The Care and Maintenance of Infrared

Measuring the temperature of glass during
processes such as annealing, bending,
hardening, coating and laminating is best
achieved using a non contact infrared
thermometer. The infrared thermometer has the
advantage of measuring the actual glass
temperature in the oven without being affected by
the source of heat or the temperature of the air.
However, to obtain the best temperature indication
requires that the instrument be installed correctly
and maintained properly.
We will assume that the proper wavelength
instrument has be selected for the application.
Next the installation of the sensor is very important
to the proper operation and correct temperature
indication.
WHY? Figure 1 displays a oven that is using
a thermocouple to measure the temperature and
control the process. The thermocouple measures
the air temperature but does not measure
the product. The product temperature can
vary because of line speed, thickness of the
glass or the color of the glass. However, the
thermocouple will not indicate any change in the
product temperature. The advantage of a infrared
thermometer is that it will measure the glass
temperature not the air temperature.

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