FLIR’s technology investment fired up by strong demand

The growth in demand for FLIR’s expertise in minimising energy loss has resulted in a new wave of investment.

A pivotal asset is the FLIR T540; despite the camera’s rotating lens block and large LCD display initially attracting attention, standard functions such as multi-spectral dynamic imaging (MSX®) and 1-Touch level and span have emphasised how this technology has evolved.

Buildingtalk Editor Max Banner trying out the FLIR T540 at this year’s Ecobuild show

Thermographer Ralf Grispen still puts his 20-year old FLIR thermal imaging camera to good use for building science applications.

“Of course, our old FLIR camera is much bigger and heavier than current models but the thermal imaging quality is still superb,” Ralf said.

However, with an increasing number of businesses and consumers wanting to save energy and money by making building properties more efficient, a more ergonomic and technically advanced model was sought to meet the bigger workload.

For Ralf, annual property inspections are now commonplace; he looks for missing, damaged or inadequate insulation; building envelope air leaks; moisture intrusion and evidence of substandard work.

FLIR designed the T500-Series cameras to lower the strain of this type of work, by including a 180-degree rotating optical block.

With the ability to rotate the camera further, thermographers can image targets overhead, below or even around obstructions from a comfortable position.

For Ralf Grispen, the 1-Touch level/span function proved its worth on the first building inspections he performed with the new camera.

“This feature helps you adjust the contrast instantly on the image so your measurement target stands out against the background,” he commented.

“This is really convenient when you are inspecting a large building with a lot of temperature differences on screen. You can focus more readily on a specific region without getting distracted by the rest of the image.”

“Another great feature on this camera is auto-calibrating interchangeable lenses because, during inspections, we may need to look at areas close up and also from farther away. I can remove the lens and attach a different one very quickly and continue my work.”

These interchangeable AutoCal™ optics can be shared between all the latest models of FLIR professional cameras, with no need for secondary pairing or factory recalibration.

The availability of a range of wide, standard and telephoto lenses allows the thermographer to move from wide sweeping scans to inspections of individual target and surveys of distant objects without sacrificing temperature measurement accuracy.

Ralf and his colleagues also use the technology to perform electrical, industrial maintenance, HVAC and even aircraft inspections.

“We are still relying on our established range of FLIR cameras for this work but everyone in the team can’t wait to get their hands on our newest ‘gadget’. Careful planning is needed to give everyone a turn!” he concluded.

FLIR Systems,
2 Kings Hill Avenue,
Kings Hill,
West Malling,
Kent,
United Kingdom
ME19 4AQ

Phone: 01732 220011
Fax: 01732 220014

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