Linear Cooler Technology Extends Detector Life for 24/7 Automation

 FLIR, a Teledyne Technologies company, recently announced the FLIR A6301, a cooled-core longwave thermal imaging camera designed for 24/7 inspection and automation applications aimed at making production lines more efficient and improving product quality.

This advanced automation thermal camera can serve as a component in process control, monitoring, and quality assurance to improve yield, throughput time, costs, and quality for a wide range of industries: these include machine building, integration, automotive, and factory floor production of EV batteries, food, beverages, pulp, and paper. The FLIR A6301 can detect small thermal variations and accurately measure temperatures on moving products to maximize equipment uptime and minimize costs as an essential component of planned maintenance.

“The A6301 camera offers a new level of thermal imagining capabilities to process control and quality assurance applications in the manufacturing industry. FLIR is driving the market forward with the latest in thermal imaging automation innovation, meeting the demanding requirements for production floors, while also delivering the most platform flexibility for integrators, all in a single solution,” said Jerry Beeney, Business Development Director, FLIR.

The FLIR A6301 includes an industry-leading 27,000-hour-life linear cooler using a revolutionary hot mid-wave infrared (MWIR) detector. This is a crucial specification that allows for around-the-clock automated monitoring for more than three years so both integrators and suppliers can avoid dangerous situations brought about by automated monitoring system failures.

FLIR developed the automation camera with customers and integrators at the forefront. Camera interfaces, commands, and connectors are all purpose-built for automation-related use cases. Going further, the FLIR A6301 is the smallest commercial-cooled camera platform ever built by FLIR, so size and weight won’t get in the way of system integration. When integrated with additional smart sensors within a broader automation system, advanced machine learning, and deep learning methods, the FLIR A6301 can help provide for a smarter, more efficient process.

Smarter, more efficient automation through the FLIR A6301 includes the following benefits:

• Reduced direct labor cost in production from automated quality assurance
• Integration with a computerized 24/7 system reduces the risk of uneven quality control due to individual decisions and fatigue
• An automation system that can lead to higher overall product quality while lowering the cost of quality
• When used to alert, the camera can potentially help reduce the number of injuries during production

To learn more about the FLIR A6301, visit https://www.flir.com/products/a6301/?vertical=rd%20science.