Swiss quality as a matter of principle is the basis of all the services of the Frike Group, and thus also of the subsidiary Frike Chemicals AG. Frike is committed to Switzerland as a production location and guarantees the highest precision in all production steps. Frike meets the special challenges of the chemical industry with highly qualified personnel, state-of-the-art production facilities and excellent quality management. The demands of the Technical Maintenance department, which is responsible for preventive maintenance, are correspondingly high. A new precision measuring instrument such as the thermal imager testo 883 with professional software testo IRSoft therefore awakens a great deal of interest. Technical Manager Werner Müller is happy to test the handy pistol-grip imager with innovative testo SiteRecognition technology for Frike - and is thrilled: Highest image quality, smart design and efficient software. In keeping with Frike's quality standards.
The area of responsibility of the Technical Maintenance department at Frike Chemicals AG is large: In addition to the classic tasks relating to heating, ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical (HVACSE), it also includes building maintenance, repairs and modifications to the various production facilities, planning and extensions to the operating infrastructure in all plants and locations, and regular checks of the electrical system. Accordingly, the challenges faced by the employees on a daily basis are numerous and varied, including in particular the imaging temperature measurement by means of thermography on products, production plants and buildings:
Temperature controls on the seals of the packaging film
Checking the electrical switching cabinets
Temperature monitoring on the compressors
Motor bearing inspection
Ventilation supply and exhaust air temperatures
Building tightness test especially on windows, doors and gates
To ensure smooth and overall safe production, temperature checks are carried out three times a week at Frike. The number of measurement objects is immense and the effort is correspondingly high. For example, 40 switching cabinets, 60 production plants and five buildings have to be maintained. Not only the amount of measurement objects and the measurement data to be managed is challenging, but also the diversity of applications and materials, which previously required the use of different measurement instruments - e.g. smoke sticks for ventilation or IR measuring instruments for temperature checks. The interpretation of the measurement results is also particularly time-consuming and error-prone. The ideal solution would be a measuring instrument which not only measures quickly, precisely and in a variety of ways, but also simplifies the interpretation and documentation of the measurement results.
Frike Chemicals AG
Frike Chemicals AG is part of the Frike Group and a traditional Swiss company with a history of over 70 years of success. In 1944 the company was founded by Fritz Keller with the core competence in cosmetics and natural wax production. Today Frike specializes in pharmaceuticals, medicine and chemicals. With five subsidiaries, Frike is one of the largest independent contract manufacturers in Switzerland and a proven partner of internationally renowned brands. The innovative group of companies employs over 300 people at various production sites in Switzerland. Frike Chemicals AG is headquartered in Wetzikon.
The new testo 883 thermal imager with clever testo SiteRecognition technology offers an efficient solution for each of the requirements described. The automatic measurement site recognition simplifies the management of the measurement locations and the associated thermal images many times over. Thanks to the handy design and the manual focusing, a very good image quality is achieved even for close-ups. The wide, specifically adjustable temperature range and intuitive operation allow efficient and precise measurement on a wide variety of objects and applications as well as easy error diagnosis. At the same time, the imager can be used to its full extent by all colleagues, even without intensive training.
With the help of testo IRSoft, the high-resolution thermal images are immediately analyzed comprehensively. The digital report assistant as well as numerous, selectable report templates enable the measurement results to be quickly documented in meaningful reports.
As a quality enthusiast, Frike Chemicals department manager Werner Müller is immediately ready to put the versatile new product testo 883 through its paces - systematically and thoroughly in all the measurement tasks that arise in the company's daily production routine.
"I can recommend this product to my colleagues anytime. The price-performance ratio is unbeatable."
Werner Müller
·Technical Maintenance
Head of Technology Frike Group
The testo 883 thermal imager proves to be an all-round convincing solution for the experienced expert. The easyto- grip design and simple handling enable fast manual focusing and convenient operation via touch display and joystick. Lenses can be changed quickly and easily and the temperature scaling can be adjusted specifically. Werner Müller sees great potential for increasing efficiency in the new testo 883 thermal imager. This is because the simple management of measurement sites and their corresponding images enabled by testo SiteRecognition technology makes it possible to process a large number of very different objects in record time and with just one measuring instrument. The imager provides brilliant, high-resolution thermal images and simultaneously creates a real image for documentation. The images recorded for the measurement location are automatically transferred to the corresponding measurement location in the archive of the testo IRSoft PC software.
The superiority of the testo 883 thermal imager is particularly evident in the (accidental) solution to a problem that caused Frike a lot of headaches: The inadequate sealing of the four-side sealed bags. Since the testo 883 displays the entire measurement task at a glance, a simple measurement is all that is needed to detect the temperature deviation of 30° Celsius between the centre of the heating and the outer heating points of the sealing plant, which has gone unnoticed for years. The problem can be eliminated immediately and the packaging quality optimized.
The testo 883 thermal imager combines numerous advantages to perform diverse and demanding temperature checks highly efficiently:
Maximum efficiency for recurring measurements with testo SiteRecognition! Thermal images are automatically assigned to the correct measurement site.
Specific pre-settings for the respective measurement site, such as coloured marking of affected areas in the thermal image, when permitted upper or lower limit values are exceeded. Best image quality: IR resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (with SuperResolution 640 x 480 pixels)
Extensive analysis and documentation with testo IRSoft
Manual focus and exchangeable lenses
Wireless transmission of measurement values from the clamp meter testo 770-3 to the thermal imager testo 883 and storage of the values together with the thermal image.
testo 883 with SiteRecognition technology - the clever support for preventive maintenance.
"To me, the thermal imager testo 883 is the Swiss clockwork among measuring instruments and really more than up to our demanding tasks!"
The maintenance expert Werner Müller summarizes