Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2025 - 24

INDUSTRY NEWS
Eddy-Current Sensor Maker Kaman Corporation Going Private
High-precision eddy-current sensors are a core technology at Kaman Corp., now converting to a privately held company.
Kaman Corporation, maker of a broad range of rugged-duty,
high-precision inductive, eddy current sensors, and also EMI
shielding products, is taking the corporate route from a publicly
held company to becoming privately held. The move began
in January when Arcline Investment Management agreed to
acquire Kaman for $1.8 billion, essentially buying out the shareholders.
Upon completion of the transaction, expected in the first
half of this year, plans are to convert the company to a privately
held enterprise that will continue to be led by current management.
Ian
Walsh, CEO of
Kaman Corporation
Likely, the deal will lead to more aggressive
product development and future
acquisitions as the company rationalizes
its portfolio to focus on high-growth markets.
" Over the last several quarters, we
have made significant progress executing
our strategy by transforming our portfolio,
through investing in innovation, pivoting
to new growth technologies, and optimizing
the company's cost structure, " commented
Ian Walsh CEO of Kaman.
Founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles Kaman, and headquartered
in Bloomfield, Connecticut, Kaman produces a broad
array of components for aircraft, also for arming military missile
and bomb systems through its 11 business units. Its sensor
lineup includes thousands of displacement sensors for extreme
environments with different measurement ranges, materials,
environments, temperatures and pressures. They range from
24 Magnetics Business & Technology * January/February 2025
handmade custom precision sensors to sensors manufactured in
a fully automated environment. Sensors made by the company
can operate in temperatures from cryogenic to 1,100° F.
Many of them are based on its core technology of inductive, eddy
current sensing. Its sensors provide non-contact indication of
linear position and displacement by outputting an analog voltage,
or, in some cases, a current that is proportional to the distance
between the sensor face and the target being sensed.
While some are general purpose, others are designed particularly
for certain applications. Its SMT-9700, for example, shown at
top, enables flexible, high-resolution position and displacement
systems for analytical and OEM applications such as XYZ stage
position feedback in atomic force microscopy, Z axis feedback
in semiconductor photolithography equipment, Z axis feedback
in precision grinding of bearing races, optics positioning, and
engrave head position feedback.
Many sensor options are available for machine condition monitoring,
including inductive technology, linear variable differential
transformers (LVDTs), laser triangulation, capacitive, and
ultrasonic systems, as well air gauging, Hall effect, and optical
systems. Each technology has distinct advantages and disadvantages,
depending on the application.
Eddy current sensors are generally much more insensitive to
environmental contaminants than other options. They operate
on the principle of impedance variation caused by eddy currents
induced in a conductive target by a sensor coil. The sensor coil
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Magnetics Business & Technology - January/February 2025

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