Need a sensor solution? At Sentech, we love technology.
If you’re looking to optimally integrate sensors into a machine, you’ll often find that standard solutions don’t make the grade. Different applications require sensor integration using a certain technology. From integration to taking full responsibility over the supply chain: this is where we can be of assistance to you.
Custom sensor solutions: how do you approach that?
Technological developments are accelerating at a fast pace. Are you looking for a sensor solution for your machine, but don’t know where to begin? We get that — after all, there is a lot to choose from. To find your way among all the possibilities, you need an equal partner who knows which technology is the best fit for a particular challenge.
The sensor experts from Sentech start with your needs and then apply the right technology to them. We work independently of sensor brands, because we understand how important it is to not only know what a sensor can do but also keep in mind the circumstances in which the sensor will be used.
From delivery to assembly: the total package
You need sensors? We provide the total package. From the specifications of your needs to the final result: a fully integrated sensor solution. It all starts with one question: what exactly do you need? The solutions that many sensor suppliers promote rely on their own product range. But that doesn’t always align with your specific requirement. That’s why Sentech always starts by assessing your needs.
With our expansive, in-house knowledge of sensor technology, we know better than anyone what is needed to solve customers’ challenges. This means that we provide a full-service solution, including, for example, a clean room, engineering, and assembly. In addition, we ensure a well-oiled supply chain. After all, we understand that sensor technology is an essential component of our customers’ processes, so you need to know where you stand.
Zero-dust policy
In some sectors, even small components of the production process are processed in a clean room. In the semi-conductor industry, for example, one hair on a printed circuit board has the same effect as a brick on a telephone: it’s undesirable, to say the least. A clean room ensures that the production occurs completely dust free, by means of excess pressure. This allows us to provide our customers solutions that can be put into use, hassle free.
Industry overview: 4 market segments
Custom sensors — a practical example
Agrifac asked for our help to make their crop sprayers more energy efficient. We started by identifying their specific needs. To provide their customers with agricultural sprayers and sugar-beet harvesters that worked more effectively, Agrifac required an accurate, reliable, and fast sensor solution for measuring crop height. So, naturally, we got to work developing a custom solution. With a radar sensor developed by Sentech, Agrifac can now deliver machines that enable farmers around the world to farm more efficiently.
Co-engineering: more than a consultation partner
Our customers require more than a standard solution, so we join forces — collaboration is vital. We truly believe in the benefits offered by co-engineering. We find that the opportunities created by new technology can best be utilized together with others. Therefore, Sentech is happy to act as more than a consultation partner. Together with our customers, we develop the required technology.
A nice example of this collaboration is the smart pressure sensor that we developed with Flamco. This arose from the frustration of central heating technicians: they would go on a maintenance call, only to learn that nothing was actually wrong. As knowledge partners, Flamco and Sentech consequently produced a pressure sensor that is more accurate and more reliable and also has a longer life span. This saves the technicians from driving a lot of unnecessary kilometers.
The approach we take is thorough. By measuring, performing data analyses, and writing software, we know exactly what is needed to implement a sensor at our customers’ locations. We conduct feasibility studies and identify any risks. While doing this, we always remain in close contact with our customers as well as with our suppliers. If it appears that no existing solution is available, we engage our Research & Development (R&D) team to develop new technologies.
R&D department: knowledge applied
Have a problem that doesn’t yet have a solution? With the sensor technology know-how that we have accumulated over the past decades, we know precisely what is needed to find a solution. We know what’s going on in the market and what is possible. If standard sensors are insufficient, be sure to come to Sentech. Our R&D department is happy to get to work for you to deliver the technology you need. We happily take on that challenge!
This is how we assist companies in the semi-conductor industry, such as ASML. Our R&D supports the solution of issues regarding the detection, measurement, and adjustment of the machine statuses for such companies. Here, it’s all about precision work, where the costs also play a key role. Sentech feels right at home in that environment.
No final product without a good assessment
A sensor must be perfectly adjusted to the environment in which you want to use it. We guarantee the quality of our sensors through extensive testing. Depending on the conditions in which a sensor is used, we — along with suppliers and customers — determine the critical points we test. The fact is, it is not always easy to determine ahead of time what the reliability and quality of a sensor will be in practice. In our advice and test capacity, we only go for the best, of course. That means striving for a zero margin of error.
How do we do that? We establish the quality requirements with the help of our Statistical Process Control (SPC). Using a control chart, we check the specific requirements of your product and see the maximum allowed deviation at a glance. By testing, we immediately see when a sensor does not meet the standard. If that is the case, the sensor is dropped from the list of candidates. That’s how we ensure that what we deliver really works as it should.
What does a sensor integration project look like?
The stories from our customers give a complete and good picture of what we do, how we do that, and what we achieve for our customers. Each case is written based on an interview with our sensor expert and the customer. They clearly show the possibilities that sensor technology has to offer.
We solve problems, reduce waste and costs, and make groundbreaking innovations and scientific breakthroughs possible.
