Metal Face Proximity Sensor
High-performance metal face sensors for tough industrial environments
Metal face — or full-metal — proximity sensors replace the plastic sensing face with stainless steel, so they survive welding spatter, high-pressure wash-down and abrasive contact that would destroy a standard barrel sensor. Industrypapa stocks 35 of them across the VoxinTech MF, MFT and VTMF ranges and the Micro Detectors FM series, in M8, M12 and M18. GST invoice, pan-India delivery.
What makes a metal face sensor different
An ordinary inductive proximity sensor has a moulded plastic cap over the coil. It works perfectly well until something hits it — a jig, a passing component, a jet from a wash-down lance — or until welding spatter fuses to the face and the sensor stops seeing anything. On a body-in-white line or a machining cell, that plastic cap is the part that fails.
A metal face sensor puts stainless steel across the whole front instead. Spatter does not stick to it, coolant and swarf do not abrade it, and it takes mechanical knocks that would crack a plastic head. The trade-off is physics: the steel face sits inside the coil's own field, so the usable sensing distance is shorter than an equivalent plastic-faced sensor. Specify the range accordingly rather than assuming a like-for-like swap.
Where they earn their keep
Welding cells
Spatter and the electromagnetic field around a weld gun are the two things that kill standard sensors fastest. Weld-immune metal face versions are built for exactly this.
Wash-down
Food, dairy and pharma lines cleaned at pressure and temperature. A stainless face has no seam for water to work into.
Machining and grinding
Hot swarf, coolant mist and abrasive dust that scour a plastic cap smooth in weeks.
Impact positions
Anywhere a fixture, pallet or component can strike the sensor head during normal operation.
The ranges we stock
| Series | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MF/8 · MF/12 | VoxinTech | M8 and M12 metal face barrels, PNP and NPN, cable and M12 connector |
| MFT/8 · MFT/12 | VoxinTech | MFT variants in the same sizes and output options |
| MFTM0802 / MFTM1203 / MFTM1807 | VoxinTech | Two-wire DC versions in M8, M12 and M18 |
| VTMF8 · VTMF12 | VoxinTech | VTMF barrels, PNP and NPN, connector and cable |
| VMFA12P / VMFA12N | VoxinTech | M12 metal face with M12 four-pin connection |
| VTMF/0802 | VoxinTech | M8 short-barrel versions in PNP and NPN |
| FMT6 / FMM6 / FMK6 | Micro Detectors | Full-metal housings in PNP and NPN |
| FMES/AP-3F · FMES/AN-3F | Micro Detectors | FMES series, PNP and NPN |
Reading the part number
The VoxinTech codes read consistently once you know the pattern. MF and VTMF mark the metal face family. The digits give the thread size — 8 for M8, 12 for M12, and in the four-digit codes the first pair is the thread and the second the sensing distance, so 0802 is M8 with 2 mm and 1807 is M18 with 7 mm. P is PNP and N is NPN. The tail sets the connection: C124 is an M12 four-pin connector, 2M a two-metre fly lead. On the Micro Detectors FM codes the letter pair after the slash carries the output, with P for PNP and N for NPN.
Specifying one
- Allow for the shorter range. A metal face sensor will not reach as far as the plastic-faced part it replaces.
- Thread and barrel length to suit the existing bracket — M8, M12 or M18.
- Output type — PNP or NPN, and whether the PLC card matches.
- Two-wire or three-wire — the MFTM codes are the DC two-wire versions.
- Connection — M12 connector for quick swaps in production, fly lead where the run is fixed.
- Weld field immunity — say so if the sensor sits near a weld gun, as this narrows the choice.
Buying metal face proximity sensors in India
Industrypapa supplies metal face and full-metal proximity sensors to automotive and body-shop lines, machine tool builders, food and pharma plants and maintenance teams across India. These are usually bought as a replacement for a sensor that keeps failing, so tell us the code that is failing and what is killing it — spatter, coolant or impact — and we will match the range as well as the thread. GST invoice, pan-India delivery.
Related ranges: inductive proximity sensors, capacitive sensors, limit switches, connector cables, mounting brackets and the full VoxinTech range. For anything not listed, send us the part number.
Frequently asked questions
What is a metal face proximity sensor?
An inductive proximity sensor whose sensing face is stainless steel rather than plastic. It detects metal exactly the same way, but survives welding spatter, wash-down and mechanical impact far better.
Why is the sensing distance shorter?
Because the steel face sits within the sensor's own field and absorbs part of it. Expect less range than the equivalent plastic-faced sensor and choose the size accordingly.
Can I fit one straight in place of my current sensor?
Mechanically yes, if the thread and length match. Check the sensing distance first — if the target sits near the limit of the old sensor, a metal face replacement of the same size may not reach it.
Are these suitable for welding cells?
That is the main reason they exist. Tell us if the sensor sits close to a weld gun and we will point you to the weld-field immune versions rather than the standard ones.