Which Applications is Thermography Qualified for as a Method of Measurement and Testing?

Additive manufacturing has developed rapidly from its original field of prototype manufacturing, becoming a complete production technology for use on an industrial scale. Precise monitoring of machinery, equipment, materials and – above all – temperatures is of vital importance in this regard.

Today, thermographic damage and function analysis of electronic components is an established test method in electrical engineering. This method is also used for research purposes at the Institute for Electrical Systems and Energy Logistics at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. In this context, Prof. Dr. Ralph Schacht is intensively involved with the material and system characterisation as well as the non-destructive failure analysis of printed circuit boards, electronic components, microelectronics as well as composite systems of packaging and interconnection technology.

A core topic of modern materials research is the research on plastics as a versatile material for various technological applications. Quite often, industrial applications are developed from academic basic research.

At the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Paderborn, Kunststofftechnik Paderborn (KTP) works intensively on this topic using a VarioCAM® HD for this purpose.

Building thermography is a popular and established application for thermal cameras. Today the related services are frequently provided with simple “pistol” style cameras and from low-cost service providers. But when it comes to perform precision thermography you definitely need serious equipment and professional users!

Environmental conditions today often tend towards extremes. Many areas are very humid and wet, while others are predominantly dry. Particularly in the second case, cultivating raw materials such as grain, beet or maize is a challenge. A challenge that KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA is facing. As part of its plant research, the company uses the VarioCAM® HD head 900 infrared camera from InfraTec to analyse the behaviour of plants during drought stress and pest infestation.

Many tons of waste are bunkered and processed every day in waste recycling plants. It is not uncommon for this to contain highly flammable materials. If ignition sources get into this storage area, for example during delivery, there is an acute risk of fire. Therefore, waste incineration plants are subject to the strictest fire protection requirements in order to prevent endangering the environment and local residents. For this reason, an extremely important preventive measure is the permanent monitoring of the waste bunker and, if necessary, the surrounding areas.