Due to their quick, precise, and non-invasive temperature measuring capabilities, infrared thermometers have become crucial in a number of sectors. Their capacity to observe surface temperatures without requiring any contact is useful in a broad range of fields, including medicine as well as industrial checks. Let’s investigate how infrared thermometers serve various industries.
Medical and Healthcare Applications
Perhaps the most known application of medical infrared thermometers is fever screening. During the pandemic, even public spaces featured non-contact thermometers. Unlike traditional thermometers, they help in reducing cross-contamination, which is necessary during pandemics as well as for routine attendance of patients. They are now a necessity in hospitals, clinics, and for public use.
Furthermore, infrared thermometers help in the care of neonates, where there is a need to keep the body temperatures as steady as possible for a premature infant. Continuous monitoring of patients without discomfort is guaranteed by the instant reading that these thermometers provide.
Industrial Uses: Manufacturing, HVAC, and Metallurgy
For the industrial sector, accurate thermal measurement is critical to maintaining safety and productivity. Overheating parts are a leading cause of many failures, so infrared thermometers are employed to detect overheating machinery in manufacturing plants.
The temperature of molten metal can be monitored using an infrared thermometer as the metal is poured into the mold. This helps ensure that products are precise while minimizing the danger to workers.
Energy-saving infrared thermometers enable HVAC technicians to instantly determine areas within a structure where the insulation is lacking. These devices help reduce costs for the building, as well as other facilities that have operating and maintenance expenses due to inefficient HVAC systems. Without adequate maintenance, these devices can lead to increased energy expenses for the building's operation and, therefore, HVAC costs.
Food heating steps must be precisely controlled in the same way as temperature control from the initial stage of processing up to the very last step of distribution. Infrared thermometers help grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors check and meet health and safety codes. At the same time, food safety thermometers ensure that easily spoiled products are shipped at low temperatures.
During the transportation of refrigerated goods in cold chain logistics, infrared thermometers are used for monitoring the temperature of the goods. These thermometers are a vital tool in managing supply chains because deviations from these ranges can compromise food safety.
Automotive and Manual Inspections
The role of infrared thermometers goes beyond electrical diagnostics in a car. Mechanics use them for diagnostic purposes, such as detection of overheating engines, assessment of brake system temperature, and cooling system inefficiency detection. By analyzing and identifying temperature differences, a technician can determine many mechanical failures in the system before they become very expensive to repair or result in a vehicle breakdown.
Growth of Demand and New Possibilities
Increased and varied use of infrared thermometers has resulted in various innovations and developments. As per Coherent Market Insight (CMI), in 2023, the infrared thermometers industry was estimated at USD 14 billion and is expected to increase at 7.1% CAGR between 2023 and 2030. Growing adoption of infrared non-contact thermometers in the medical sector, industrial automation, food protection, and HVAC sectors will fuel growth of the thermometer industry.
As the industry grows and more functionalities are added, medical infrared thermometers will always be the leader in the development of new techniques for temperature monitoring.
