The Inside Story on Custom Sensors

September 1, 2021

Dallas Kissinger, Engineering Manager, Wells Engineered Products

Wells Vehicle Electronics is a specialist in customized sensor solutions ranging from heavy-duty and commercial to marine, agricultural and industrial applications. In an interview with SAE’s Automotive Engineering, Dallas Kissinger, Engineering Manager with Wells Engineered Products, discusses the company’s longstanding capability for custom engineering and the close customer collaborations that invariably make those projects successful.

AE: What are some of the most prevalent design or development issues that custom sensors can address?

Kissinger: Custom sensors can help address space constraints, mechanical and electrical design requirements and environmental and safety standards when an off-the-shelf sensor isn’t available. More often than not, sensors are an afterthought in system design. Most of the attention is paid to the large components — and sensors get the leftovers. Wells Engineered Products develops sensors to fit in the remaining space. We collaborate closely with our customers to solve issues without having to tear up their existing design. Do they need a specific connector? Do they need special mounting hardware? Are they facing extreme temperatures? Wells has extensive knowledge and experience in packaging sensors for any application. And customization isn’t limited to mechanical design — we have several programmable sensor ICs and microcon-trollers that allow for multiple electrical output configurations.

AE: It appears customized solutions comprise a large portion of the Engineered Products business, yet you also can serve low- and mid-volume projects?

Kissinger: Yes, more than 80% of what we manufacture started as a custom solution. Custom solutions don’t need to come with large volumes, 100,000-plus pieces. We specialize in low- to mid-volume projects with volumes starting at 500 pieces per year. With hundreds of programmable robots and controllers, our manufacturing sites are specifically designed to handle a high product mix. We have a huge catalog of sensors that can be customized. Utilizing our existing sensor technologies and designs allows us to reduce development time and costs while maintaining design robustness and high quality.

AE: Has your sensor-development business had to adapt to the increasing degree of powertrain electrification in nearly all market sectors?

Kissinger: Electrified powertrains require more-precise monitoring and sensing technology. Environmental and safety regulations are getting tighter and tighter. More efficient machines are needed, causing the demand for sensors to grow. Sensor needs are not only increasing but are also getting more complicated and difficult to meet: manufacturers need to measure position more accurately, detect smaller leaks and determine a fault condition before the fault occurs. Wells has evolved with the industry and continues to provide advanced solutions. For example, in electric motor applications, rotary position sensing is crucial in improving efficiencies, increasing low-speed torque and minimizing vibration. We offer a position sensor and magnet mounted to the rotor of an EV motor. The ring magnet utilizes a proprietary magnetization pattern to provide high accuracy in a small, light form factor that can be customized to any motor package. Another sensor technology seeing an increase with powertrain electrification is current sensing and Wells also offers solutions in pressure, temperature, speed, linear and angular position and knock sensing.

AE: Additive manufacturing – 3D printing – would seem to be an ideal fit for custom sensor development. Has 3D printing enhanced the prototyping and production-component aspects of your processes? And what benefits do your customers realize?

Kissinger: Additive manufacturing has helped immensely with the new product development process. With 3D printing, we can get our initial concepts into our customer’s hands for fitment and ergonomic assessment in days instead of weeks. Additive manufacturing allows functional prototypes to be built with the capability of a tooled part but in minimal time, allowing more time to evaluate and test. If testing exposes issues, corrections can be made, and another iteration can be quickly assembled. 3D printers and materials have made significant strides in the past decade and are no longer limited to prototyping, so additive manufacturing can be used for production components, too. In addition to components, there are other ways additive manufacturing can reduce development time and costs. We can print assembly fixturing, such as parts for molds used in plastic injection molding. Wells has an in-house toolroom with wire EDM for fabricating terminal frames that can be formed and molded using 3D-printed fixturing.