Force measurement
The future of force measurement
which includes bending beam, S-beam and low-profile load cells. At that time the product range did
I
not include items like signal amplifiers, displays or other electronics associated with load cell use. Interface Force Measurements immediately set about creating a range of locally manufactured digital displays, signal amplifiers and other electronics to ensure it could offer its customers everything required to make successful, repeatable and accurate force measurements. Since then, the company’s customer’s
requirements have grown more complex and it has continued to develop and expand its product range to meet their evolving needs. In addition to load cells and an expanded range of electronics and data logging software, Interface Force Measurements is now able to offer:
PRESSURE SENSORS FROM U.S. MANUFACTURER GP50
PRESSURE MAPPING SYSTEMS FROM MARKET-LEADING MANUFACTURER XSENSOR,
THE INTERFACE RANGE OF BOTH ROTARYAND REACTIONTORQUE TRANSDUCERS
3AND 6AXIS LOAD CELLS FROM BOTH INTERFACEANDAMTI
nterface Force Measurement was formed as an independent company in 1996 as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for US manufacturer, Interface Inc’s extensive range of load cells,
That is where Interface Force Measurements
is today, the interesting question is where the company thinks the measurement of force, torque and pressure is heading? The global sensor market is forecast to grow at
between three to four per cent up to 2023.With the growth in wearable sensors, automotive, aerospace,medical, robotics and energy sectors are expected to be particularly strong. Reflecting this growth, there is increasing
demand for multi-axis sensors for applications as diverse as robotics,wave tank, haptic feedback, joystick control and wind tunnels.Due to the multi-channel output and need for cross-talk compensation these devices are normally supplied with multi-channel amplifiers and data- logging software. Interface Force Measurements expects the need for simultaneous measurement of both force and moments will continue to be a strong growth area. Rapid changes in the Automotive market,
driven by the switch from ICE to Electric drive trains mean growth in the numbers and type of sensor required. There is also increasing demand for increased comfort, convenience and safety from both customers and
regulators.Demand is increasing for torque transducers to measure power and torque output, load cells for use in multipost test rigs and small form factor load cells used to measure forces needed to operate buttons, switches and catches to name just a few applications. Even pressure mapping systems are used for everything from comfort and ingress/ egress studies to static and dynamic tire footprint studies. Specialist pressure mapping company,XSensor has developed high-speed pressure mapping systems to measure and display impact pressure distribution from seatbelts, airbags and hard surfaces found in cars, commercial aircraft and other vehicles. These
high-speed systems can also be used to collect impact data from safety helmets, sports body armour, ball impacts and more! One more area of increasing demand for all
sorts of sensors is the IoT, the Internet ofThings. There is growing interest in the remote condition monitoring of wind turbines, production line equipment, conveyor systems, luggage carousels and even refrigerated shipping containers. These are normally preventative maintenance applications, ensuring the system is functioning within set parameters, any deviation indicating a potential fault. This allows engineers to schedule downtime for investigation when system demand is low, rather than having to deal with a failure when demand for that system is high. Sensors for these remote monitoring
applications can take many forms and depend on the application. For example, a conventional load cell or torque sensor could be utilised. For more challenging applications a component could be replaced by a custom made sensor.While the technology used by sensors has remained the same for many years, the method of collecting and reading that data has moved
on.Data transmission can be via conventional cable connections to a display or a digital in-line signal amplifier that converts the sensor’s analogue signal to a digital USB, EtherCAT or CANBus connection for a PC, local network or onto a server. If the application calls for a wireless connection BlueTooth orWifi can be used, offering a range of several hundred meters or more. For applications where the sensor and the monitoring locations are remote from each other data can be transmitted via the GSM network, transmitting data upto the cloud and accessed by any mobile device or PC anywhere in the world. The sensor market is developing faster than
ever before with the pace of change only set to increase. The team at Interface Force Measurement will be at the centre of developments and is excited to see where it will all be in a few short years.
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May 2022 Instrumentation Monthly
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