WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for all measurement tasks for most decades. The merchandise portfolio includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, along with flow measurement, calibration and SF6 gas solutions. In the next article, we would like 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 people and machinery
Protecting people from harm is the highest priority in virtually any workplace. Likewise, the machinery should remain undamaged in order 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, next to and with machinery. In production lines, for instance, the machinery is prevented from pulling, pushing or pressing unchecked, and thereby destroying both components and itself. Fool is port logistics, that WIKA offers 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 example, thus improves process control and automation, while simultaneously ensuring quality. Force measurement also provides 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 quality of the measured data, the higher the data analysis. The look of a tool change is thus more precise, in order 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 thus the maximisation of profit, have been completely mentioned in the previous 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. Among 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, simultaneously, 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
The utilization 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 supplies the right data for the most accurate process control. Consequently, machine tool wear is minimal. In addition, force measurement offers a great many other areas of application. For instance, 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 functioning on mobile cranes. The automobile?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, which means that the safety margin can be reduced. In cases like this, loads can be lifted further, yet accidents, e.g. due to slipping or tipping, could be avoided.
Added value: Lowering costs
Reason 5: Ensuring quality
Finally, the application of force measurement offers many advantages in the area of quality assurance, which includes 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 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 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 information on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. Furthermore, 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 store you?ll find some 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