Thin film provides pressure readings
A
Sensor Products product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 30, 2008
Futek used Pressurex to help redesign several of its clamps to incorporate silicone die springs to regulate the pressure more precisely.
Pressurex, a thin flexible film from Sensor Products , is a versatile NDT tool for quality control and machine component inspection.
Its ability to easily and rapidly show inconsistencies in surface pressure between mating or contacting surfaces has lowered scrap rate and assisted in the design and manufacture of many industrial and electronic products.
Futek, a US manufacturer and supplier of load cells, torque and pressure sensors, experienced difficulty assembling some of their load cells to its specifications.
By performing several tests and controlling for different variables, they found fluctuations in clamping pressure to be a significant factor.
Futek's sensors incorporate metal foil strain gauge technology.
The adhesive they use to bond the gauges to their sensors requires a clamping pressure of 3.4-5bar.
However, by using Pressurex, James Meiselbach, a Mechanical Engineer at Futek, was able to see that the pressure fluctuated from 3.4bar to over 14bar in some of its production runs.
This discovery led Futek to use Pressurex to help redesign several of its clamps to incorporate silicone die springs to regulate the pressure more precisely.
"A sample pack of Pressurex with film that revealed different surface pressure ranges allowed our production to continue", said Meiselbach.
No training or instrumentation is required.
It allows users to assess surface contact inconsistencies in virtually any industrial or electronic application, including gaskets, clamps, bolted joints, connectors, heat sinks, heat sealing elements, welding heads and plastic and composite manufacture.
Meiselbach found using Pressurex to be a simple procedure.
To measure the surface pressure of a clamp around the outside of a load cell, he cut Pressurex in the configuration of the clamp surface area, placed it in between the clamp and the load cell, applied force, unclamped it and removed the Pressurex.
He then compared the film, which changes colour depending on how much pressure is exerted, to an accompanying colour calibration chart.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact Sensor Products
Related Stories
- Zytek uses Renco R35i encoders to develop gearbox
- Airbus uses Balluff sensors in A380 restrooms
- Thermal imaging camera to scan homes
- Linear position sensors used in ATM bill detector
- OMS fits Scancontrol into internal weld inspector
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
