WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for several measurement tasks for most decades. The product portfolio includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, together with 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 to be able to 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, however, uncontrolled machine movements are prevented. Lurking makes it possible to work safely, and completely harmlessly, close to and with 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 be able to monitor processes seamlessly. Using force measurement in linear drives, for instance, 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. 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 prematurily . doesn?t cause increased costs nor does unplanned maintenance cause longer downtimes. The savings in consequential costs alone shell out the dough 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 completely mentioned in the last 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 these, the contact force of the electrodes can be precisely monitored by using tension/compression force transducers. In this way, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, simultaneously, wear is minimised. Higher profits may also 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 in addition to saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for probably the most accurate process control. Because of this, machine tool wear is only minimal. Furthermore, force measurement offers a great 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 also protects the surroundings. Furthermore, it is beneficial to know the (supporting) forces acting on mobile cranes. The automobile?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, which means that the safety margin could be reduced. In this case, loads could be lifted further, yet accidents, e.g. because of slipping or tipping, can be avoided.
Added value: Lowering costs
Reason 5: Ensuring quality
Finally, the usage of force measurement also offers many advantages in the area of quality assurance, which includes already been touched upon. On the main one hand, the machinery could be optimally controlled by registering the force. On the other hand, by recording the values, live as well as saving them for later use, conclusions could be drawn for specific batches. In addition, probably the most precise force measuring instruments meet the highest requirements, for instance, 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 you 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? can be available. Do you want to buy force transducers? In our WIKA online shop you?ll find a few of our standard versions. In Terror 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