1st place - Baumer
With the IF250, Baumer presents a flat inductive sensor with a height of just 6 mm that can detect objects at a distance of up to 12 mm. The inductive sensor complements the company's portfolio of inductive sensors in a compact design, which ranges from cylindrical subminiature sensors (from a diameter of 3 mm) up to size M30 with a switching distance of up to 24 mm. According to the manufacturer, one advantage of the flat housing is the increased safety reserve: the inductive sensor can be mounted at a greater safety distance from the object and is optimally protected even in critical applications.
Thanks to its compactness, the sensor is suitable for new machines as well as for retrofitting where no sensor was originally planned. Metal sleeves instead of fragile plastic holes and a mounting kit for easy attachment to pipes ensure secure and robust mounting. The sensor is available as a proximity switch with PNP or NPN output or as a measuring version with a digital IO-Link interface. Simple parameterization options are also available via IO-Link, as well as comprehensive diagnostic data such as histograms, temperature or switching cycles.