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" It can be one of those tools that just sits around
in the shop, " Thomas said, " but, when you need it,
it becomes very useful. "
Thermal imaging cameras reveal differences in
temperature, displayed as different colors on the
spectrum, with red being hotter and blue colder.
" These cameras display hot and cold temperatures
as colors, so you can easily troubleshoot
issues related to heated seats, catalytic converters,
drivetrain components, and much more, "
explained Michael Fisher, product manager, K-Tool
International. " They provide a quick visual inspection
to see if there is more labor involved and if
your intuitions are correct, as well as eliminate
unnecessary steps when trying to find a problem
with a vehicle. "
Thomas believes the vehicle repair industry will
realize the technology's usefulness as it becomes
more accessible.
" It will happen because the price point started
coming down to where technicians can afford it as
part of their toolkits versus something only shops
could afford, " he said.
Teledyne FLIR is one manufacturer trying to
increase overall adoption of thermal imagers. The
company provides cameras for the military and
emergency response, with its sensor technology
placed on everything from drones to smartphones.
Automotive maintenance might not be as obvious
a place to use infrared imaging as firefighting or a
special ops mission, but there are plenty of reasons
in the shop to use one.
" Operators can move from simply detecting to
understanding specifically where a given problem
is located, " said Chris Bainter, VP of business
development and marketing for Teledyne FLIR.
" Thermal cameras also allow for more discreet
temperature measurement spots than spot pyrometers,
which image a larger area and give an average
measurement value "
Thermal imaging tools provide thousands of
points of measurement in an easy-to-interpret
image, while spot pyrometers only provide a single
point of measurement.
" With a spot pyrometer, technicians must guess
where the problem lies, " Bainter explained. " They
risk missing smaller hot spots that could be indicative
of a problem. Therefore, thermal imagers
provide more actionable results that will improve
productivity and accuracy while saving time and
associated costs. "
Thomas attested that employing them for
" specific use cases to go after a specific symptom "
will improve thermal imagers' usefulness.
" Good technicians that already have a good
diagnostic skill set, without even telling them,
would already know what the use cases could
be, " he explained. " It is one more thing to make
your life a little bit easier. You can actually see
the problems instead of having to hunt and feel
for them. "
Thermal inspection applications
Knowing how and when to use thermal cameras
can boost ROI and speed up the diagnostic process.
So, let's assess the areas, systems, and components
of a commercial vehicle that can benefit from the
application of thermal imaging. That way, fleets
can determine if these cameras will be a valuable
tool each shop should have, or merely a cool gadget
with limited applications.
Wheels, tires, and brakes
FLIR's Bainter suggested that after a road test,
technicians can inspect tires for irregular heating
patterns. Heat spots could indicate variations
in inflation, vehicle misalignment, or defects in
the tire itself.
Inspecting brakes with thermal imagers can
reveal issues, Fisher stated. " The thermographic
load must spread evenly throughout the whole
brake disc with no grooves or rings showing. "
Fisher suggested that techs measure the
temperature of the driver-side brake followed by
the passenger-side brake across the same axle and
compare the results.
" The temperature should be within a few
degrees of each other, " he said. " If they are 10, 20,
30 degrees off, there may be a brake fluid issue
that needs to be addressed. "
An infrared camera will detect nuanced differences
in temperature out of reach for a tech, such
as around the caliper, which could indicate a
mechanical failure.
" Stuck pistons may be causing one caliper to
stick, causing abnormal wear and heat on one
rotor, " Bainter pointed out. " The same might also
be true for a stuck parking brake with a damaged
cable. Both situations should be visible in thermal
imaging due to the heat they generate. "
" If you have a brake chamber that is ruptured
» Inspecting a vehicle's wheel end following a
test drive can reveal temperature differentials,
implicating further diagnostics and/or service.
Photo: Teledyne FLIR
and it's not working, or you have a slack adjuster
that is seized, or the S-cam itself is seized, you
can take the truck for a test drive, really romp on
the brakes, and get them hot, " Noregon's Thomas
explained. " Then use the thermal imager to walk
around the truck and see which wheel ends are
hot versus which ones might be cool. The ones that
are cool, you may have a braking system application
problem there. "
THERMAL IMAGING PRODUCTS
Innova Electronics Corp.
With advanced infrared
technology,
the MultiPurpose
Infrared
Inspection Camera, No.
3360, uses thermal sensors
to target and record
temperatures. Users can
turn thermal images into a
photo that can be stored
and viewed at a later date.
For more information visit
FleetMaintenance.com/21246000
Teledyne FLIR
The Thermal Camera,
No. TG275, features infrared
guided measurement
(IGM), has a temperature
range up to 1,022 degrees
F, is drop-tested with an
IP54 enclosure, and can
hold up to 50,000 images.
It also features a laser for
precise measurements.
For more information visit
FleetMaintenance.com/21113424
K-Tool International
The Thermal Image
Camera, No. KTIXD275,
features a 2.4 " LCD display,
a temperature range of -4
to 752 degrees F, and trigger-operated
laser pointer
and image capture, as well as
six color palettes (White Hot,
Iron Red, Hot Iron, Arctic,
Rainbow 1, Rainbow 2).
For more information visit
FleetMaintenance.com/21268271
Snap-on Diagnostics
The Diagnostic Thermal
Laser combines temperature
readings of up
to 1,800 degrees F and
thermal imaging capabilities
by featuring both laser
and thermal components.
It features thermal image
blending, plus a visible-light
camera to provide
more detail.
For more information visit
FleetMaintenance.com/21257954
June 2022 | FleetMaintenance.com
33
http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/21246000 http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/21113424 http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/21268271 http://www.FleetMaintenance.com/21257954 http://www.FleetMaintenance.com
june2022

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