With SPEETEC®, SICK has expanded its product range for speed and length measurement of objects moving along linear paths to include technology that measures directly on the material surface. The non-contact sensors can measure a variety of webs and continuous materials, as well as blanks with only 4μm.

From a market perspective, the speed sensor fills the gap between tactile, indirect measurement encoder solutions and laser speedometers, which are often expensive to purchase and require significant effort for integration and operation.

Slip-free, no measuring element required, does not damage sensitive surfaces, and causes no wear on tactile sensor elements – SICK's SPEETEC® is an innovative non-contact sensor for speed and length measurement of objects moving along a straight path.

Look, but don't touch: Sensors for special materials

For sensitive, soft, or smooth surfaces, customers in factory or logistics automation require non-contact measurement options for the length, speed, and position of continuous coils and blanks. Optical scanning prevents damage or contamination, thereby improving product quality.

SPEETEC® provides a new way to perform measurements without slip, measuring elements, or markings, and without wear on tactile sensor elements. SPEETEC® can measure materials that cause wear, adhesion, or abrasion to measurement solutions, such as measuring wheel encoders, thereby impairing their function, while offering high process reliability and availability.

Safe and high-precision measurement principle

Since SPEETEC® is equipped with a Class 1 laser, it can replace expensive laser speedometers and the associated costly protective measures. The return on investment (ROI) is particularly attractive. For SPEETEC®, this is less than one year.

Non-contact measurement is performed at speeds up to 10 m/s using the laser Doppler process. Two transmitters emit laser beams; one emits in the direction of material motion, and the other in the opposite direction. Since the transmitters operate independently, possible installation tolerances and surface fluctuations (i.e., wavy surfaces) can be compensated.

All measurements are performed with high precision. At a resolution of four micrometers, the accuracy related to an object length of one meter is one millimeter. The repeatability in this case is specified as half a millimeter. Measurement values are output via TTL or HTL interfaces, which are common in the encoder field, making integration easy.

Increase productivity while saving resources

With SPEETEC®, length, speed, and position can also be detected during linear motion when switching between forward and backward movement. Furthermore, since only 3 milliseconds elapse between the start of motion and the output of measurement values with SPEETEC®, acceleration can be measured in applications with high dynamic motion.

Comparable systems are much slower here. SICK's speed sensor also creates new resource-saving solution options for speed measurement of short materials. Speedometers typically require several meters of feed-in, whereas with SPEETEC®, individual parts smaller than a business card can be measured reliably.

Award-winning design: 2020 iF Design Award

The robust housing is designed for long-term use. Its shape and compact size are characteristic of its high-quality design, allowing integration even into the smallest spaces. The long window and smooth edges indicate the measurement and installation direction. These features impressed the judges of the iF Design Award. SPEETEC® received the iF Design Award in the 2020 product category.