Free guide to non-contact temperature measurement

Micro-Epsilon has published a 24-page guide, entitled "The Basics of Non-Contact Temperature Measurement", including sections on the basic physical principles of non-contact measurement

A free 24-page guide, entitled "The Basics of Non-Contact Temperature Measurement" is now available, for plant engineers, maintenance technicians, field and service engineers or anyone interested in understanding more about non-contact temperature measurement - in particular thermal imaging and infrared thermometers.

Sensor manufacturer Micro-Epsilon (UK) has published a new 24-page guide, entitled "The Basics of Non-Contact Temperature Measurement: Infrared Thermometers and Thermal Imagers", which includes sections on the basic physical principles of non-contact temperature measurement; optics; sighting techniques; electronics; potential applications; and emissivity tables.

The emissivity depends on the material itself, its surface, temperature, wavelength and sometimes on the measuring arrangement.

The guide therefore includes a discussion on the temperature measurement of various materials, including glass, plastic and metals, and how measurements can be influenced by the surroundings.

Typical applications for non-contact measurement devices include checking for defective equipment or components such as switchgear; fuses; transformers; engine parts; electrical connections; HVAC equipment; boilers and burners; walls, ceilings and floors; and cabling.

In a production environment, on-line non-contact temperature sensors can be used to constantly monitor the temperature of production line equipment.

Plastics, glass and paper processing, printing plants, laser welding and cutting plants and measurement of electronic components are just a few examples.

The use of portable, thermal imagers are also becoming more popular with maintenance engineers.

The high costs associated with production downtime or machine failures can be avoided using this technology, as part of a preventative maintenance programme.

The latest thermal imagers are small, lightweight, easy to use and are ergonomically designed.

Micro-Epsilon (UK) has recently launched two compact, infra-red temperature sensors, that offer OEMs a cost effective, high accuracy but rugged device that can measure temperatures from -20C up to 350C.

The innovative 'optris CS' and 'optris CSmicro' sensor series are ideal for industrial OEM users and combine high quality and accuracy of metrological parameters, with a rugged, high-grade stainless steel housing and an attractive price per measuring point.

The sensors are approximately half the price of standard infra-red temperature sensors.

The technology was designed specifically for OEM customers, who to date may have avoided infra-red measurement due to its relative high cost.

The 'optris CS' is therefore compact, with an M12 thread and a diameter of 14 mm and a length of 87 mm.

The sensor also comes with integrated electronics, an LED display and a smart sighting support.

The 'optris CS' is a rugged device, benefiting from coated silicon optics, and so can be used in ambient temperatures of up to 75C, without cooling.

Further features are.

* a scalable analogue output of 0 - 10 V or 0 - 5 V.

* adjustable signal processing, short circuit and polarity reversal protection.

* USB programming interface with software.

* a wide power range of 5 - 7 or 12 - 28 V DC.

The 'optris CSmicro' is even more compact and measures just 14 mm in diameter by 28 mm in length, with an M12 thread.

Again, the sensor is housed in stainless steel but the processing electronics are integrated in the sensor cable itself, which facilitates small sensor dimensions.

In addition to providing all the features of the 'optris CS', the 'optris CSmicro' goes further and provides a programmable simultaneous alarm output for fast analysis and switching operations.

A very fast response time of 30ms (CS and CSmicro) demonstrates the level of technical innovation these sensors bring to the infra-red temperature sensor market.

The sensor can also be used in ambient temperatures of up to 120C without having to cool the sensing head.

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