Installing a Position Sensor in a Hydraulic Cylinder
Send the cylinder bore, stroke, port thread and output — we confirm the in-cylinder sensor and magnet.
How to install a position sensor inside a hydraulic cylinder: a one-minute animation of rear end-cap installation of a magnetostrictive sensor — gun-drilled piston rod, ring magnet with a non-magnetic spacer, threaded port sealed with an O-ring, shielded cable and absolute position output with no homing.
Chapters
Key points
- Rear end-cap mounting is the most common method: the sensor sits fully enclosed in the cylinder.
- Gun-drill the piston rod so the pressure tube slides in without touching the bore.
- Fit the ring magnet to the piston with a non-magnetic spacer and non-magnetic screws.
- Insert through the threaded port and seal with the O-ring; the electronics head stays outside the oil.
- In-cylinder sensors: strokes 25–8000 mm, rated to 350 bar.
Transcript
Installing a sensor inside a hydraulic cylinder.
The most common method mounts a magnetostrictive sensor through the rear end cap, fully enclosed in the cylinder.
Step one: gun-drill the piston rod, so the sensor's pressure tube slides in without touching the bore.
Step two: fit the ring magnet to the piston, using a non-magnetic spacer and non-magnetic screws.
Step three: insert the sensor through the threaded port and seal it with the O-ring. The electronics head stays outside the oil.
Step four: connect a shielded cable and run the cylinder. The output follows the piston, with no homing after power-up.
SEGMENsensor in-cylinder sensors: strokes from 25 to 8000 mm, rated to 350 bar. segmensensor.com