EMG SOLID®
Optimise your oiling or pressing process with EMG SOLID® IR (infrared) or EMG SOLID® LIF (laser-induced fluorescence) for oil layer thickness measurement – or monitor the insulation layer of your electrical steel precisely with EMG SOLID® DFT.
The right technology for every application!
Oil layer measurement
Increased demands on new materials and ever more complex components increasingly require higher process reliability. This also applies with regard to the oil coating for the forming process of steel and aluminium sheets. EMG SOLID® is a system for the up-to-date online measurement of oil deposits on running strips.
Especially in the automotive industry, the requirements for a uniform, defined lubricant application are becoming ever higher. EMG SOLID® offers a wide range of applications: from initial oiling in the rolling mill to the metal processor, for whom sufficient oiling during the shaping process or freedom from oil before painting measures are indispensable.
EMG SOLID® measures the oil layer within the production line online over the complete width and length and visualises it over the entire surface to be measured.
EMG SOLID® IR
EMG SOLID® IR uses infrared spectroscopy for non-contact measurement of oil layer thickness on the material surface. The measurement principle is particularly robust and insensitive to oil mixtures commonly encountered in industrial processes, delivering stable and reproducible results even under varying conditions.
Infrared light passes through the oil layer, reflects off the material surface, and passes back through the oil. The resulting light attenuation allows accurate determination of the oil layer – reliable, fast, and reproducible, even with changing oil compositions.
Customer benefits:
- Independent of oil mixtures
- Easy calibration of new oil types and clear oil type allocation through group calibration
- High repeatability (+/- 5 mg/m² without smoothing 120 Hz and +/- 0.8 mg/m² with smoothing)
- Absolute and relative measurement possible
- No falsification due to unevenly applied passivations
- Technology established on the market worldwide
- Automatic system check via built-in reference measurement
- High measuring accuracy
Technical details:
- Measuring range: 0.3 - 6 g/m²; > 0.02 g/m² possible with special calibration
- Measuring accuracy:
- 0.02 - 0.3 g / m²: +/- 0.025 g / m² *
- 0.3 - 2 g / m²: +/- 0.2 g / m² **
- > 2 g / m² - 6 g / m²: 10 % of the measured value**
* case-specific special calibration
** general group calibration, up to two times better accuracy achievable with specific calibration
(Accuracy verification is permitted only with a precision laboratory balance)
EMG SOLID® LIF
EMG SOLID® LIF provides precise, non-contact measurement of oil coating weight and visualizes its distribution across the entire material surface. As a highly sensitive measurement technique, it detects even the smallest amounts and finest variations in the oil film, making it ideal for applications requiring the highest accuracy.
A high-performance solid-state laser delivers up to 10 kHz and excites the oil layer to emit characteristic fluorescence. This signal is detected and analyzed, enabling reliable and reproducible measurement of even very thin oil films – precise, fast, and easy to use.
Customer benefits:
- Low influence due to roughness, textures, oil droplets, hotmelt structures, therefore no need for pressure/distribution rollers
- Detection of very low concentrations <20 mg/m² possible, thus also applicable for purity measurements
- Very small space requirement Absolute and relative measurement possible
- Special EMG solution to keep the optics clean
- High measuring accuracy
- Very high measuring frequency (10 kHz) and high resolution of the measuring spot (Ø = 8 mm)
Technical details:
- Measuring range: 0 – 6 g/m²
- Measuring accuracy: +/- 10 % of the measuring range end value (permissible comparison with a precision laboratory balance)
The insulation layer - Quality makes the difference
Pigment-based electrical steel coatings (core sheet slag) have two main functions. Firstly, they provide electrical insulation, which is essential to prevent leakage currents or flashovers between different layers of transformer laminations. This ensures the safe and efficient operation of electrical equipment. Secondly, these coatings form a protective layer on the surface of the electrical steel that prevents corrosion and rusting. This is important for electrical steel sheets that are often used in corrosive environments.
In addition, there is also the function of fully bonding laminations with so-called baking enamels. In this process, a paint that is not fully cured is applied to the surface of the electrical steel, which is then cured at high temperatures to create a permanent bond between the various laminations. This reduces the losses associated with eddy currents and hysteresis, which can lead to heating and wasted energy.
Determining the layer thickness of the insulating varnish and its change or deviation from specified values over the entire strip length is therefore a quality feature that has a decisive influence on the manufacturer's profitability.
EMG SOLID® DFT (Dry Film Thickness) controls this layer thickness with the help of laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.
EMG SOLID® DFT
EMG SOLID® DFT revolutionizes the measurement of transparent and lightly pigmented lacquer layers, visualizing coating weight across the entire material surface. Unlike older methods that relied on radioactive sources and only measured a single line, this technique is completely safe and enables continuous scanning across the entire width. This creates a full profile of the coating, directly visible to the operator.
A high-performance solid-state laser delivers up to 10 kHz and excites the lacquer to emit characteristic fluorescence. The thicker the coating, the stronger the signal. An integrated microcontroller controls the analysis and calculates the results in real time – precise, reliable, and reproducible. This new method provides much more data than the old technique, reduces material usage, and significantly improves the quality of the final product.
Technical details
- Measuring range: 0 - 10 μm (depending on the lacquer type)
- Measuring accuracy: +/- 10 % of the measuring range end value (permissible comparison with a precision laboratory balance)
Customer benefits
- Low influence due to roughness and textures
- Very high measuring frequency (10 kHz) and high definition of measuring spot (Ø = 8 mm)
- Measurement of very low laquer thicknesses down to 0.5 µm
- EMG patent for coating control
- Insensitive to strip height fluctuations of up to 20 mm
- Laser class 1M at the front of the measuring head
Application insights
Further EMG solutions
Perfect for these industries
Do you want to measure oil or lacquer layer thickness online – quickly and reliably? With our EMG SOLID® product family, we provide the right solution for your process – fast, precise, and dependable. I’m happy to advise you and show how to get the most out of this technology!
Timo GemmerProduct Manager