WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for all measurement tasks for many decades. Results includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, as well as flow measurement, calibration and SF6 gas solutions. In the following article, we wish to have a closer look at the measured variable of force. These five reasons show why force measurement is of particular importance.
Reason 1: Protection of individuals and machinery
Protecting people from harm is the highest priority in virtually any workplace. Likewise, the machinery should remain undamaged so as to minimise downtime and repairs. In this context, force measurement ensures a safe working environment, especially through overload protection. In cranes, for example, this prevents heavy loads from falling. With construction machinery and robots, alternatively, uncontrolled machine movements are prevented. This makes it possible to work safely, and completely harmlessly, close to sufficient reason for machinery. In production lines, for example, the machinery is prevented from pulling, pushing or pressing unchecked, and thereby destroying both components and itself. Another example is port logistics, that WIKA supplies a globally unique, certified system.
Added value: Safe working environment
Reason 2: Ensuring system stability and production safety
Just collecting data isn’t enough. The right measured values may also be required to have the ability to monitor processes seamlessly. Using force measurement in linear drives, for instance, thus improves process control in addition to automation, while simultaneously ensuring quality. Force measurement also provides the right data for the correct functioning of brakes and drives, conveyors, presses and weighing systems. A crucial point here is to reduce running costs. The bigger the caliber of the measured data, the better the data analysis. The look of a tool change is thus more precise, so that changing it too early doesn?t cause increased costs nor does unplanned maintenance cause longer downtimes. The savings in consequential costs alone pay for it many times over.
Added value: Full process control
Reason 3: Optimisation of production conditions
The savings potential, and therefore the maximisation of profit, have been mentioned in the last section. Only through the optimal usage of materials and machinery can margins be increased. A key issue in manufacturing plants is machine availability. Besides reducing downtime, the focus is on minimising maintenance costs. A good example of this are welding tongs. With one of these, the contact force of the electrodes can be precisely monitored through the use of tension/compression force transducers. In this manner, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, as well, wear is minimised. Higher profits can even be achieved through saving time, for example, when containers are weighed ?on the fly?.
Added value: Maximum profits
Reason 4: Improving product quality and saving materials
Using force measurement in welding tongs ? as explained in the section above ? is an extremely good exemplory case of improving product quality and saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for probably the most accurate process control. Consequently, machine tool wear is only minimal. Furthermore, force measurement offers many other areas of application. For example, spreading fertiliser where this step is adapted to the soil conditions is one way to save material. This protects the surroundings. Furthermore, it is advantageous to know the (supporting) forces acting on mobile cranes. The automobile?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, meaning that the safety margin can be reduced. In this case, loads can be lifted further, yet accidents, e.g. due to slipping or tipping, can be avoided.
Added value: Lowering costs
Reason 5: Ensuring quality
Finally, the use of force measurement offers many advantages in your community of quality assurance, which includes already been touched upon. On the one hand, the machinery could be optimally controlled by registering the force. On Happy , by recording the values, live as well as saving them for later use, conclusions could be drawn for specific batches. Furthermore, the most precise force measuring instruments meet up with the highest requirements, for example, in materials testing machinery or in medical engineering. Incidentally, WIKA also offers a DAkkS-accredited calibration service for force measuring instruments.
Added value: Exact measured values
Note
Further information on our portfolio of force measuring instruments can be found on the WIKA website. There Alive will also find info on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. Furthermore, our brochure on force measurement: ?Force measurement is a matter of trust? is also available. Do you want to buy force transducers? In our WIKA online shop you?ll find some of our standard versions. Assuming you have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
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The ELMS1 overload protection saves lives
Force measurement in linear drives