Inductive Cylindrical sensors PFK Series

Datasensing PFK Series

The PFK Series delivers robust and hygienic inductive sensing tailored for demanding wash-down, food & beverage, pharmaceutical and general-purpose automation applications. With its AISI 316L stainless-steel housing, high ingress protection (IP67–IP69K) and availability of standard or long sensing distances, this sensor line ensures reliable metal detection even under harsh environmental conditions.

Design & Functionality

• The housing is made from AISI 316L (DIN 1.4404) stainless steel, offering superior corrosion resistance and suitability for aggressive cleaning processes. 
• Equipped with a yellow LED output status indicator, simplifying visual diagnostics during installation and maintenance. 
• Protection rated at IP67, IP68 and IP69K, making it ideal for high-pressure wash-down and hygienic production environments. 
• Offered in both standard (e.g., 5 mm nominal sensing distance, shielded) and long-distance (e.g., 8 mm, 12 mm unshielded) variants, giving flexibility for installation clearance and target size. 
• Built-in electronics include reverse-polarity protection, short-circuit auto-reset, impulsive over-voltage protection and a ripple tolerance ≤ 10 %, ensuring industrial-grade reliability. 

Total Crossed Beams

(In the context of this inductive sensor family, this concept corresponds to a stable detection field across the sensing face rather than actual optical beams.)

• The PFK Series maintains a uniform detection zone across its active area, enabling consistent metal-target detection even when mounting clearance, orientation or background vary.
• This leads to excellent repeatability (< 5%) and low drift (< 10%), which in turn ensures reliable operation in high-throughput or variable-material environments.

Beam Pitch Options

(Translated for this sensor family as selectable sensing distances and mounting variants rather than literal beam pitch.)

• Standard models offer nominal sensing distances of approximately 5 mm (shielded flush-mount). 
• Other variants offer 8 mm (standard unshielded) and up to 12 mm (long-distance unshielded), enabling detection of larger parts or greater clearance mounting. 
• Correction factors for different metals (e.g., copper 0.25, aluminium 0.35, brass 0.40, stainless steel 0.70) help in fine-tuning detection performance for various materials. 

Intrinsic Synchronism

• The sensor includes integrated electronics for synchronisation and protection, meaning no external synchronising wiring is required and the device is ready quickly after power-up (≤ 50 ms). 
• Switching frequency up to 1.5 kHz supports high-speed metal part detection in dynamic automation processes. 

Operational Advantages

• Hygienic & Durable Design: With stainless-steel AISI 316L housing and IP69K rating, the PFK Series is built for wash-down, food-grade and harsh industrial environments.
• Flexible Sensing Distance Options: Standard and long-distance variants allow adaptation to both tight-clearance installations and larger-part detection.
• Reliable Metal Detection: With high repeatability, metal correction factors, and robust electronics, the PFK ensures detection across varying metal materials and bulk-handling applications.
• Applications: Ideal for conveyor systems, food & beverage packaging, pharmaceutical equipment, general manufacturing lines where metal part presence, flush or non-flush mounting, and hygiene or wash-down resistance are required.