ANN ARBOR — Advanced Photonix Inc. (NYSE: API) says it has a new value-added reseller agreement for its T-Gauge industrial terahertz gauging system with Seltek Ltd., a Turkish manufacturer of measurement and process control systems for continuous web production industries.
The T-Gauge measurement system can be used for online or offline measurements for quality assurance and process control of web-based and converting industries.
The T-Gauge Sensor is the world’s first terahertz sensor for online process control, quality control, and nondestructive testing. With no ionizing radiation like an x-ray, and no radioactive elements like nuclear gauges, the T-Gauge Sensor provides an alternative to legacy technology that requires excessive regulation and control.
Terahertz energy, which occupies a spot on the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared light, will penetrate opaque materials, allowing measurements to be performed on any non-conductive material.
The T‑Gauge Control Unit is the central component of the T-Gauge family of products, and it creates the optical and electrical signals necessary to generate and detect terahertz pulses if the TCU is connected to THz accessories. It also transforms analog data into a digital signal that can be analyzed using the onboard processor.
The TCU is a 19-inch rack, wall, or table mountable instrument that controls the fiber-coupled THz sensor and includes a high performance waveform processor. The TCU has all the required connections for convenient interfacing to various optical and electronic components. The high-speed delay included in the TCU can be chosen from a number of delay lengths and speed options. When utilized in conjunction with Advanced Photonix T-Gauge accessories, the TCU enables the user to generate and detect pulsed terahertz energy that can be used to measure physical properties. The TCU has received both UL and CE marks, and can be operated in a wide range of environments. The high signal-to-noise ratio of its THz signal allows the T-Gauge Sensor to operate at up to a 1kHz measurement rate, which allows tight control of the manufacturing line.
API is developing a VAR partner network to enable T-Gauge industrial process control equipment for continuous web, discrete manufacturing and anomaly defect inspection applications. The company plans to develop a VAR network which will serve vertical markets where VARs have unique subject matter expertise. VAR partners are trained to sell, install and support API T-Gauge products. Each VAR will have an in house application development T-Gauge system to perform feasibility studies and develop new market applications for non-contact measuring of physical properties such as; multiple layer thickness measurements, density, contamination by foreign substances, sub-surface defects within a product and moisture analysis. The technology is adaptable to different sensor configurations, including robotic controls, to support many different applications. The resulting innovative gauge will help manufacturers to improve quality and reduce costs.
“We are always on the lookout for strong VAR partners and have been developing and building a VAR partner network,” said API president and CEO Richard Kurtz. “Seltek provides a global presence with world class customer support and market knowledge, which we believe will lead to more rapid market adoption of our terahertz T-Gauge platform.”
Yasar Karadeniz, managing director of Seltek, said API’s “new T-Gauge sensor technology complements our existing sensor technology and provides a precise, accurate and reliable system that our customers can use to monitor and control their manufacturing process manually or automatically.”
More at www.advancedphotonix.com or www.seltek.com.