As a designer, I base my choice mostly
on temperature, assuming all electrical
parameters between industrial and commercial
options are the same. If my application has
a more extreme temperature use case, I lean
toward the industrial grade. If temperature
is not the deciding factor, then I look at the
cost. If the industrial grade comes with added
benefits, such as tighter tolerance control and
certifications, with little or no increase in cost,
I lean toward the industrial grade."
Indra Wiryadinata
Staff Design Engineer, Tesla
Consumer-grade devices, on the other hand, are
meant for less stringent and demanding applications.
Consumer-grade devices tend to optimize for the
best performance per dollar. These devices also
place an emphasis on size, with smaller devices
preferred, even at the expense of ruggedness.
Therefore, consumer-grade devices have much
shorter lifetimes.
An example of a consumer-grade application
is a smartphone. Unlike industrial equipment, a
smartphone is not designed to operate under
extreme vibration and temperature and generally
operates at much lower voltages. Price is also a
major driver of their design, as consumers need to
be able to reasonably afford the end product. For
these kinds of applications, a consumer-grade MEMS
device offers the right balance of cost and reliability.
Generally, the differences between these two sensor
classifications are apparent in their datasheets.
For example, an industrial-grade sensor will have
much tighter tolerances and specifications than a
C h a p t e r 3 | C o n s u m e r v s . I n d u s t r i a l G r a d e M E M S
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9 Industry Experts Discuss MEMS Technology
