Is there an aluminum proximity sensors that can be controlled by arduino?
tezcka39:
Is there an aluminum proximity sensors that can be controlled by arduino?
What is the accuracy and range requirement?
Must the proximity be specific to aluminum only or detecting any surface proximity?
retrolefty:
tezcka39:
Is there an aluminum proximity sensors that can be controlled by arduino?What is the accuracy and range requirement?
Must the proximity be specific to aluminum only or detecting any surface proximity?
it must be detecting aluminum only, must be 3 to 4 inches
I can't think of any plausible method of specifically detecting alumin(i)um. Some kind of alpha particle diffraction, perhaps.
I read something, somewhere, a while ago, you can use an inductive sensor to detect the proximity of aluminum, it produces an "eddy current" (whatever that is)LOL and the magnetic field dampens the oscillation of the sensor... I am going to guess it would also be affected by brass and perhaps tin as well.
You will probably get an eddy current with any kind of metal. You might be able to discriminate between different metals based on this, under very controlled conditions, like all the different metals being exactly the same thickness.
There are metal detectors built on this principle of different phase shifts in the eddy current caused by different metals, however it is affected also by the size and thickness. So it still isn't an accurate way to discriminate any random chunk of aluminum from any random chunk of some other metal.
I am thinking that if you point a propane torch at it, from the specified three or four inches away, and give it good dose of heat, you may be able to attempt to discriminate between some different metals , by the thermal conduction, or emissivity, or something.
But it is still going to vary with the thickness and surface conditions of the material.
What is the purpose of the requirement for this ? Sorting scrap metal ?
michinyon:
I am thinking that if you point a propane torch at it, from the specified three or four inches away, and give it good dose of heat, you may be able to attempt to discriminate between some different metals , by the thermal conduction, or emissivity, or something.But it is still going to vary with the thickness and surface conditions of the material.
What is the purpose of the requirement for this ? Sorting scrap metal ?
no its for our project, we just want to segregate three kinds of materials such as paper, plastic, and cans. We have use the the trip wire concept and it is possible for paper and plastic only, but it exactly it will fail in sensing cans
So this is like, sorting trash recycling ? What would you want to do, if you got a steel can ?
tezcka39:
michinyon:
I am thinking that if you point a propane torch at it, from the specified three or four inches away, and give it good dose of heat, you may be able to attempt to discriminate between some different metals , by the thermal conduction, or emissivity, or something.But it is still going to vary with the thickness and surface conditions of the material.
What is the purpose of the requirement for this ? Sorting scrap metal ?
no its for our project, we just want to segregate three kinds of materials such as paper, plastic, and cans. We have use the the trip wire concept and it is possible for paper and plastic only, but it exactly it will fail in sensing cans
If you only need to sort these three I think eddy currents is the way to go
(seen on discovery channel - about a recycling plant)
Unless you're working with pure refined aluminum, I think the problem you'll find is that most aluminum is aluminum "alloy" whereby the aluminum is mixed with different metals in order to gain certain properties. Aluminum cans for instance contains mostly aluminum but also small amounts of magnesium,manganese, iron, and I believe some silicon and some copper.