WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for several measurement tasks for many decades. The product portfolio includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, and also 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 people from harm is the highest priority in any workplace. Likewise, the machinery should remain undamaged as a way to minimise downtime and repairs. In this context, force measurement ensures a safe working environment, especially through overload protection. In cranes, for example, 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 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. Another example is port logistics, for which 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 correct 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 in addition to 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. An essential point here is to lessen running costs. The higher the caliber of the measured data, the better the data analysis. The planning 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 pay for it 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 perfect use of materials and machinery can margins be increased. A key 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 by using tension/compression force transducers. In this manner, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, concurrently, wear is minimised. Higher profits can be achieved through saving time, for instance, when containers are weighed ?on Pioneering ?.
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 and saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for the most accurate process control. Consequently, machine tool wear is minimal. Furthermore, force measurement offers a great many other areas of application. For instance, spreading fertiliser where this action is adapted to the soil conditions is one way to save material. This protects the surroundings. Furthermore, it is advantageous 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 could be reduced. In cases like this, loads could 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 usage of force measurement offers many advantages in the area of quality assurance, which includes recently 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 together with 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 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 info on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. Furthermore, our brochure on force measurement: ?Force measurement is a matter of trust? is also available. Do you want to buy force transducers? In our WIKA online store you?ll find a few of our standard versions. Assuming you have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
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Force measurement in linear drives