Guide

7
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Spring and Actuator –
 It is critical to consider the fact that the sensor is typically attached to a moving device
and simply “goes along for the ride.” The sensor has been attached to plastics, metals,
rubbers, and other materials by means such as pressure sensitive adhesives, stitching,
and heat staking.
 When attached to any other material the sensor takes on the mechanical properties of
that material.
 In order to have a repeatable system, the actuator, or mechanical device to which the
Bend Sensor
®
Device is attached, needs to be repeatable in any action. An example of a
repeatable mechanical device is that of a spring working below its yield point for a single
actuation, or below its fatigue point for repeated actuations.
 For most situations, a Bend Sensor
®
Device will be attached to any of three “spring”
configurations. The first one is that of a cantilever beam, the second is a simply
supported beam, and the third is a beam simply supported on one end and fixed at the
other end. The sensor will need to be installed on the side of the apparatus that will
yield the greatest tensile displacement. See attached figures 1 through 3 for examples.