Process Sensors Corporation

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PSC’s Capella Portable IR Thermometers Excel in Glass & Forging Industries

Process Sensors Capella Models C309 and C311 portable non-contact infrared thermometers have been received with great enthusiasm and unprecedented results by industry operators after demonstrations and onsite plant use.

Recent demonstration by PSC and evaluation by a prestigious glass manufacturer resulted in purchase of a single unit for the California plant and six more C309s for use in New Jersey. The Capellas had been evaluated favorably against the Ametek Land portable Model C100. 

The adjustable focus optics, fast response time and small spot size along with 0.1° resolution were praised. A great deal was said about the C309 bright green laser aiming light. Operators found using the adjustable focus laser to establish both focal distance and aiming point very useful and noted that switching between the two sighting methods (laser and thru-lens) was quick and intuitive. Users found the laser sighting more useful than optical sighting. 

The optical sight paths and alignment of the Capellas were ergonomically comfortable and beneficial for most of the measurement positions. Operators found the bright color displays made interpreting measurement data very simple. Viewing of real time, peak, average and minimum temperature values simultaneously was very useful.

Capella eyepieces have rotating polarizing filters for eye protection when viewing bright targets, i.e. glass streams and furnace refractory material. Powered by long lasting Lithium-Ion batteries, they are rechargeable via standard USB cable that can also be used for extracting stored data.

Operators noted that the larger and heavier Capella units with rugged metal housings and rubber bumpers have a sturdier feel to them than the Land C100.

A Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility study was conducted at the glass plant to define the amount of variation in the measurement data due to the measurement systems. Alloy temps and glass stream temps were taken and repeated at multiple locations. The study showed a 3.9% total gage error, which is very reasonable and indicates more than an acceptable gage error.

A major successful demonstration by PSC and hands-on operator evaluation at a prominent metal forging company in California resulted in an order for 16 PSC Capella C311-0600-1400 instruments. This led to further success with the purchase of six more C311s intended for use in Nevada by an associated forging company. The advantages of the two-color C311 were acknowledged – they are not affected by dirt, dust and partially obscured targets. The 22 Capellas purchased replaced all the legacy Mikron/LumaSense portable Model M90R-1s.          

Seeing the C311 in action at a highly regarded independent calibration laboratory located in Nevada drew rave reviews from the laboratory supervisor. He found the very high accuracy of the C311 and its fast 1ms response time “amazing”. He observed that this dynamic series of handheld thermometers for measurement in the short-wave spectral range is perfect for his purposes and said, “This one tops them all!”