Blogs
Extruder Die Flatness
Extruder Die Flatness Industrial Extruder Die Flatness Thickness Description Introduction: Extruder dies have a flatness specification that must be maintained or the parts being extruded will be out of tolerance and non-conformant, resulting in scrap and disruptions. Periodic inspection of the die for flatness, deformation, burrs, or other irregularities is required. Situation: A tool and die company approached MTI Instruments, requesting assistance with a new method for inspecting their 20 ft long die. Contact gauges on a gantry had been the previous method; Non-contact was now the preferred practice. Solution: [...]
BRAKE ROTORS
Industry Automotive Applications Brake Rotors Measurement Type Surface Description Under normal operating conditions brake rotors are subjected to extreme temperatures and forces, which can cause rotor distortion and potential failure. To make certain it can withstand these conditions; extensive laboratory testing is performed to optimize design for longevity, short stopping distance, and vibration free operation. Extensive on-vehicle testing is done under real life conditions to test prototype units and engineering designs. Test vehicles are driven for long periods of time while brake performance is monitored by a variety of sensors [...]
Cement Board Quality Control
Cement Board Quality Control Industrial Cement Board Quality Control Dimensions Description Introduction: Cement backer board is used as underlayment for tile floors, walls and counter tops. It is also used as exterior sheathing and in exterior stucco systems. Cement backer board has proven to be more durable than virtually any other underlayment if quality control and thickness is maintained. The Problem: A major cement board manufacturer was faced with the challenge to improve a board production line throughput and decrease the amount of waste in the process. Too thin of cement board [...]
GLASS THICKNESS
Industry Consumer Electronics Applications Glass Thickness Measurement Type Thickness Description Did you know that glass thickness can be measured with a capacitance probe? You will need some equipment: Digital Accumeasure D200 ASP-2500-CTA Dielectric probe (The capacitance probe has a sensing area of 11.25 mm) Range extension = 3X, 10Hz filter Introduction: An industrial glass fabricator needed a way to determine the thickness of glass, before cutting it to shape and coating it. The glass sample was marked with indices to find the measuring points. The sample center point -5- thickness was [...]
DC Motor / Commutator Bar
DC Motor / Commutator Bar Industrial Dc Motor / Commutator Bar Depth Description Using a MTI Microtrak 4 laser triangulation sensor to measure a DC motor’s armature / commutator bar run out. We fitted a DC motor armature (rotor) in a lathe to spin it. The MTI laser head a DTS 50-20 has 50 mm standoff and a 20 mm measuring range. The laser was placed in a FS-5 magnetic  mount fixture and pointed at the commutator bars. The lathe was spun at 180 RPM and the commutator bar run out [...]
HEIGHT GAP OF INKJET PRINTERS
Industry Consumer Electronics Applications Height Gap Of Inkjet Printers Measurement Type Positioning Description Introduction: Inkjet printers require a certain distance between the inkjet print head and the paper. If the distance is set incorrectly, the printed images get blurry. Current state of the art printers have the print head nozzles built right into the bottom of the ink reservoir (B) as shown below. When the ink cartridge is installed in the printer, the inkjet nozzles (made out of silicon) essentially become a grounded target through the connections shown at [...]
Sheet Metal Brake Bending
Industrial Sheet Metal Brake Bending Tolerances Description
Fork Lift To Pallet Position
Transportation Fork Lift To Pallet Position Distance Description
Railroad Track Quality
Transportation Railroad Track Quality Surface Description
NUCLEAR HEAT EXCHANGER VIBRATION
Power plants, particularly nuclear power plants, require heat exchangers to cool down the primary working fluid for the power plant. Excessive vibration can lead to cracking and premature failure of the heat exchanger. Problem: A major power plant company approached MTI looking for a sensor that could measure vibration of a heat exchanger assembly that was immersed under water. Additionally, the water could reach 250 F and up to 220 PSI; the probe had to be sealed with a gland at a bulkhead feed through area. Solution: MTI developed a special fiber optic probe based on the MTI-2125H probe configuration. The [...]