5 Reasons to Go Optical

Applying traditional contacting sensors is time-consuming and limits your data base. Optical measuring technology offers important advantages during test setup:

• No need for wiring any individual contacting sensors like strain gauges, LVDTs or accelerometer
• Calibrating individual contacting sensors and signal conditioning are not necessary
• No auxiliary fixtures as reference frame for LVDTs needed

The result: More time and fewer expenses in the setup and test process.

Optical measurement technology provides measuring results on strain, displacement and shape in a full-field way. Never worry again about misplaced strain gauges or LVDTs. Thanks to the easy preparation you can capture large measuring areas and intercept unexpected strain hot spots. Visualizing local deformation effects on testing objects is easy with ARAMIS sensors and ZEISS CORRELATE thanks to the high-resolution camera technology. In materials testing, for example, you don’t have to rely on the assumption of having uniform deformation in your material sample but receive detailed and comprehensive strain data for exact material characterization.

When going optical, you have endless possibilities regarding the material and measurement environment. Even delicate materials, complex geometries, smallest and very large testing objects can be analyzed. Speed and temperature are no hurdle either. Due to non-contact measurements higher temperatures and movement of the testing object can be intercepted.

Measuring results from optical measuring technology make complex motions in 3D as well as the check of assumptions for boundary conditions tangible. With only one measuring system, you receive data of strain distribution, displacement fields and test object geometry at once, making 3D testing with optical sensors very efficient. The collected comprehensive data can afterwards be fed into the simulation as parameters for boundary conditions achieving a high grade of precision for the simulation.

Optical 3D metrology is also suitable for the evaluation of dynamic deformation during operation. Due to the non-contact measuring principle, no wiring of any tactile sensors is needed. Thus, no additional weight is introduced into the testing system which might influence the behavior of the part under test. Additionally, optical metrology in vibration analyses enables the user to simultaneously spot any number of 3D coordinates and displacements.

It aids in the detection of:

• Vibrations, which for example, can cause disturbing noises
• Wobbling, which can negatively affect the interaction with other parts
• Operating deflection shapes