Temperature sensor manufacturing business and product quality are derived by precise temperature measurements. For this, temperature sensor manufacturers need accurate and reliable measurement tools. Steel manufacturers need to be careful about temperature throughout every step of the annealing process. Any mistake or missing the right temperature for the steel strip can lead to inconsistencies in the product.
Two important pieces help in measuring the steep strip temperature – choosing the right steel infrared temperature sensor and checking it is calibrated in the right manner. Once you have selected the right pyrometer for your application, you are already one step ahead. After this, you can test the accuracy of the infrared thermometer to ensure precise measurements.
Before coming to the evaluation of infrared thermometer accuracy, we would like to make your basics clear about the product.
An infrared thermometer is used to measure the temperature from a distance. This distance can be a fraction of an inch to many miles. In the current scenario of coronavirus outbreak, these infrared thermometers are being used to check the temperature of the travelers at the airports. These thermometers provide and record temperature readings from distance, which eliminates the transmission of the virus from one person to another.
Infrared thermometers work on black body radiation phenomenon.
There are three ways to evaluate the accuracy of your infrared thermometer-
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Use another trusted pyrometer to confirm the accuracy
There are many applications for which multiple pyrometers are used to achieve precise measurements. In this method, you can easily calibrate your pyrometer. You can use both pyrometers to measure the one thermal energy area and adjust the calibration of the new pyrometer until it matches the existing one.
In this method, you need to use a trusted pyrometer for a comparison of the measurements. In case you doubt the existing pyrometer measurements, you can adjust the new infrared thermometer to match the measurement. However, this will lead to two repeatable pyrometers that cannot be trusted for accuracy. You need to measure each area with both pyrometers because the temperature range may vary in different areas.
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Use Blackbody to confirm the accuracy
Blackbody calibrators can be used for testing the calibration of infrared thermometer nz. A blackbody can act as a theoretical “perfect emitter” which emits maximum infrared rays for any desired temperature. This is also a diffuse emitter, releasing radiation of the same intensity in all directions. There is no perfect blackbody made, but there is a blackbody calibrator having an empty cavity with a minor target opening. There is a laboratory blackbody and its temperature can be measured with the use of pyrometer.
Many manufacturers calibrate their pyrometers with several blackbody calibrators before bringing them to the market. Although, this is not the simplest method and blackbody calibrators can be costly and complex to operate at the same time. This makes them the least option for a steel manufacturing unit.
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Use Thermocouple to confirm the accuracy
A thermocouple is a temperature measuring tool made up of two wires of different metals that are welded together at a junction. A voltage is created at this junction during any change in temperature. Thermocouple reference tables are then applied to read the voltage and measure the temperature.
With thermocouple, you can simply measure object temperature. The same object temperature is then measured with a pyrometer. Adjustments can be done to the tool to get precise measurements through thermocouple. For accurate calibration, you need to check the same area using both tools.
The recent innovations have brought low-cost production opportunities for temperature sensor manufacturers. Infrared thermometers are becoming more reliable and thus opening the doors to several new applications. This type of thermometers initiates the measurement of moving parts. You can actually know whether it is safe to work on a machine by knowing the temperature. However, you need to remember that these thermometers work best when you want to detect the surface temperature.
You cannot measure the core temperature of meat, boiling sugar syrup, and other food processing applications. For this, you will still require a contact thermometer. Continuous temperature monitoring and reading record is the need in some applications that can be easily acquired by contact thermometer.
Take an instance of a thermometer with Wi-fi connectivity or Bluetooth that can help record the temperature data and transmit it to a smartphone or PC for analysis.
