Test & measurement 5. ENVIRONMENT


As confocal sensors are considered “passive”, i.e. do not contain any electrical components, they are suitable for vacuum applications in semiconductor and microelectronics production. In clean rooms or vacuum environments, specific confocal sensors can be provided to suit either a low level vacuum or an ultra-high vacuum with zero outgassing. As there are no electronic components inside the sensor, this means the sensors do not emit any heat radiation during operation, which in turn prevents mechanical expansion of parts inside the sensor or the target being measured. The result is a much more stable, accurate sensor. Confocal sensors are connected to their controller (which houses all the conditioning electronics) via fibre optic cable. Cable runs can be long (up to 30m) with no degradation of the signal. And for vacuum environments, a vacuum feed-through connector is supplied.


Confocal measurement systems are now available where the sensor and controller (electronics) are combined in one compact housing. This offers greater flexibility for system integrators and machine builders, as there is no longer any need to route or connect fibre optic cables. It also saves space and simplifies installation in production lines and machines.


7. COMPENSATING FOR DIFFICULT SURFACES


Traditionally, most confocal controllers perform poorly when trying to compensate for difficult and changing surface conditions, particularly in high speed surface scanning tasks. However, the latest confocal controllers, IFC2465 and IFC2466, also feature double the light intensity to maintain high speeds, even on dark surfaces, as well as using intelligent software algorithms based on the company’s experience in the design of optical laser sensors. These algorithms enable the controller to compensate in real time for surface reflectivity, enabling users to scan surfaces very rapidly at high resolution. The controllers also provide high speed triggering that allows them to be synchronised with encoders and other motion control devices. The result is a controller that provides more stable, higher accuracy measurements, down to nanometre resolution if required.


7. THICKNESS OF MULTI-LAYERED MATERIALS


6. SHAPE, SIZE AND SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY OF MEMS


Confocal chromatic sensors provide significant advantages when it comes to inspecting the shape, size and surface topography of MEMS structures during or post-production. These benefits include extremely high sensitivity and sub-micrometer resolution. The sensors can also be integrated to linear X-Y stages, machine tools or special purpose inspection systems with closed loop feedback control. Confocal sensors are capable of measuring the surface and groove depth of difficult materials, ranging from highly reflective, mirrored surfaces to dark, diffuse surfaces. Confocal controllers from Micro-Epsilon are already prepared to receive encoder input signals to synchronise measurements from stage position signals.


Laminated safety glass, solar panels, flat screens and smartphone displays comprise multiple layers of different transparent materials. Measuring the exact thickness of these individual layers, as well as any air gaps between these layers, during production is a critical but physically complex process and a challenge for measurement technology.


For quality inspection and process control of manufactured transparent multi-layer materials, confocal sensors and controllers can together provide multi-peak measurement capabilities for multi-layered materials such as glass. The result is improved product quality and increased production yields for manufacturers. These confocal sensors and controllers offer faster measuring rates, improved signal-to-noise ratios, and real time surface compensation for difficult-to-measure surfaces, including mirrored surfaces. Some suppliers such as Micro-Epsilon provide software that can evaluate up to five layers by evaluating six measurement values on the boundary areas. In order to accurately determine the thickness of each layer, the controller retrieves the refractive index of each material layer from a database. Each refractive index is corrected depending on the wavelength.


Micro-Epsilon www.micro-epsilon.co.uk


32


Featuring an accessible and clear user interface (UI), which allows the operator to select the required tests quickly with a single key, the high-performance instrument includes an extensive selection of safety tests for hospital and medical equipment. The SafeTest 60+ provides basic testing of medical equipment with applied parts, both patient current leakage and insulation measurement to ensure electrical safety of medical beds and chairs, operating tables, hoists, infusion pumps, CPAPs (continuous positive airway pressure), centrifuges and other similar equipment that do not require patient lead testing. As such, the SafeTest 60+ is suitable for electrical testing to ensure compliance with a range of international safety standards including leakage testing to AAMI ES 60601, NFPA-99, IEC 62353 and IEC 61010.


Rigel Medical www.rigelmedical.com


August 2024 Instrumentation Monthly T


HIGH VOLUME MEDICAL DEVICE TESTING


he implementation of rapid and accurate medical device and laboratory equipment testing is provided by Rigel Medical’s newly upgraded SafeTest handheld safety analyser.


Designed for high performance and accurate electrical testing to reduce the risk of electrical device fault, the improved SafeTest 60+ is a compact, rugged and reliable safety analyser that is designed to accommodate the demands of high- volume testing regimes. Offering an easy-to-use colour coded user interface, push button operation and fast step selection of test routines, and available in a wide range of power configurations to suit local and international markets, the tester delivers point-to-point insulation resistance testing from 100K – 100MΩ with added patient applied parts testing.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100