Infra-Red Tomography/Thermography

Introduction

Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to "see" and "measure" thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object's temperature, the greater the IR radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes cannot. Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared or "heat" radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities. Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, making infrared cameras extremely cost-effective, valuable diagnostic tools in many diverse applications. And as industry strives to improve manufacturing efficiencies, manage energy, improve product quality, and enhance worker safety, new applications for infrared cameras continually emerge.

FLIR Infrared Thermography Training

The Infrared Training Center (ITC), with headquarters in Boston and Stockholm, and regional training facilities around the globe, is the world's finest infrared training and certification organization. The ITC's instructor staff includes ASNT and EPRI Level III certified thermographer instructors. Guided by the ITC International staff, you will become an effective, proficient, certified thermographer.

The ITC offers a wide variety of infrared training courses at our modern training facilities both in the US and in Europe. Choose from Certification courses for Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 thermography, as well as specific software and/or application training.

Need help setting up your thermography program? With over 100 man-years of practical thermography experience, the ITC can also provide IR Program Development to maximize the results for your specific application or industry.

History of Infrared Technology and Thermal Imagers

Sir William Herschel, an astronomer, discovered infrared in 1800. He built his own telescopes and was therefore very familiar with lenses and mirrors. Knowing that sunlight was made up of all the colors of the spectrum, and that it was also a source of heat, Herschel wanted to find out which color(s) were responsible for heating objects. He devised an experiment using a prism, paperboard, and thermometers with blackened bulbs where he measured the temperatures of the different colors. Herschel observed an increase in temperature as he moved the thermometer from violet to red in the rainbow created by sunlight passing through the prism. He found that the hottest temperature was actually beyond red light. The radiation causing this heating was not visible; Herschel termed this invisible radiation "calorific rays." Today, we know it as infrared.