Position-sensing hydraulic cylinder

[1] With In-cylinder Linear Displacement Transducers (LDTs), the hydraulic cylinder’s piston rod must be bored through its center to accommodate certain elements of the LDT — usually the waveguide tube of a magnetostrictive transducer.

[2] The machining and additional production steps associated with “gun drilling” the piston rod can add cost to the finished cylinder.

Magnetostrictive LDTs provide extremely high accuracy, down to one micron.

[3] External linear displacement transducers (LDTs) eliminate the need for a hollow hydraulic cylinder rod.

This magnetic field provides a locating signal to an external sensor.

Hydraulic cylinder with a Hall effect sensor mounted along its barrel to sense position of a magnetic piston inside. The sensor is mounted without having to gun drill the piston rod, yet its size and location protect it from potential environmental damage.