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The Industrial Maker. How FLIR thermography can support IIoT applications?

The Industrial Maker welcomes you to the RS Industrial IOT laboratory, where over time we will create IIoT projects that are fully functional and fully replicable so that you can try them for yourselves!

Have a look also to the other projects from The Industrial Maker:

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When projects start to involve industrial environments, we need to start using industrial components as well, to guarantee high reliability and safety over time.

Today, we will have a closer look on what FLIR can offer to support IIoT applications.

FLIR is famous for its high-precision thermographic sensors, which up until recently had been primarily used in the military field. The study of applications for their thermal cameras in other areas has allowed this technology to make giant leaps.

FLIR IGM series is the latest result of this technology transition, where traditional measuring instruments have been equipped with the FLIR LEPTON sensor creating innovative tools like the multimeter DM284 (124-4679) or the industrial sensor AX8 (893-8489) .

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So what could be the advantage within industrial maintenance of having embedded thermal imaging sensors?

Maintenance issues are very often dependant on temperature variation. In such cases having a sensor able to detect long waves, conveniently embedded into your everyday instrument could provide a great advantage in downtime prevention, time savings and above all safety.

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And what could be the advantage within industrial automation and IIoT?

Thinking about IIoT and industrial automation, the possible benefits are huge. From food to automotive, from packaging to electronics temperature checking is already a critical requirement. FLIR AX8 delivers a continuous temperature monitoring solution which moves into the world of predictive maintenance. This is where multiple benefits can be gained such as; increased up time, the efficiency of operation and removal of an unexpected breakdown.

We have created a scaled replica of a typical industrial environment and with a few components and a few steps, we have added a simultaneously local and remote monitoring system.

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The project we are presenting is a system that controls industrial warehouse, using:

The system setup is based on a local network created specifically for the project, where a simple switch connects the FLIR AX8 camera with the IOT2020.

Using any browser it is possible to access the FLIR AX8 camera's web configuration interface and set graphically which sectors need to be monitored, the related alarm thresholds and the alarm protocol (i.e. email, Modbus)

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If the FLIR AX8 camera detects values that exceed one of the thresholds set, it will send an email alert to the IOT2020.

Into the IOT2020 there is a simple Python script that activates a mail-server and a web-server (see the attached script download and readme instructions).

The mail-server reads the contents of the incoming email from the AX8 and simultaneously activates two alarm levels, one local and one remote.

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Information is now published on the web server page and it can be monitored remotely, and may also be used later for the development of a dedicated App.

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Ok, that's all! We hope you found this application useful for your needs and inspiring for your projects! The Industrial Maker will return again with another IIoT cool project, so stay tuned and don't forget to check our links below.

The playlist:

The other projects:

Half creative, half geek, half engineer, half chef and half tech addicted. Yes, lot of halves... One life is not enough! Feel free to follow me on Instagram @GIANLUCA_FANCHINI
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