Capacitec Non-Contact Gap Sensor Systems Offer Reliable Performance in Aircraft Assembly and Coating Applications

October, 2009, Ayer, MA, USA – Capacitec, Inc. (Capacitec) (www.capacitec.com), a global leader in the design and manufacture of non-contact capacitive displacement, gap and parallelism sensing technologies for scientific and industrial customers, has announced the successful application of non-contact gap sensors systems within aircraft assembly, slot die coating and aircraft engine and power generation testing applications:

• During commercial and military aircraft Gapman system is used as a “portable electronic feeler gauge”, to determine appropriate dimensions of metal shims used in wing assembly other metal- to- composite surfaces. Implementation has reduced required shimming time by 5X over the previous method, which utilized feeler gauges.
• During thin coating operations, Capacitec Slot Die Coater Gap measurement system is used to measure slot die gaps to an accuracy of 0.5 microns, while maintaining gap uniformity to < 0.25 microns across two to three-meter length in production of labels, special films, wall panels, batteries and foam-based products.
• In aircraft engine and power generation turbine manufacturing, Capacitec offers “contact wand” sensing systems, used to measure gaps between fan blades and engine cowling. The major system advantage is that it does not require grounding of the target and the hand-held wand, and electronics can easily access any of the fan blade gaps without the need to rotate the blades.

Since the 1970’s, Capacitec high temperature non-contact sensing technology has been in use in North America, Europe and Japan to solve the most demanding applications, measuring displacement of up to 0.4” (10 mm), within extreme temperature environments where resolution of one micron or better is a requirement.

For more information about these and other non-contact sensing systems available from Capacitec, please visit www.capacitec.com.

About Capacitec, Inc.:
Headquartered in Ayer, Massachusetts, with additional operations in Creteil, France, Capacitec is a global technology company dedicated to advancing the capacitive principle of measurement physics to its highest level in sensor system design. The company’s core competencies are the design and manufacture of non-contact capacitive displacement, gap and parallelism sensing systems, which include hardware, data acquisition systems and software. Capacitec specializes in large range, small diameter sensors that operate in severe environments, from cryogenic to +1000°C, under radiation to 1011 RADS and in magnetic fields to 5 Tesla. More than 25 years of successful product line history has demonstrated Capacitec's expertise across all markets, particularly within applications where a more sophisticated ruler is required, and where traditional sensors cannot fit or survive a typical environment.