WIKA has been an internationally recognised partner for several measurement tasks for most 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 consider the measured variable of force. These five reasons show why force measurement is of particular importance.
Reason 1: Protection of individuals and machinery
Protecting folks from harm is 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 instance, this prevents heavy loads from falling. With construction machinery and robots, however, 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 example, 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 supplies 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 may also be required to manage to monitor processes seamlessly. Using force measurement in linear drives, for instance, 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 higher the data analysis. The look of a tool change is thus more precise, in order 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 usage 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. Among this are welding tongs. With these, the contact force of the electrodes can be precisely monitored by using tension/compression force transducers. In this manner, optimum quality is permanently guaranteed and, as well, 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 usage of force measurement in welding tongs ? as explained in the section above ? is an extremely good exemplory case of improving product quality together with saving materials. Force measurement provides the right data for probably the most accurate process control. As a result, machine tool wear is only 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 method 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, meaning 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 utilization of force measurement also offers many advantages in your community of quality assurance, which has already been touched upon. On the main one hand, the machinery can be optimally controlled by registering the force. However, by recording the values, live and also 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 also 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 info on our calibration service for force measuring instruments. In addition, our brochure on force measurement: ?Force measurement is a matter of trust? is also available. Would you like to buy force transducers? Inside Technology shop you?ll find some of our standard versions. Should you have any questions about force measurement, please ask your contact person.
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Force measurement in linear drives