Blogs
Whitepaper: Mastering High Voltage: The Importance of Accurate Test Equipment
Introduction Accurate definition and measurement of critical electrical performance parameters is essential for ensuring the reliability and safety of high-voltage equipment and cabling. For applications which can involve tens of thousands of volts, safety risks are high, as are the demands on the test equipment used to measure the equipment and cables. Proper calibration of the test instruments themselves is critical to achieving the strict performance needs of many equipment types. Calibration results must often meet national and international specific standards and calibration measurements are typically conducted by certified laboratories with traceability to national standards, like [...]
MTI Instruments Whitepaper: Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications
Capacitance Guide for Industrial Applications This guide from MTI Instruments explains what you need to know about using electrical capacitance for measurement in industrial applications, including advanced manufacturing. Basic Principles Capacitance is the ratio of the change in an electric charge to the corresponding change in its electrical potential (i.e., voltage). Capacitors, components that that have the “capacity” to store an electric charge, consist of conductive parallel plates that don’t touch or connect with each other. Instead, these metal plates are electrically-separated by air or a layer of insulating material (i.e., the dielectric). MTI’s [...]
Whitepaper: Why Capacitance? Benefits and Applications of Digital Capacitive Sensors
Industry applications illustrate the versatility and benefits of today's digital capacitive sensor technology. The electrical capacitance formed between a capacitance probe and target surface varies as a function of the distance, or gap, between those two surfaces.
Whitepaper: Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity
Semiconductor Wafer Measurement for Increased Productivity This three-part article describes how manufacturers leverage capacitance-based inspection systems for semiconductor wafers. The article reviews best-practices, consequences of failing to inspect semiconductor wafers and benefits of using semi-automated, fully-automated and manual systems for wafer metrology and inspection. Part 1: Why Disc Geometry Matters in Wafer Production Semiconductor wafers are cut from cylindrical silicon crystals, or ingots. The flatness of these disc-shaped wafers is controlled to tight tolerances to ensure that the entire wafer surface is suitable for integrated circuit (IC) production. If disc geometry is out-of-spec [...]
PIEZO STAGE POSITIONING
Industry Consumer Electronics Applications Piezo Stage Measurement Type Positioning Description Positioning stages using piezoelectric stack actuators (PEA) have very high resolution. However, it is difficult to achieve precise dynamic motion tracking using traditional linear controllers such as PID due to the inherent hysteresis nonlinearity of piezoelectric materials and the phase lag associated with such controllers. Capacitance Sensors are ideal for measuring the actual piezo stage position and correcting for the inherent nonlinearity through closed loop feedback. They have the stability, bandwidth and high resolution needed to do the job. [...]
CAMERA SHIELD MEASUREMENT
Equipment Setup Equipment Used DTS-25-04 laser head Rotary Stage PC with Digital Microtrak Basic Support software Setup Power is automatic mode. Filter is 100Hz Sample rate is 1000 samples sec The head was operated in diffuse mode (not specular/tilted) Validation of Setup The setup should be validated by performing a total runout scan on the rotary stage with no target present. The stage should be cleaned with Isopropyl alcohol and allowed to dry prior to the scan. This reduces any dust or dirt accumulation which will give a false reading of runout. A 360-degree runout of the rotary table, [...]
MONITOR ROLLER GAPS AND PARALLELISM
Easy Roller Gap Measurement Ensures Calendering Success Many roll-to-roll finishing processes typically use a calender, or series of hard pressure rollers, to deliver smooth, high-quality products of plastic, textile, or paper (Fig 1). Ensuring a consistent material thickness, however, depends on the ability to monitor, and maintain, a precise gap between rollers. This application note describes a quick and easy means for roller gap measurement. Problem Establishing a roller gap and checking for parallelism across roller width can be a slow and cumbersome procedure. Manual measurement requires multiple sized feeler gauges which can introduce errors. Misinterpreting feeler gauge drag, [...]
Windshield Manufacturing
Industry Automotive Applications Oil Film Measurement Type Level Description In order to maintain proper profile and thickness within a glass furnace the extrusion plate spacing must be maintained at a predetermined gap. Unfortunately, due to process changes and temperature swings this gap can fluctuate significantly in short periods of time. This variation causes the glass thickness to change (check out our glass thickness measurement devices to accurately measure thickness), producing uneven temperature gradients and creating potentially weak glass panels. To control this critical parameter the manufacturing process requires automated active feedback [...]