In May of this year, EMG Automation GmbH took over MESACON Messelektronik GmbH located in Dresden, Germany and integrated the MESCACON thickness measurement solutions into the product portfolio of the "Business Unit Metals". This is an important step towards completing EMG's range of quality assurance systems for the manufacturing of flat metal products and, in addition to various width measurement solutions and online geometry measurement of slabs. EMG now offers the complete spectrum of thickness and layer thickness measurement systems required for almost every manufacturing and processing step. At this point, the MESACON solutions and the online oil layer thickness measurement, which can also be used for the layer thickness measurement of insulating coatings of electrical sheet, EMG SOLID®, complement each other in an ideal way.
Background
MESACON Messelektronik GmbH from Dresden is in business for more than 60 years, has around 20 employees and offers high-precision thickness measurement systems as well as coating thickness measurement systems worldwide. With modular system components, users can perform non-contact and non-destructive measurements during ongoing production and for fully automatic process control.
Technological competence paired with application knowledge
High-precision, fully automatic online thickness and coating thickness measurements require a high degree of technological competence, which must relate to a broad spectrum of use cases. Only a precise understanding of the specifics of the application and consideration of the accuracy requirements will result in a customised solution for the individual application. Laser measurement systems, for example, are easy to use and comparatively inexpensive, but have physical limitations in terms of absolute measurement accuracy. And this is where MESACON's comprehensive solution expertise, based on decades of experience, comes into play, which is reflected in the application spectrum of MESACON sensor technology (see graphic).
The MESACON technologies
Thickness measurement with ionising radiation
MESACON's isotope radiation-based measuring system works with different isotopes depending on the area of application and is used in both hot and cold areas. The flexible system design enables both single-point measurement systems and complex thickness profile measurements.
Coating thickness measurement in coating lines
The MESACON measuring system uses beta scattering as a measuring principle and is suitable for wet and dry coatings. It has cascaded measuring sensors for base material, primer, and finisher. At this point, the proven EMG SOLID® coating thickness measurement systems - based on infrared spectroscopy and on laser-induced fluorescence measurement - are ideally complemented by MESACON developments.
X-ray thickness and coating thickness measurement
The MESACON X-ray measuring devices can be used with a wide variety of measured materials due to different generator voltages. Here, too, single-point measurements as well as high-resolution thickness profile measurements are possible. The principle of X-ray fluorescence is used for coating thickness measurement in hot-dip galvanising lines.
Laser optical systems for thickness measurement
MESACON's laser-optical systems are characterised by low complexity, reasonable space requirements, and flexible integration into the production line, which represents an economical alternative to more complex and costly system solutions, especially for steel and aluminium service centres as well as automotive lines.
Competence for retrofits and modernisations
The broad availability of a wide range of sensor technologies and MESACON's comprehensive integration and application know-how enable the customer to realise an economic and efficient upgrade of existing plants by reusing system components during retrofitting and modernisation.
Conclusion:
With the addition of MESACON thickness measurement sensors to EMG's product portfolio of quality assurance systems, the customer receives a proven and reliable solution for measuring strip thickness and/or layer thickness in various areas of application. The user has access to the combined design and application knowledge of EMG and MESACON. Each installation is configured line-specifically and equipped with the appropriate combination and design of sensors for the specific application. The standardised software environment that is used allows the flexible realisation of the various application scenarios with all possible system configurations. In addition, customers benefit worldwide from EMG's existing international service network with personal experts directly on site.
Have we sparked your interest?
You want to know more about MESACON solutions? Do you have specific thickness measurement requirements for your plant? Feel free to contact our worldwide sales organisation or MESACON directly at: info@mesacon.de.