Cal Sensors’ industry-leading technical support team has over 100 years of combined experience in emitter and sensor technology. Pictured from left to right are: Art Tyler, Engineering Tech; Douglas Wicklund, Test Supervisor; Jorge Elliot, Packaging Process Engineer; Brian Elias, Director of Engineering; Lowell Snyder,Quality Engineering Manager; Tom Smith, R&D Manager.r.

Though they are small in size, detectors play a large role in a wide variety of technologies. Quality detectors serve as the heart of medical, industrial process control, gas analysis, flame and fire detection, food processing and thermal imaging systems designed to ensure human and product safety. Given the key role detectors play, design engineers select suppliers with care and look for a combination of the following features in potential detector suppliers.

1.     Detector Quality

High-quality sensor technologies provide market-leading sensitivity, are created with state-of-the-art processes, and are designed for seamless integration into larger systems.

Sensitivity
In the detection and identification of gases in the 1.0 to 5.5 µm infrared region, lead selenide and lead sulfide detectors provide unparalleled sensitivity versus cost. See performance comparison chart below.   Lead salt detectors can be 100 times more sensitive than competing technologies and are available at competitive prices.  

Detector selection does just include the detector material.  Selection of the appropriate  components in the detector package optimizes the sensitivity necessary for the application.

Process Control
To capitalize on the sensitivity of lead salt detectors, it is necessary to select a detector supplier who adheres to strict, state-of-the art process control in order to produce reliably high-quality technology. Cal Sensors consistently meets the most stringent requirements of the medical instrumentation industry, as well as other mission critical applications.  These industries require development and strict adherence to documentation control, lot traceability, inspection, test, and cause and corrective action systems.  All of these systems and more are included in Cal Sensors Quality Manual.   

Seamless Integration
When selecting a lead salt detector provider be sure to look for a supplier with an expansive portfolio of quality technologies. Not only should a supplier provide a wide range of single element and array detectors, they should also demonstrate expertise in a number of complementary technologies. For example, Cal Sensors’ expertise in both detector and emitter technologies as well as packaging and software development allows us to provide more comprehensive system support and to create technologies that can be efficiently integrated into larger technologies.

2.     Industry Expertise and Custom Solutions

Given the vital role detector technology plays in larger systems, be sure to identify a detector provider who does more than offer off-the-shelf products. A quality detector provider should serve as a strategic consultant, dedicating time and industry-leading expertise to understanding individual customer needs in order to create cost-effective customized solutions that will maximize system efficiency and effectiveness.

Rather than interacting with a provider only offering off-the-shelf products, a quality detector supplier will provide access to a trained engineer who will start each conversation with a series of questions designed to pin-point the type of technology that will most completely meet client needs from system design and installation through maintenance and technology migration.

3.     Technical Support

Selecting and maintaining detectors with superior reliability and sensitivity is a major priority for system designers who know the significant safety and cost-risks associated with any type of detector malfunction and design longevity.  To remain competitive in today’s challenging market, designers are well-advised to carefully compare the types of technical support provided by detector providers. Specifically, it is helpful to enquire about a providers’ technical expertise, range of technical support services and commitment to research and development.

Industry-Leading Technical Expertis
To ensure top-quality information ask specific questions about the expertise of a providers’ technical support staff. Helpful questions include – how many years of experience do your engineers have? Do they have experience in dealing with sensor technology in a wide range of industries and diverse environments? Do your engineers have wider system experience (for example with emitters, optics, and packaging technologies) in order to help create solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into existing technologies?

Beware of large providers who sell a wide variety of detector technologies and do not have the specialized expertise in lead salt detectors necessary to create a system that is tailor-made to your needs. At the same time, avoid smaller lead salt specialists who do not have the resources to provide comprehensive system design, integration and support services. Cal Sensors prides itself on our ability to cost-effectively provide cutting-edge custom solutions with industry-leading technical support and expertise.

Range of Technical Support Services
Highly-trained engineers and additional technical staff serve as strategic consultants, not only in helping design engineers select the best detector technology, but also in ensuring that detector technology consistently provides quality performance. Be sure to look for suppliers like Cal Sensors that cost-effectively provides comprehensive system design, integration and support services.

Commitment to Research and Development
Given the length of many system development processes, it is vital that the detector technology selected by design engineers not become quickly outdated and replaced with newer technology. To achieve this goal, it is vital to work with an innovative detector supplier that remains on the cutting-edge of technical development and is deeply committed to technology research and development. It is a good idea to investigate potential providers’ commitment to R&D before moving forward by checking to see if they regularly introduce new technologies and if they hire and train young engineers to make sure they have top-quality expertise for years to come. 

Because of their cost-effectiveness and superior sensitivity, lead salt detectors will continue to play a key role for years to come. Cal Sensors is proud to offer design engineers with quality technology and industry-leading technical support in the creation of custom solutions strategically tailored to meet your detector needs. We look forward to learning how we can help you.