A new low cost, easy to use alternative to thermal imaging

At this year’s MAINTEC 2007 exhibition, sensor manufacturer Micro-Epsilon (UK) Ltd launched its new handheld infrared temperature measurement device, the ‘optris MiniSight Pro’, offering engineers a genuine, low cost alternative to thermal imaging cameras.

Priced at just £199, the new ‘optris MiniSight Pro’ handheld thermometer requires little training. The engineer simply aims the device at the target and presses the button. The temperature is then displayed on an LCD.

Service engineers and maintenance technicians can use the device to measure the surface temperature of objects between –32°C up to 760°C. The optical resolution of the unit is 40:1, providing an accuracy of ±1% (or ±1°C between 0°C and 760°C). The user can even programme the device to compensate for the emissivity (the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by every material or body) of different target materials.

The ‘optris MiniSight Pro’ comes with onboard data logging capabilities that can handle up to 20 different values, a thermocouple input, alarm functions and a USB interface. ‘optris Connect’ software is also provided, which enables the user to set parameters and record temperatures. The unit is supplied with a tripod and carrying pouch as standard.