Ametek Land has announced that in-furnace thermal imaging has been improved to optimise the borosilicate glass production at a SGD Pharma's manufacturing facility in France.
SGD Pharma chose Ametek Land’s Near Infrared Borescope (NIR-B-656- Glass) in-furnace thermal imaging system to optimise the production and quality of borosilicate glass from its new 50tpd oxy-gas furnace at its St Quentin Lamotte, France, facility.
The new system replaces the company’s existing CCTV system.
Obtaining clear images from the furnace using the CCTV system proved challenging due to the aggressive furnace atmosphere, which often resulted in blurry images and inconsistent, inaccurate measurements.
The NIR-B-656- Glass solution provides SGD Pharma with a true-temperature radiometric image, so live continuous temperature values can be obtained.
The high quality of the purge applied on the lens delivers a clear image, providing the same views as the previous CCTV system managed at its best.
The most important benefit is the capability to obtain a furnace thermal profile continuously in the oxy-gas furnace, confirming the hot spot locations are well aligned with the furnace design and batch line. This supports the optimisation of the production and quality of the borescope glass while also helping extend the furnace’s campaign life.