Cylinder Sensors — Which Sensor

Cylinder sensors detect piston position on pneumatic and hydraulic actuators by sensing the magnetic field of the piston ring. They mount in T-slots or as round clamp-on variants and switch through the cylinder wall without mechanical contact. Typical use is end-position and stroke monitoring on clamping, feeding, and gripping actuators.

The assortment is dominated by T-slot designs for 6.2 mm grooves and round Ø9 mm clamp-on bodies, supplied largely by IPF. Switching elements split between PNP NO semiconductors at 10–30 V DC and reed contacts rated 10–30 V AC/DC. Standard switching frequency is 1000 Hz, with edge cases at 500 Hz and 2000 Hz.

Connection is either flying lead or plug. Pigtail variants concentrate at 0.3 m, 0.6 m and 1 m; fixed-cable versions reach 2 m, 5 m, and 10 m. Plug versions use the M12 connector, in 3- or 4-pole layout.

Most DC types are wired as 3-conductor, with isolated 4-conductor reed types for AC/DC use. Housings cover aluminium, zinc die-cast, and plastic; cable jacketing is PUR or PTFE for chemical exposure. Ambient rating is -25…75 °C on nearly all SKUs.

Protection class is IP67 across the catalogue, with LED status indication standard. Mounting options include top-insertion, side-insertion, and short-overtravel variants for tight installations. Prices start at 32.3 EUR for standard PNP T-slot units.