At the beginning of the year, we are presenting an innovative option for the precise determination of strip thickness in slitting lines in the metal industry. This innovation complements the globally established and widely installed imess SW system for strip width measurement.
The new product, imess SW-T, combines camera-based width measurement with high-precision thickness measurement using modern laser sensors. This non-contact, optical measurement of both characteristics ensures automated and optimised quality assurance. The results are operator-independent and are fully documented in the supplied inspection software.
The measuring system can be installed at various positions in the production line. During short downtimes, the camera and lighting move along the belt and record the width of each individual strip. Alternatively, solutions for inline measurement of both features have also been developed. Two lasers, one above and one below the strip, measure the thickness using the differential principle. The number of strips or the surface quality of the material are irrelevant.
The system is automatically calibrated at regular intervals to avoid measurement inaccuracies caused by temperature differences or other external influences. The recorded measured values are analysed and clearly displayed in the software. In the event of a tolerance violation, the operator is informed immediately via the measurement screen.
In addition to the detailed documentation of the results in Excel-compatible format, the system includes a password-protected menu for customising the test settings. In addition, the results of each target/actual comparison are recorded in statistics. An interface to the customer’s control system enables an automatic response if the production tolerance is exceeded. The product data is also transmitted to the inspection system so that the measurement is fully automated.