At the Fiat Car factory in Italy they are using thermal imaging cameras for predictive maintenance purposes, in order to predict electrical and mechanical faults.
The factory produces 250,000 cars per year, meaning that it is important for the system of car production to work efficiently without any possible faults.
To achieve this, Fiat needs to ensure that any electrical or mechanical fault is found and repaired before it becomes an issue that will affect and disrupt production.
A thermal imaging camera is the only tool that allows hidden problems to be clearly seen and is a technology that is increasingly becoming vital in this kind of application.
Fiat have also recently begun to use a Flir Meterlink connectivity solution which uses a Bluetooth connection, between the thermal imaging camera and the Extech EX845 clamp meter, to embed data automatically in the corresponding thermal image.
The link between temperature and electrical load is well established and for many years thermographers have included load ratings where relevant. Usually, readings would be taken using a clamp meter and written down on paper before being added to the report later.
However, the possibility of losing or mixing up readings is greatly increased using this method. By using a camera such as the FLIR T335 which uses FLIR's MeterLink (bluetooth) connectivity, this possible loss and confusion is eliminated and the job of discovering possible faults can continue uninterrupted.
Written by Sara Thomson
