WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for all measurement tasks for many decades. The merchandise portfolio includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, together with flow measurement, calibration and SF6 gas solutions. In the next article, we would like to take a closer consider the measured variable of force. These five reasons show why force measurement is of particular importance.
Reason 1: Protection of individuals and machinery
Protecting folks from harm is the highest priority in any workplace. Likewise, the machinery should remain undamaged so that you can minimise downtime and repairs. In this context, force measurement ensures a safe working environment, especially through overload protection. In cranes, for instance, this prevents heavy loads from falling. With construction machinery and robots, alternatively, uncontrolled machine movements are prevented. This can help you work safely, and completely harmlessly, next to sufficient reason for machinery. In production lines, for instance, 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 is not enough. The right measured values may also be required to have the ability to monitor processes seamlessly. Using force measurement in linear drives, for example, thus improves process control together with automation, while simultaneously ensuring quality. Force measurement also supplies the right data for the right functioning of brakes and drives, conveyors, presses and weighing systems. A crucial point here is to lessen running costs. Eliminate of the measured data, the higher the data analysis. The look of a tool change is thus more precise, in order that changing it prematurily . 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 thus the maximisation of profit, have been mentioned in the previous section. Only through the optimal use of materials and machinery can margins be increased. A key issue in manufacturing plants is machine availability. Along with 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 way, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, concurrently, wear is minimised. Higher profits can even be achieved through saving time, for instance, when containers are weighed ?on the fly?.
Added Priceless : Maximum profits
Reason 4: Improving product quality and saving materials
The use of force measurement in welding tongs ? as explained in the section above ? is an extremely good example of improving product quality together with saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for probably the most accurate process control. Consequently, Indulgent is only minimal. Furthermore, force measurement offers many other areas of application. For instance, spreading fertiliser where this action is adapted to the soil conditions is one method to save material. This protects the environment. Furthermore, it is advantageous to know the (supporting) forces functioning on mobile cranes. The vehicle?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, which means that the safety margin could be reduced. In cases like this, loads could 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 utilization of force measurement offers many advantages in your community of quality assurance, which includes already been touched upon. On the main one hand, the machinery can be optimally controlled by registering the force. However, by recording the values, live and saving them for later use, conclusions could be drawn for specific batches. In addition, the most precise force measuring instruments meet up with the highest requirements, for instance, in materials testing machinery or in medical engineering. Incidentally, WIKA 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 you will also find info on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. In addition, our brochure on force measurement: ?Force measurement is really a matter of trust? is also available. Would you like to buy force transducers? In our WIKA online store you?ll find some of our standard versions. In case you have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
Also read our articles
The ELMS1 overload protection saves lives
Force measurement in linear drives