Chris Jones, managing director of Micro-Epsilon UK, told FoodProductionDaily.com that its new inline infrared process imager (PI) costs 60 per cent less than other thermal imaging devices on the market:
“We are able to offer the Micro-Epsilon PI at a much lower price (£6,000 - €6,867) due to the fact that we have redesigned the internal electronics so that they are in miniature form, we use highly effective but low cost detectors and the interface has been simplified without sacrificing on performance."
Non-contact
According to Jones, the Micro-Epsilon PI is highly applicable to process control in the hygiene conscious food manufacturing industry as the technology used is non-contact.
The camera, which is enclosed in an IP 65 stainless steel housing to enable it to withstand wash downs, is fixed into position in a production process or R&D laboratory to monitor the temperature profile of products such as chocolate or biscuits on a conveyor belt, he continued.
Critical control
Temperature monitoring of a product such as chocolate is critical to avoid adverse affects on the quality of the finished product; controlling temperature may be key to ensuring no oil migration from an oily filling to its chocolate coating, or eliminating a bitter taste.
“The PI can detect hot and cold spots over a large area of moving product, and thus users will no longer have to rely on just a single-point temperature measurement from alternatives such as infrared sensors or probes to control their critical processes,” explained Jones.
He said that the PI uses a focal plane array with 160x120 pixels, and exchangeable lenses of 31 degrees field-of-view (FOV) and nine degrees (FOV) enable temperatures to be measured across a variety of object distances.
Energy transfer
The imager receives the infrared radiant (IR) energy emitted from the product and translates that energy into a temperature based on internal calibration tables, said Jones.
He claims that the PI has added value in that its online continuous measurement capability can help determine temperature deviation during the conveyance of a particular product, data which then can subsequently used to establish an optimum control temperature on a line for enhanced quality control.
Temperature range
Jones said that the PI has a temperature range similar to conventional thermal imaging cameras – with -20C to 100C, 0C to 250C and 120C to 900C available, and he said that the camera comes with software that enables the user to set up an alarm if certain process temperature limits are exceeded.
The PI device includes a digital USB 2.0 interface for image processing, he continued.
Food processors can trial the camera with different products prior to purchasing, claims Jones, and he added that Micro Epsilon’s team of engineers will collaborate with a food manufacturer in this regard in order to fully understand a company’s particular needs.