Profile Safety first
Flir Systems’ thermal imaging technology is finding its way into a huge number of applications outside military and security, from medicine to the company’s iPhone attachment, as Beth Harlen discovers
T
he history of thermal imaging giant, Flir Systems, goes back 37 years since its founding in 1978. As of 2014, the company
is divided into six distinct operating segments – surveillance, OEM and emerging markets, maritime, security, detection, and instruments – but it is the final segment, Instruments, that serves the industrial, commercial, and scientific markets under the Flir and Extech brands. Rickard Lindvall, general manager of
Instruments at Flir Systems, explained that this particular segment has roots in Stockholm, Sweden, that date back to the 1960s. Flir Instruments is the result of many notable mergers and acquisitions, not least of which was the acquisition of Swedish company Agema Infrared Systems in 1998. Formally known as Aga, Agema Infrared Systems developed the first commercial infrared scanner, designed for inspecting power lines, in 1965. Less than 10 years later, in 1973, the company developed the first battery-operated portable infrared scanner, and in 1978 introduced the first dual- wavelength system capable of real-time analogue recording for R&D markets. In addition, prior to being purchased by Flir Systems, Agema Infrared Systems launched the first uncooled infrared camera, the Agema 570, in 1997. With this wealth of commercial infrared
camera expertise on board, Flir Systems began to consolidate the market – a move that in the following year led to the acquisition of US-based Inframetrics, a company that developed the first TV-compatible infrared system in 1975, and the first full-featured camcorder-style focal plane array (FPA) infrared camera in 1995.
Testing times When Rickard Lindvall joined Flir Systems in 2003, the company as a whole was exhibiting considerable growth and stability following a scandal in 2000 that saw the company’s president
The Flir K-series allows firefighters to see through smoke and assess burning buildings
and CEO, Kenneth Stringer III, being dismissed due to errors in the company’s accounting practices. ‘Tat was a difficult time for Flir Systems, and it’s not something we dwell on but I think it’s important to take pride in the fact the company turned things around very quickly and has spent the past 15 years going from strength to strength,’ said Lindvall. ‘Even in the days of uncertainty, we knew we had a thermal imaging technology that could make a huge difference to, and in fact could save, many lives.’ In terms of its technology, Flir Systems
began with a focus on developing infrared imaging systems that were installed on vehicles for the purpose of conducting energy audits of residential areas. Tese vehicles were able to detect the infrared energy emitted by all people, objects and materials, enabling them to
10 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • April/May 2015
identify abnormal heat leakages from individual properties. At that lower end of the market, basic forms of the technology were applied to industrial applications, such as monitoring heat loss from doors, windows and roofs, etc. Te company expanded to airborne applications and further developed its thermal imaging technology for high-end military use, such as weapons targeting, as the infrared cameras allow operators to see in total darkness and through any visual disturbances, like smoke. Flir Systems noted the gap between the two ends of the market and towards the end of the 1980s began to develop handheld and laboratory systems for a variety of commercial applications. Tis move was accelerated with the acquisition in 1990 of the industrial infrared imaging group from the Hughes Aircraſt Co.
@imveurope
www.imveurope.com
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