive sensing through the wall.
- Centrifugals — position and speed confirmation, cycle interlocks.
- Bagasse handling — conveyor run detection and dust-zone sensing where NAMUR intrinsic safety applies.
Choosing the right technology for a mill
- Inductive over photoelectric wherever the target is metal. An optical sensor coated in juice stops working; an inductive sensor keeps running because a film of non-metallic residue barely affects its field.
- Magnetic pickup for shaft speed — no contact with the shaft, nothing to wear, and the toothed wheel is easy to keep clear.
- Capacitive through the tank wall for level, so nothing is wetted by the process and there is no seal to fail.
Products for this industry
Magnetic Sensors
Reed, Hall-effect and variable-reluctance pickups for cylinder position, speed and RPM measurement.
Capacitive Proximity Sensors
Detect metals, plastics, glass, liquids, grain and powders — including sensing through non-metallic tank walls.
Sensor Control Units
Amplifiers, timers and relay-output units that convert sensor signals into usable switching for your panel.
Frequently asked questions
Which sensor survives juice and molasses build-up best?
Inductive, by a clear margin. A non-metallic film on the sensing face has very little effect on an inductive field, whereas the same film blinds an optical sensor completely. Where you must sense a non-metal target, use a capacitive sensor and set the sensitivity with the expected build-up in place.
Can you supply before the crushing season starts?
Yes, and we recommend ordering spares ahead of the season. Mills that hold a small stock of their standard sensor part numbers avoid the situation where crushing stops for a component that takes days to source.
Sensors for your sugar mills application
Send us your application — target material, sensing distance, supply voltage and housing constraint. We will recommend a part, quote it, and ship from Mumbai.