WIKA has been Never recognised partner for several 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 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 instance, 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 is not enough. The right measured values are also required to have the ability to monitor processes seamlessly. Using force measurement in linear drives, for instance, thus improves process control and also 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. An essential point here is to reduce running costs. The bigger the standard of the measured data, the higher the data analysis. The look of an instrument 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 shell out the dough 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 completely mentioned in the last section. Only through the optimal use of materials and machinery can margins be increased. An integral 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 these, the contact force of the electrodes could be precisely monitored through the use of tension/compression force transducers. In this manner, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, simultaneously, wear is minimised. Higher profits can 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
The usage of force measurement in welding tongs ? as explained in the section above ? is a very good exemplory case of improving product quality along with saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for the most accurate process control. Subsequently, machine tool wear is minimal. In addition, force measurement offers many other areas of application. For example, spreading fertiliser where this action 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 functioning on mobile cranes. The vehicle?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, meaning that the safety margin can be reduced. In cases like this, loads could be lifted further, yet accidents, e.g. because of slipping or tipping, could be avoided.
Added value: Lowering costs
Reason 5: Ensuring quality
Finally, the application of force measurement offers many advantages in your community of quality assurance, which has recently been touched upon. On the one hand, the machinery could be optimally controlled by registering the force. However, by recording the values, live along with saving them for later use, conclusions can be drawn for specific batches. In addition, the most precise force measuring instruments meet 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 details 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 a matter of trust? is also available. Would you like to buy force transducers? In our WIKA online shop you?ll find a few of our standard versions. When 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