Olympus inspection and measurement systems at Austech 2013

‘Compact, lightweight and flexible’ will be the focus of the display by Olympus Industrial Business Unit (IBD) at Austech 2013 in May. The company’s display will feature some of the smallest models in its industry-leading portfolio of innovative test, measurement and imaging instruments.

One featured product will be the palm-sized iPLEX UltraLite industrial videoscope. Weighing just 700 g, the compact, durable body delivers high-quality images from inspections in tough and confined areas. “The ergonomic design allows the device to fit snugly into the palm of your hand, to support speedy, fatigue-free operation even during prolonged inspections,” said Mark Wheatley, Olympus Videoscope Sales Specialist.

Other products to be highlighted include the i-SPEED range of high-speed video cameras and the Magna-Mike 8600 thickness gauge. The i-SPEED cameras can record up to one million frames per second even under extremely low-light conditions. The Magna-Mike 8600 is a portable thickness gauge that uses a simple magnetic method to make reliable and repeatable measurements on nonferrous materials.

According to Wheatley, advances in imaging and battery technology have enabled IBD to build one of the lightest and most compact videoscopes. “When operators are working in a trapeze suspended over the side of a building, or have climbed or been airlifted to the top of a wind turbine, they appreciate not being encumbered by bulky and heavy equipment,” said Wheatley. The videoscope comes with either a 2 or 3.5 m insertion tube, both of which offer quick and accurate articulation. Insertion tubes are available in 4 or 6 mm diameters. The design of the tube itself is both crush and abrasion resistant, and its graduated flexibility enables inspection of objects inside windings and rough paths.

The iPLEX UltraLite is designed to be one of the toughest available and is built to withstand inspection-site drops and falls. The unit passes a 1.2 m drop test and the LCD monitor is equipped with toughened glass, passing a steel ball drop test compliant with IEC 61010. The unit also resists rain, sand and dust entering the casing, and is IP55 compliant.

“These latest units are also some of the most affordable on the market,” Wheatley added. “Innovations in a wide range of areas have allowed us to create sophisticated equipment that can now be available to smaller organisations such as pest-control companies or small aircraft operators.”