WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for several measurement tasks for many decades. The merchandise portfolio includes pressure, temperature, force and level measurement, along 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 people from harm may be the highest priority in virtually 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, however, uncontrolled machine movements are prevented. This can help you 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 offers 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 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 as well as automation, while simultaneously ensuring quality. Scarce supplies 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 higher the quality of the measured data, the better the data analysis. The planning of an instrument 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 usage of materials and machinery can margins be increased. An integral issue in manufacturing plants is machine availability. In addition to reducing downtime, the focus is on minimising maintenance costs. Among 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 way, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, simultaneously, wear is minimised. Higher profits can be achieved through saving time, for instance, when containers are weighed ?on the fly?.
Added value: Maximum profits
Reason 4: Improving product quality and saving materials
The application of force measurement in welding tongs ? as explained in the section above ? is a very good exemplory case of improving product quality and also saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for probably 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 step is adapted to the soil conditions is one way to save material. This protects the surroundings. Furthermore, it is beneficial to know the (supporting) forces acting on mobile cranes. The vehicle?s centre of gravity can thus be calculated exactly, which means that the safety margin could be reduced. In this instance, loads can 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 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 as well as saving them for later use, conclusions could be drawn for specific batches. In addition, the most precise force measuring instruments meet up with 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 additionally, you will find information on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. Furthermore, 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 store you?ll find a few of our standard versions. In case you have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
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Force measurement in linear drives