capacitive displacement transducer

Capacitive displacement transducers from Kingmach measure from micrometers down to nanometers, using a non-contact principle that avoids loading the target. The sensing element is a guarded electrode facing a grounded or capacitively-coupled target; as the gap changes, so does the capacitance, which conditioning electronics convert into a linear voltage or digital output. We offer both single-channel and differential models. Differential probes suppress common-mode errors from thermal drift or environmental changes, making them a solid choice for long-term monitoring. The electronics bandwidth is typically 5 kHz to 15 kHz, but custom bandwidth up to 50 kHz can be configured for high-speed events. Linearity error is kept below 0.1% over most ranges, and with proper calibration you can push that further. Standard probe bodies are stainless steel, available in diameters from 4 mm to 20 mm, with signals carried over triaxial cable to a signal conditioner that provides 0–10 V or 4–20 mA outputs. For OEM applications, we can integrate the conditioning board directly into the probe housing. The power supply is a simple +15 V DC, making it easy to incorporate into existing control cabinets. Kingmach also supports multi-point setups: up to 16 channels can synchronize through a single digital interface, useful for parallelism and runout checks on rotating shafts. The probes handle standard industrial temperatures from -20 °C to +85 °C, and we’ve tested them in vacuum environments down to 10^-4 mbar without significant signal degradation. Since every production run varies, we calibrate each transducer against a laser interferometer and supply a certificate. Custom target materials (aluminum, steel, ceramic) can be compensated in firmware. For measurement tasks that can’t afford any contact, Kingmach’s capacitive displacement transducers bridge the gap.