Thermal imaging cameras new, enhanced protection design improves clarity and accuracy while reducing maintenance requirements

AMETEK Land has introduced an innovative protective design for their industrial thermal imaging cameras without the restriction of a wire grid.

This new protective housing is engineered to address the challenges of thermal camera installations used in some of the harshest industrial environments. It provides enhanced optical clarity and temperature accuracy as well as improved operational efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements.

Conventional thermal imaging camera housings use a wire grid or mesh in front of a germanium window to conform to impact test standards. The germanium window, which has a metallic appearance in the visible light spectrum, is impervious to ultraviolet and visible light. It offers an exceptional transmission range in the infrared spectrum, ranging from 2 to 16 μm, making it ideal for mid-wave-infrared (MWIR) and long-wave-infrared (LWIR) applications.

AMETEK Land's protective housing features a germanium window, but no additional wire grid, yet still adheres to the stringent Ex d impact test criteria. This innovative design not only offers protection against impact but also defends the camera from exposure to high temperatures and corrosive environments. It also ensures that the thermal imaging camera remains a safe and secure device, free from the risk of ignition.

James Cross, the Global Industry Manager for Hydrocarbon Processing Industries at AMETEK Land, stressed the importance of this advancement, “By using the gridless concept on several installations, the AMETEK Land LWIR in EXSH housing has provided LAND’s famed crystal-clear images with highly accurate, sensitive, repeatable temperature data. End-users increasingly demand higher accuracy temperature values to achieve better yields, improved efficiency, and longer maintenance intervals, and we expect the demand for gridless housing designs to increase with it.”