Thermal optimization

Improve product features and process characteristics based on energy optimization

  • Thermal images allow for detailed analysis of heat developments of components and processes
  • Hot spots may indicate faults and room for optimization
  • High number of pixels of thermal cameras prevent reduce risk of wrong measurements

Details about thermal optimization

Heat as one important energy factor can be controlled

All manufacturing of goods needs energy input. Using products energy will be used or discharged. As most of this energy comes in the form of heat  it is most important for the optimization of manufacturing processes as well as for the product development itself that the effect of heat can be analyzed the best way. Thermal camera systems can do this in a very good way as firstly they do not need any contact for the measurement and secondly they provide an image of the heat distribution. This helps man to visualize and understand the situation very much. also the thermographic software family IRBIS ® 3 supports this. A variety of analysis methods precisely present temperature changes over time and in space.

Optimization of components or processes by heat input or drainage

If thermography indicates hot spots at a PCB there are temperatures with a specially high temperature and this could indicate problems. If this is a normal temperature the heat drainage might still be improvable. Like this overheating of components or bordering components could be prevented. To detect the hot-spots a sufficient geometrical resolution is crucial. Only details which are well resolved by a sufficient number of pixels can be measured correctly. Therefore high-resolution thermal camera systems by InfraTec are first choice for usage in product development.

Infrared cameras for thermal optimization

Case studies


5x digital zoom of thermal image of fuse block

Thermography in Electronics Development

Being one of the largest automobile component supplier throughout the world Delphi attaches fundamental importance to the quality of its products. In Wiehl where Delphi’s laboratory plant “Test & Validation Services” is located, thermography is used for design and product validation as part of quality assurance. Therewith, a stable hardware basis is set for integrating new technologies in motor vehicles that again present a substantial contribution to traffic safety. In order to fulfil the high demands in terms of hardware, e.g. fuses, connectors and printed circuit boards, Delphi counts on efficient and exact thermographic test routines.

Read more about thermography in electronics development at the Delphi Deutschland GmbH


Thermography in the quality assurance

Today thermal power stations by the SIEMENS AG are more than ever complex high-tech products. They provide a continuous and reliable electrical power supply for industry and population worldwide. They do this using fossil fuels very efficient and therefore exceptionally friendly for our environment. To achieve this highest quality of every single component is absolutely imperative. Thus heavily stressed parts like the turbine blades are tested with the latest measurement techniques for example with infrared thermography.

Read more about the use of ImageIR ® 8320 for quality assurance of Siemens AG