List of Noncontact, Infrared (IR) Temperature Sensor & Service
Vendors arranged alphabetically - Advanced
Monitors Corporation USA
Maker of the only thermometers specifically designed
for animals, the Pet-Temp™ and the Vet-Temp™. - The
Academy of Infrared Training Canada
A global, independent educational
institution devoted to Infrared Thermography training for more than 25 years -
American IR Technologies Corporation or AIRT USA
A new face on the US
IR scene with fiber optics and lens radiation thermeter systems and a few specialized
applications. - Braun
ThermoScan™ Ear Thermometer Germany & USA
Available at drug, mass,
department and specialty retailers. To locate the retailer closest to you who
carries this product in the USA, call 800-272-8611 - CI-Systems
USA
A maker of IR and Fiber optic temperature sensors with specialties for
semiconductor processing. -
Chino Works America Inc. USA & Japan
A global instrument company with
a significant line of industrial & research infrared radiation thermometers.
- Cole-Parmer's
Infrared ThermometersUSA
A catalog section features some special handheld
units for sale. - Dickson
Infrared Thermometers USA
And more.. by catalog, too. - Dr.
Georg Maurer GmbH OptoelektronikGermany
A specialty Infrared spot thermometer
producer for industrial measurements, specializing in rugged designs, fiber optic
thermometers and ratio (Quotientpyrometer) radiation thermometers. - Engelhard
Corporation USA
Makers of the "Exactus" brand of high performance optical
pyrometers designed primarily for OEM wafer-temperature measurement applications
in both 0.9 and 1.6 micron wavelength passband models. Utilize both lightpipe
(Quartz, Sapphire & proprietary materials) and lens models. - Eurotron
Instruments S.p.a. Italy
Manufacturers of the IRTec line of industrial
online & portable infrared thermometers that include 8 single waveband devices
covering the -30 °C to 1600 °C range and ratio infrared (Two Colour) thermometers
for the 600 °C to 2000 °C region, including Fahrenheit models. Looks like a new
player on the European scene with attractive designs and crisp literature. -
Everest Interscience(USA)
A manufacturer of infrared thermometers, formerly in California, now in Tuscon
AZ, specializes in units for agricultural use. -
Exergen, Inc. USA
A manufacturer of compact spot measuring sensors and
a wide range of specialty, low cost devices. One of their unique designs is the
clinical "Forehead" Thermometer, used in quickly measuring human body
temperature. - FAR Associates
USA
Makers and wielders of unique Multi-wavelength spot thermometers that
seem to reduce emissivity errors greatly at high temperatures. They have lots
of experience in the ceramics and carbon manufacturing industries. -
FLIR USA & Sweden
The best of (former) Hughes, Agema and Inframetrics
equipments, thermal Imagers and Area measuring thermometers in addition to their
reknown line of airborne imagers. - Heitronics
GmbH Germany
Non-Contact Temperature Measurements from -50°C to 3000°C;
non-contact temperature measurements with more than 40 years of experience (previously
known as Heimann GmbH) and an installed base of infrared thermometers and systems
with thousands of customers worldwide - Impac
GmbH Germany,
A company producing a wide line of radiation thermometers
including ratio and single waveband units, now a part of Mikron Infrared - Inframetrics,
Inc (now part of FLIR with an principle mission of being the Infrared Training
Center) in the USA
Makes Area thermometers and thermal Imagers
and trains users. Sign up for their email newsletter! - Infrared
Cameras-
A group of applications specialists around the USA. -
Infrared Solutions, Inc. USA
Make Line and Area thermometers. -
The Infraspection Institute USA
Once the only voice in the infrared training
wilderness; keeps on ticking and running the annual IR/Info
topical Conference, now scheduled for the 15th year in January 2004. - Ircon,
Inc. in Niles Illinois, USA
Make & sell Spot, Line, and two
recent additional products in the thermal imaging and area measuring thermometers,
Ircon's product line is possibly the largest product line in the world and they
are one of the major suppliers. Also calibration equipment and basic IR application
know-how. Look for their road show schedule. - Land
Infrared in The UK (nr Sheffield) with offices and service centers in the USA,
Germany, France, Italy and Japan (to name a few)
Maker and reseller of
a wide range of Spot, Line and Area measuring thermometers including the precision
handheld spot units (called by the name of an ancient one-eyed Greek mythological
monster) made by Minolta Camera Company of Japan. Also has a wide range of calibration
equipment. - Metris Instruments,
LLC.USA
The USA distributor for ZyTemp's infrared thermometers welcomes
web sales and OEM/Distributors. - Mikron
Infrared, Inc. (formerly Mikron Instrument ,Co. Inc). USA
Maker
and reseller of Spot and Area thermometers and their own unique shortwavelength
thermal area measuring devices for high temperatures. A major supplier of calibration
equipment; has a wide product range of black body simulators. -
Omega Engineering
Omega has developed a line of low cost on-line devices
and portable IR thermometers plus they offer some educational effort towards understanding
this as well as other technical topics. They specialize in catalog and mail-order
sales. - Pyrometer Instrument
Company, Inc. USA
Makers of unique Radiation Thermometers with integrated
laser reflectometer, and one of the last-known active makers of Optical Pyrometers.
- Quantum Logic Inc.
USA
A specialty spot sensor maker in Connecticut USA - Radiant
Innovation Inc. Taiwan
In a short period of 1.5 years, their Infrared development
team achieved the goals of: A. Seting up a National Standard Traceable Temperature
Standard, B. Developing two models of IR ear thermometers, C. Attaining ISO9001
Certification and CE, UL, CSA and FDA Certification, and D. Developing a proprietery
Ear Thermometer ASIC. - Raytek,
Inc.- USA
With plants and/or offices in Germany, Japan, China
and So. America, Makers of Spot and Line measuring thermometers. Calibration equipment,
too - Rudy
Rudolph, Temperature Consultant
A new web site contains a brief but excellent
summary on just what
emissivity is in terms that the average technical person can understand.
He even gives some very practical advice on how to get a quick estimate of the
emissivity value if you do not have a clue. Please remember, you must measure
carefully and because we have no control over how careful you are or how well
you follow his advice, any errors you encounter are your responsibility not Rudy's
or ours. Things are not always as easy nor as simple as some brief suggestions
may imply. - Skyear
Infrared Ear Thermometer Taiwan
Skyear is a thermopile based IR detector
design with high sample rate and updates the infrared measurement from the eardrum
in real time. US Patent Pending. - Snell
Infrared USA
One of the biggest and most widely known Infrared Thermography
training organizations. -
SpectrodyneUSA
One of a very few independent suppliers of repair and traceable
calibration services for spot radiation thermometers and Optical Pyrometers. Rebuild
and offer for sale some of the older model Radiamatics and L&N Optical Pyrometers.Now
offering a new design optical pyrometer. - Thermotenix
UK
Provides Scanner software, a new line scanning RT and a hand-held
thermal imager with manfeatures. - Vanzetti
Instruments Div. of Omega USA
The once leading fiber optic pyrometer company
in the USA seems to be back, but still a seperate entity, with the help of Omega.
- Thermal Wave Imaging
USA
The next generation of infrared measurement capabilities for subsurface
flaw and defect detection in everything from airplane bodies to piping systems.
Check out this organization! -
Williamson Corp. USA.
Maker of all kinds of spot radiation thermometers
for industry and science especially their two wavelength types both ratio and
"more than ratio" models. -
Wintronics USA,
The Service and US sales center for Heitronics of Germany,
the decendant of the former (highly respected) Heimann GmbH organization's spot
thermometers. Also distributes quality blackbody furnaces from Germany. - ZyTemp
(Taiwan)
A new supplier of low cost, compact radiation thermometers
(IRTs) with new technology, resulting in the smallest & lowest cost IRT we've
seen to date. 
Editor's
Note:(We think that this is worth repeating) Some vendors are more capable and/or
honest than others, just like in every business. The watch words are, as always:
"Buyer beware". Until you build up confidence in te business ethics and
technical abilities (and that of the organization they represent) of someone selling
these types of measurement devices. There
are no standards for the names of the spot-measuring infrared devices. Most metrologists
that work in this field tend to call them "Radiation Thermometers".
Could that imply, from the enormous variation in names of these devices, that
standardization is non existent or not mature in the noncontact temperature sensor
field? Yes, YEs, YES-there is room for a great deal of work in this area!! That
is the root of the problem and, in our opinion, until that is resolved, it will
hinder the growth of the market for these devices. Too many people have been "burned"
by a misapplied instrument that they swear them off forever. That still happens
despite the many great successes that have been achieved by correctly chosen and
applied units. Don't you get caught
in the spec trap, thinking that you know what the specification on a data sheet
means. Fact is there are not even any standards for the nomenclature used to describe
technical features of these devices, starting with calibration uncertainty! Manufacturers
know (we hope) but don't always tell all. Few agree in any aspect of their specifications
beyond the temperature range of a given unit. The ASTM in the USA has brought
some order to this with Standard E 1256, but it is voluntary and not required
by many buyers, as of 2003. The German Engineering Organizations VDI/VDE have
also published some exceptional information including an initial attempt to standardize
the terminology used to describe the properties of Infrared Radiation Thermometers.
A recent paper at the 2002 International Temperature Symposium from Germany described
the VDI/VDE situation in great detail. See the Reference
page for a more complete reference to the Symposium. It was published in 2003. The
lack of standards and precise nomenclature in terms of quantitative temperature
measurement (called "radiometrically calibrated devices" by most of
the suppliers) is an obstacle, in our view, that thermal imaging technology needs
to overcome to master many of the more demaning uses such as human body temperature
screening and process monitoring and control. The "Buyer Beware" caution applies
doubly or triply with these devices simply because they are more complex than
the single spot infrared radiation thermometers, there is much technical confusion
and not a widespread understanding about temperature calibration and measurement
with many of the traditional imager manufacturers. Most of their attention over
the past decades has been in imaging characterization in terms of contrast. The
entry into the thermal imager market in the past few years by the top-tier radiation
thermometer companies, who live and thrive on precision and accuracy of IR temperature
measurement, may create some changes and improve this aspect of the business.
In addition, one organization that has attempted to bring some order to the temperature
measurement issue is the Infraspection
Institute, one of the oldest and largest thermography training companies.
They have had information on their website and that of their Symposium Group,
IR/Info, on this issue for
the last year, at least. More recently, The Standards organization of Singapore,
known by the acronym SPRING,
has been developing a Technical Standard for basic evaluation of thermal imaging
cameras used in screening humans for possible elevated body temperature as a result
of the SARS scare in early 2003. |
