Infrared thermometers are small hand held thermometers which can measure temperature from a distance.
Applications of IR Thermometer
The applications include:
1. Measuring temperature of inaccessible points
2. Checking temperature of points where sensor or thermo-couple cannot be affixed
3. For moving objects
4. You do not want to touch the surface such as acidic or corrosive surfaces
These are known under various different names such as Laser thermometer, Gun thermometer, Infrared gun thermometer etc.
This is used as infrared gun to measure temperature in vaccines and medications during transport
Operational principle
The basic operational principle is y means of infrared thermal radiation. The laser is used only for aiming at the object and not for measuring the temperature. There are two apertures for the device,one is for the laser bean and the second one consists of a lens for measuring the temperature.
The measurement need not be exact and depends on various factors such as the ambient temperature of the instrument, distance from which measurement is taken etc.
Hence generally this thermometer should not be considered for applications where extreme accuracy is required.
Alternatively if you are using the same for a certain application all the time, you may test the test the actual temperature using other mode of measurement also and can decide the accuracy by comparing the readings.
Testing Procedure
Testing procedure for most of the type of IR thermometer is very simple. Simply press and hold the button. Point the laser beam to the desired surface. The temperature will be displayed on the screen.
Please check the distance range of the instrument and use accordingly. For longer distances, readings will be shown on the display, but is prone to error.
Generally the accuracy is +/-1°C or +/1% of the reading which ever is higher
Technical Details
The model sown here is a professional IR thermometer by Trotec, Germany having measuring range from -50°C to +1500°C
Accuracy @ 20 °C to 500 °C (68 °F to 932 °F): ±1,0 % ±1,0
Accuracy @ 500 °C to 1,000 °C (932 °F to 1,832 °F): ±1,5 %
Accuracy @ 1,000 °C to 1,850 °C (1832 °F to 3,362 °F): ±2,0 %
This model has a recording function and also has an alarm function. The higher and lower limits can be programmed and if the measurement is beyond this range, it will indicate an alarm.