Anything that touches, wears
A non-contact position sensor measures linear or rotary movement without physical contact between the sensor and the moving part. Gill Blade sensors measure across a gap to a passive activator, so there is nothing to wear. They are IP67, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), with configurable ranges and analogue or digital outputs.
Why use a non-contact position sensor?
A non-contact position sensor measures the position of a moving part without touching it, so nothing in the sensor wears. A potentiometer’s wiper wears from the first movement and its output changes as it does. A Gill Blade inductive sensor reads a passive activator across a gap, stays sealed to IP67 and gives the same reading for the same position.
Brakes, doors, pedals, suspension, booms and actuators all move, all day, in dirt, water and vibration.
A sensor that relies on a wiper or a contact is wearing from the first movement. Its output changes as it wears, and eventually it stops.
Replacing it costs more than the part: access, downtime and the uncertainty of a signal nobody trusts any more.
Separating the sensor from the moving part removes the wear from the design. The sensor stays sealed, and only the activator moves.
Feedback where nobody can reach
Position sensing on vehicles and machines is rarely installed somewhere clean or convenient. Vibration, water, contamination, temperature and tight packaging all work against the sensor.
The sensor has to fit the space, survive the environment and give the same reading for the same position every time. That is where a sealed, non-contact design with a configurable range makes the difference.
Contact means wear
Potentiometers and contacting sensors wear with every cycle. A non-contact sensor has no mechanical wear at the sensing point.
Non-contact | Unlimited mechanical life
Water and dirt get everywhere
Underframes, wheel arches and hydraulic cylinders see water, mud and wash-down as normal conditions.
IP67 | Temporary immersion, 1 m for 30 min
Every installation is a different travel
A configurable range lets one sensor type cover several mechanisms, with the travel and switch points set in software.
The installation needs checking too
Health-check diagnostics report sensor faults and whether the activator is in range, so the installation can be monitored as well as the position.
Four ways to sense position
Each technology is proven somewhere. The question is which one suits the movement, the environment and the packaging.
| Consideration | Potentiometer | LVDT | Hall effect |  Inductive, Gill Blade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact at the sensing point | Yes, wiper on a track | No, core moves inside the coil | No | No, measures across a gap to an activator |
| Wear | Track and wiper wear with use | No wear at the sensing point | No wear at the sensing point | No wear at the sensing point |
| Packaging | Compact | Needs a core aligned in a bore | Compact, needs a magnet | Flat sensor, activator designed to suit the installation |
| Configuration | Fixed | Usually fixed by the coil length | Varies by product | Travel, switch points and output limits set in BladeCom |
| Best for | Low-cost, low-cycle applications | High-accuracy linear measurement where space allows | Compact angle and proximity sensing | Sealed, configurable linear and rotary feedback on vehicles and machines |
LVDTs remain an excellent choice for high-accuracy linear measurement where the packaging allows a core and bore. Blade sensors suit installations that need a flat, sealed sensor and a configurable range.
The activator is your design
The activator is part of the design
On OEM installations the activator is the customer’s design responsibility. The Blade technical manual gives standard activator designs as the starting point.
Configurable is not unlimited
Each Blade sensor has a maximum travel: 25 mm on Blade25, 60 mm on Blade60, a full 360 degrees on Blade360. The range is configured within it.
Interfaces differ
The 25 mm and 60 mm linear sensors connect via RS232 and the rotary sensor via RS485, so the host interface is not interchangeable across the range.
Position, not force
Blade sensors measure where a part is. They are not load or force sensors.
Sealed, configurable, nothing to wear
Blade is the Gill range of non-contact inductive position sensors, the PD series. All are solid-state, IP67, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), with configurable range and unlimited mechanical life.
Blade25
Blade25 linear position sensor, 25 mm
Short linear travel or 90 degrees of angular movement, fully configurable within that range.
Blade60
Blade60 linear position sensor, 60 mm
Longer linear travel or 90 degrees of angular movement, fully configurable within that range.
Blade360
Blade360 rotary position sensor, 360 degrees
Full 360 degree rotary measurement, fully configurable and sealed to IP67.
Blade Dual Output
Blade Dual Output position sensor
Linear or angular measurement with single and dual channel analogue output, for installations that need a second, redundant channel.
insight
The activator does the work
A Blade sensor measures the position of a passive activator across a gap. The sensor itself is sealed and fixed, and the activator moves with the mechanism.
That split is what gives the design its life. Nothing touches, so nothing wears. It also moves part of the engineering to the activator: its shape, its material and the gap it runs at determine how the sensor sees the movement.
The Blade technical manual includes standard activator designs for the 25 mm and 60 mm linear sensors and for the rotary sensor. Most OEM installations start from one of those and adapt it to the space available.
Once fitted, BladeCom sets the minimum and maximum travel, switch points and output limits, and the sensor reports whether the activator is in range. The installation can be checked, not only the position.
The full explanation is in How does inductive position sensing work?
Mechanisms that never rest
ApplicationBrake and suspension control in high-speed vehicles
Position feedback where every millimetre and every gram counts.
ApplicationPosition sensing for fork lifts and platforms
Repeatable feedback on equipment that lifts people and loads.
ApplicationSteering position and brake wear in military vehicles
Sealed position sensing for defence platforms.
ManualBlade sensors technical manual
Standard activator designs and installation guidance.
Speak to our team
Tell us what you need to measure, where and under what conditions. We’ll help you work out the appropriate approach.
Position sensing questions
A non-contact position sensor measures the position of a moving part without touching it. Gill Blade sensors use inductive sensing to measure a passive activator across a gap, so there is no mechanical wear at the sensing point and the mechanical life is effectively unlimited.
An inductive position sensor detects how a conductive target, the activator, changes an electromagnetic field generated by the sensor. As the activator moves along or around the sensor, the change is converted into a position output. Blade sensors provide that output as analogue or digital signals.
An inductive non-contact sensor such as a Gill Blade sensor is an alternative to an LVDT where the installation needs a flat, sealed sensor rather than a core moving inside a bore, or needs a configurable range. LVDTs remain a strong choice for high-accuracy linear measurement where the packaging allows.
Use a linear position sensor where the part moves in a straight line, such as a cylinder, pedal or door, and a rotary sensor where it turns. Blade25 and Blade60 measure 25 mm and 60 mm of linear travel, or 90 degrees angular. Blade360 measures a full 360 degrees of rotary movement.
Gill Blade position sensors are rated IP67, sealed for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min). IP67 is a rating for dust and temporary immersion, not a pressure rating, so deep or pressurised submersion should be discussed with our team.
Blade sensors are configured in the BladeCom software, which sets minimum and maximum travel, open and closed switch points, output limits and the dropout level. The sensor also reports health-check diagnostics, including sensor faults and whether the activator is in range.