25,000th infrared camera for industrial use

FLIR Systems has produced its 25,000th infrared camera at its facility in Danderyd, Sweden: here cameras are produced for commercial and industrial applications

Today FLIR Systems announced the production of its 25,000th infrared camera, at its facility in Danderyd, Sweden.

The Danderyd facility is the worldwide centre for FLIR Thermography division that produces infrared cameras for commercial and industrial applications.

FLIR Systems currently operates 3 additional manufacturing plants in the USA.

"This is an important milestone for our company and the industry as a whole," said Arne Almerfors, President of the Thermography Division at FLIR Systems.

"This industry is no longer serving the needs of a select few," said Almerfors.

"This milestone signifies the beginning of the broader acceptance of a technology that will one day be a common tool used in existing and new applications around the world".

FLIR Systems produced the first infrared camera for industrial use in 1968 when AGA/Bofors built the first camera used to find faults in electrical power lines.

"In those days we only produced a few cameras a year," said Almerfors.

"Our new affordable line of E-Series cameras has made us think about production from a different perspective".

"It's exciting to see the industry transformation," said Almerfors.

"In the 70s, infrared cameras weighed 50 pounds or more and could only be afforded by the world's leading utilities.

Now we sell 1.5 lb cameras to small electrical co-ops and electrical contractors who accept infrared technology as a standard tool of the trade".

Advances in lower cost detector technology and electronics allow FLIR to promote infrared camera technology to price sensitive markets unable to afford USD50,000 infrared imaging systems.

"We are now selling infrared cameras for under USD10,000 to building inspectors who are finding it is the fastest way determine the location of and extent of water damage in buildings," Almerfors said.

"We didn't even dream of this in 1968".

FLIR has also found lower cost cameras are attractive alternatives to visual technology in production environments because the infrared images and temperature measurement capability can find production flaws that cannot be detected by visual cameras.

"There are opportunities to deploy infrared technology in many new markets," said Almerfors.

"In the past year we have sold hundreds of cameras to address the potential SARS epidemic.

Veterinarians are now using our cameras more frequently as a tool to determine race horses are too lame to race or train".

Almerfors expects that infrared cameras will become a standard tool for even more applications as FLIR continues to make the cameras more affordable and easier to use.

"Our recent acquisition of Indigo Systems allows us to now produce the sensor that is the primary cost component in our camera systems" said Almerfors.

"We can combine this capacity with our existing capabilities in lens production, optical coating and large scale camera production to address the markets of the future.".

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