Infrared

Dylan Erwin is the Technical Sales Manager for Fluke Process Instruments and has previously worked as a product innovation manager and regional sales manager, among other responsibilities. Dylan received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University and spent the first few years of his professional career in the industrial automation market. Dylan recently spoke with Thomas Wilk about the many uses of thermal imaging devices on the plant floor and the future of the technology, including the release of the TV40 Thermal Imager from Fluke Process Instruments.

Fire and ice, hot and cold – elemental extremes have always fascinated and challenged people. Various techniques and devices have been used throughout time to accurately measure and compare temperature conditions. For example, in the early days of ceramics manufacture, meltable materials were used, which indicated through deformation that certain higher temperatures were reached.

Emissivity is the measure of an object's ability to emit infrared energy. Emitted energy indicates the temperature of the object. Emissivity can have a value from 0 (shiny mirror) to 1.0 (blackbody). Most organic, painted, or oxidized surfaces have emissivity values close to 0.95. Majority of Fluke Process Instruments sensors have adjustable emissivity feature to ensure accuracy when measuring other materials such as shiny metals.

Learn the history of infrared technology and non-contact temperature sensing, development of pyrometers, infrared sensors and thermal imaging systems. See examples of industrial process applications: metal processing, glass manufacturing and plastics converting.

An infrared (IR) thermometer is a sensor that determines the temperature of an object by detecting and quantifying the infrared radiation emitted by measured target. An IR thermometer can be compared to the human eye. The lens of the eye represents the optics through which the radiation (flow of photons) from the object reaches the photosensitive layer (retina) via the atmosphere.