A thermal camera or imager is a thermographic camera that captures and creates the image of an object by using infrared radiation. Since all objects and bodies exhibit heat, these thermal scanners detect the heat and can make pictures of that heat; this heat cannot be viewed by a human eye or an ordinary camera.
These thermal devices allow you to explore things in a whole new way. There’s a huge unseen world of heat radiation.
The wavelength of infrared energy has a wavelength between 1mm to 700 nanometers. Only shorter wavelengths than this can visible by the naked eye. Between 2019 and 2020, the thermal imaging and camera market grew from 4.3 billion to 7.3 billion due to Covid, as these devices help detect human body temperature without making any contact.
Some industrial thermal imagers like fluke ii900 sonic industrial imager are used for detecting leakage problems and electrical panels.
These cameras are used when there are things that the human eye cannot see, like leakage of gas from some source, see people around in smoke; other than that; they are also used in the military for different purposes.
Below are some of the best thermal cameras:
Flir is one of the most famous thermal imager-making companies. This portable and slim camera allow you to carry it anywhere. You can quickly find out cold air leaks, missing insulation, and loose electrical connections through its advanced features.
Through this camera, you don’t have to worry about sharing a problem or confirming a repair from your boss or customer since this camera allows you to transfer images by connecting it to a smartphone instantly. There is no need to go back and share the report; build the report and share instantly from the workplace.
The camera also comes with a hot spot and cold spot feature so that you can quickly measure them within a defined area box; it also has a touch screen with easy orientation so that you can view it easily.
Fluke produces one of the best thermal imagers; this fluke TIS20 is a small and affordable infrared camera with 120x90 resolution. In addition, the camera offers three presets of IR fusion along with an auto blend so that you can detect the problems quickly.
This fluke thermal imager comes with a refresh rate of 9Hz and has 4GB internal memory along with an SD card slot. The easy-to-use point-and-shoot technology allows to focus clearly from 0.45m (1.5) and beyond.
The smart 5-segment LED charging display helps you know how much power you have left; besides its small size, this fluke thermal imager is equipped with a high-quality 5MP camera and can measure temperature from -4°F to 662 °F).
This Flir E54 is a professional thermal camera that is specifically designed for professionals in electrical/ mechanical inspection, building inspection, and basic monitoring. This thermal scanner comes with a 320x240 pixel LCD and can measure temperature up to 650°F.
This thermal imager comes with many impressive diagnosing features; it is equipped with three spot meters, six color palettes, and a FLIR-screen EST mode. In addition, the 1-touch level/span feature allows you to highlight potential issues and improve image contrast for a better view.
The camera also features a picture-in-picture mode and has a 5MP camera along with 1-4X zoom. Not only this, but this thermal scanner also includes USB 2.0 port, DisplayPort, and laser pointer along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Its price is high, but considering the features, one will happily spend on this thermal imager.
This fluke ii900 sonic industrial imager is one of the best thermal imagers, especially for industrial use. It is mainly used in large plants to detect leakage as it combines ultrasound and the visual spectrum that allows the user to see compressed gas leaks.
This thermal imager fluke features a 7 inches LCD touch screen and is equipped with a bunch of microphones. This thermal imager is specially designed for noisy conditions and allows to detect air leaks even during peak operation hours.
The camera features acoustic imaging along with a blended sound map, and its frequency range is from 2kHZ to 52kHz. As a result, this fluke thermal imager doesn’t require too much training and can be used easily.
The price of this thermal imager is too high, but many industries prefer to buy it because of its advanced features and ability to detect leakages during peak operations hours.
It also has a feature of 1 touch level/span that allows auto-adjusting the level and span in an area of interest. The camera also has Wi-Fi connectivity so that you can share pictures and reports quickly from the worksite.
These thermal imagers are essential tools especially in industries to detect leakage issues. In this article, I’ve reviewed some of the best thermal imagers for daily use. The list includes both low price and high price thermal imagers. Personally, I like the fluke ii900 sonic industrial imager; it’s pretty expensive; however, no other thermal imager can match it for industrial use