Optical
Optical linear encoders dominate the high resolution market and may employ shuttering/Moiré, diffraction or holographicprinciples. Optical encoders are the most accurate of the standard styles of encoders, and the most commonly used in industrial automation applications. When specifying an optical encoder, it’s important that the encoder has extra protection built in to prevent contamination from dust, vibration and other conditions common to industrial environments. Typical incremental scale periods vary from hundreds down to sub-micrometre and following interpolation can provide resolutions as fine as a nanometre.