Measurement accuracy doubled

At Aluminium 2024 in Düsseldorf, Amepa will be presenting the new OFM 300 system for inline measurement of the oil layer and the OFIS 3.0 manual measuring system, whose measuring accuracy is now significantly higher. At the same time, the company has simplified validation and maintenance.

The new design of the OFM 300 online sensor for measuring the oil layer enables higher measuring accuracy with lower maintenance costs.
© Amepa GmbH The systems measure the oil layer on aluminum or steel strip in cold rolling mills or in the pressing plants of car manufacturers. If the measurement detects deviations from the target oiling, for example if the oil layer is too thin or even missing, the affected belt section can be re-oiled or an inspection of the oiling machine can be initiated. In combination with the roughness measuring system, also produced by Amepa, it is possible to react specifically to changes in the properties of the incoming strip in press lines – for example at the infeed of laser blanking lines – and to control the forming process optimally. Amepa has fundamentally revised both the OFM system for inline and the OFIS system for manual measurement of the oil layer. The central element is a new optical unit that doubles the measuring accuracy in combination with a refined algorithm and improved calibration. The measuring accuracy is now ± 0.05 g/m² for an oil layer of up to 1 g/m² and ± 5 % of the measured value for a larger layer.

Jens Harre, contact person at Amepa for the new device series, explains the benefits for his customers: “We have fundamentally restructured the design of the systems. In addition to the increased measuring accuracy, we have greatly simplified the validation process: all OFM 300 sensors are identical in terms of their parameterization and can be exchanged on site without the need for readjustment. This significantly reduces the time and effort required for training and maintenance. For our customers, this means higher process reliability at lower costs.” The new design of the sensor also speeds up the replacement of wearing parts such as lamps or fans. Amepa has supplied more than 480 inline measuring systems worldwide to date, and more than 300 OFIS handheld measuring sensors are in use at customers all over the world. Amepa GmbH has been developing and implementing innovative metrological system solutions for electromagnetic and thermographic slag detection, non-contact online roughness measurement and oil layer monitoring in close cooperation with the steel, aluminum and automotive industries since 1984. The systems meet high quality standards along the entire process chain for the production and processing of metals, from the production of high-purity functional steels to forming tribology for rolling and pressing processes in the manufacture of automobiles. With over 480 systems now installed in 34 countries, Amepa says that quality and engineering – made in Germany – have made the systems a global standard. With more than 70 employees in Würselen, subsidiaries in the United States and China as well as a global sales and service network, Amepa promises competent, comprehensive advice and fast service. Web: www.amepa.de