Flex-Relief Plastic Fibers

Banner Engineering Corp.

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 17, 2011 — Banner Engineering Corp. has introduced overmolded flex-relief plastic fibers to its line of fiber optic sensors.

The new plastic fiber assemblies provide additional resistance to fiber damage or breakage in high-flex environments and typically offer a flex life of more than 10,000 cycles. High-quality fiber ensures a reliable and stable detection range necessary for applications in environments where the fiber moves relative to the fixed ferrule.

The fibers are suitable for use in any application where plastic fibers are currently employed, and they provide additional durability to machine designs. Typical applications include small-part detection, wire break detection, registration mark detection, and part-in-place detection in high-vibration or confined spaces. The plastic fiber can be routed to the detection zone, and the overmolded flex relief prevents the fiber from being bent too tightly at the sensing tip.

The new overmolded fibers are also more attractive to the end user and are refined for installations where the fiber is visible on the machine. Stainless steel mounting hardware is included, as is a stainless steel threaded ferrule. The polyvinyl chloride flex relief ensures a minimum bend radius at the fiber-to-ferrule transition. The sensing range is the same as that of the equivalent nonflex-relieved fiber assembly.

The fibers also have higher tensile pull resistance than the nonovermolded design, which helps reduce accidental damage to the fibers during installation and maintenance.

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Published: February 2011