Electronic equipment and applications solutions provider Concilium Technologies has expanded its range of process industry-specific hand-held instruments, including new instruments for thermal imaging and accurate high-resolution identification of hot spots, such as insulation testers and a remote monitoring solution.

“These products, launched in August, are primarily aimed at troubleshooting electric motors and power distribution problems. However, the thermal imager can also be used on any application that requires accurate identification of temperature profiles,” says Concilium MD Steve Alves.

The products, manufactured in Malaysia, are designed and manufactured by electronic measurement company Keysight Technologies – formerly Agilent Test & Measurement.

Alves says the True IR series thermal imager provides 320 X 240 pixels from a 160 X 120 pixel detector, with four times finer resolution.

The imager also features camera monitoring of temperature trends over time. It uses standard secure digital cards to capture many images and can also generate temperature reports over time.

Alves adds that the U1450A and U1460A series insulation testers allow for increased measurements using a single tool to automatically generate test reports in tabulated or graphic formats for interpretation and analysis.

He notes that the testers comply with the international Ingress Protection 67 rating for protection against dust and water exposure and are robustly built, which makes them suitable for the harsh African mining environments.

Alves further highlights that selected tester models can set test voltages anywhere from 10 V to 1.1 kV in 1 V steps to allow for testing of sensitive devices.

“The testers also feature remote displays, as many of the hand-held instruments work with a Bluetooth adaptor that can communicate with a remote display up to 100 m from where the instrument is situated,” he states.

The Bluetooth adaptor, together with specific types of downloadable applications, is compatible with Apple iOS and Android devices and can be used as a remote data logger.

“The user can log into and monitor more than one instrument, thereby increasing safety in hazardous environments. This enables plant operators to leave the instrument connected to the machine while monitoring it from a distance,” he points out.

Alves tells Mining Weekly that Concilium prioritises adding value to its product offering to meet customer requirements.

“We achieve this through continuously investing in employee development and by providing a comprehensive local product and service offering. Concilium’s supplier-authorised repair and calibration facilities also assist customers with repair and recalibration services, which they also offer,” he notes.

Alves adds that the company has several trained product specialists who can provide product training and telephonic assistance for customers with a particular measurement challenge.

“We are also conscious of the need to contribute to developing a pool of skilled electronic engineers and technicians. Therefore, we are contributing to this development at secondary and tertiary level by providing sponsorships, bursaries and experiential training for aspiring engineers,” he says.

Alves adds that Concilium is a Level 2 broad-based black economic- empowerment contributor. The company is also ISO 9001:2008-certified and South African National Accreditation System-accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for the general requirements of competence testing and calibration laboratories.