WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for all 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 would like to take 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 folks from harm may be the highest priority in virtually 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, on the other hand, uncontrolled machine movements are prevented. This makes it possible to 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 isn’t enough. The correct measured values are also 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 correct functioning of brakes and drives, conveyors, presses and weighing systems. A crucial point here is to reduce running costs. The higher the standard 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 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 already 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. As well as 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 by using tension/compression force transducers. In this way, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, simultaneously, wear is minimised. Higher profits can 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 a very good example of improving product quality in addition to saving materials. Force measurement supplies the right data for probably the most accurate process control. Due to this fact, machine tool wear is only minimal. In addition, force measurement offers many other areas of application. For example, spreading fertiliser where this step is adapted to the soil conditions is one method to save material. This also protects the surroundings. Furthermore, it is advantageous to know the (supporting) forces acting on mobile cranes. The automobile?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, meaning that the safety margin can be reduced. In this instance, loads can 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 application of force measurement also 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 and saving them for later use, conclusions can be drawn for specific batches. In addition, probably 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 additionally, you will find information 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? Inside our WIKA online shop you?ll find some of our standard versions. If Masterclass have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
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