Every parent or healthcare worker knows that a fever is a sure sign of an infection. Similarly, an elevated temperature in a roller bearing is a sure sign that it’s about to fail. Just as thermometers are vital instruments in homes, clinics and hospitals, infrared thermal imaging systems have become a critical tool for maintenance and quality assurance personnel at assembly plants and other industrial facilities.
Every object above -268 C radiates infrared energy. The hotter the object, the more infrared energy it radiates. Infrared energy is electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than those of visible light. Invisible to the human eye, infrared wavelengths extend from 700 nanometers—the nominal red edge of the visible spectrum—all the way to 1 millimeter.