Thermal Imaging Software and Its Uses

Nov 20
10:44

2011

Kai Perry

Kai Perry

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Thermal imagers were once seen as the sole preserve of spies. They were as much a part of some action adventure world as jet fighters and volcano lairs. Nowadays, however, thermal imaging software is used in all manner of ways throughout industry and law enforcement. Lower prices mean more and more companies are buying thermal imaging software for uses as diverse as checking insulation, examining aeroplanes and hunting for illegal drug dens.

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Once upon a time,Thermal Imaging Software and Its Uses Articles thermal imaging software may have seemed the stuff of CSI or James Bond; better linked with spotting Russian agents in the Arctic tundra, or tracing the footprints of a fleeing criminal. And many of those associations currently apply.Police officers normally use thermal imagers to identify the distinctive heat patterns given off by cannabis factories, otherwise hidden within everyday houses or garden sheds. Then again, in modern times the introduction of less costly, user-friendly technology has seen thermal imaging rolled out across a much wider and perhaps surprising range of industries. As per Mike Berrie's opinion, easy-to-use thermal imaging technology can be advantageous in measuring, tracking and pinpointing trouble spots that have previously been difficult to find, all at a reasonable cost.The ability to spot various areas of heat has security uses more than easily catching bad guys. Banks and other organizations can use thermal images to measure where heat is being lost around security doors - an effective indicator of exactly how strongly enclosed that area is. In a similar manner, shops and grocery stores can verify the gasket seals on cold storage areas (e.g. freezer and chiller cabinets), making sure their produce remains fresh and they are not using unnecessarily high quantities of electric power to maintain it so.Until recently, companies would have had to seek the services of specialist contractors to carry out these checks as the expense of temperature measurement equipment - between $40,000 and $60,000 - rendered ownership of the technology very pricy. The advent of cheaper thermal imagers, such as Irisys’s IR16DS, mean not only that these contractors can work more easily, more cheaply and more quickly, but also that non-specialists can purchase their own equipment. The advent of cheaper thermal imagers, such as Irisys’s IR16DS, mean not only that these contractors can work more easily, more cheaply and more quickly, but also that non-specialists can purchase their own equipment.The long term savings are not only clear, but preventative maintenance is a more practical consideration as one does not risk spending large amounts of money only to find out that nothing is wrong. Thermal imaging can even find uses in your own home. We’re a cost conscious lot these days. With times hard for many we’re always on the lookout for extra ways to save a few pennies - and if it can help us go green at the same time, all the better. Thermal imaging can reveal to you where your house is losing the most heat; peer through the viewfinder and spot those houses with poor loft insulation lit up like a Christmas tree. Of course, a blockage in your central heating system can mean large areas of your house not getting any heat at all.Again, thermal imagers can show you the exact location of the blockage and cut down on call out times. On top of that ,they are advantageous in locating potentially dangerous electrical faults - always encouraging - and can find areas of excess moisture, assisting you catch damp before it sets in. Noticing electrical faults is also beneficial in the (literally) high flying world of aerospace engineering . The electrical units of aeroplanes are normally firmly packed into narrow cavities in the fuselage and conventional maintenance can involve the disassembling of large portions in the search for a problem.One top of that, thermal imagers are very efficient in reducing time and expense. There are also another advantages like the capacity to spot air leakages quickly and the power to measure the heat generated by moving components. In already heated environments such as a ship’s engine room or a busy factory, one cannot always rely on one’s own senses to spot when individual components may be overheating: with thermal imaging, that is not a problem. That is only a beginning. The applications of temperature measurement equipment handle additional industries as diverse as water treatment, research and development, transport, biotechnology, ceramics and also brewing. Definitely not the stuff of science fiction any longer; thermal imagers are hot.