Thermal imaging is the use of an infrared thermal camera to view & measure thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye, it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, such as ice, emit infrared.

The lens of the camera is made of a transmissive material, such as Germanium, which allows the radiation to pass through to a detector in the camera. The software within the camera then processes this information and produces an image onto the LCD for the user to analyse.

As an example, if you were trying to locate underfloor heating to see where it has been installed, you would be able to see the layout with a thermal camera, as the heat emitted will affect the surface temperature of the floor, showing up clearly on the camera.

With a growing number of cameras available, along with higher resolutions and increased sensitivity, the applications for thermography have increased greatly over the past few years, with new applications being discovered all the time. Although there is no definitive list, below we list some of the common fields that the cameras are used in:

Industrial Maintenance

Thermal cameras have long been used in this field as nearly everything gets hot before it fails. In addition, because thermal imaging is non-contact it keeps the user out of danger whilst performing preliminary checks. Problems that are invisible to the naked eye can be easily spotted on a thermal image by locating hotspots and thermal gradients that would be indicative of a problem.

Find out more about thermal imaging for industrial maintenance here.

Building Diagnostics

Inadequate or insufficient insulation, building envelope leaks, moisture and substandard work are costly to residential & commercial building owners. A thermal camera helps you see exactly where energy efficiency needs to be improved.

Find out more about thermal imaging for building diagnostics here.

Medical & Veterinary

High resolution cameras are often used in the medical and veterinary fields for the determination of a number of problems. Problems such as poor circulation, muscle damage and other issues can be detected by a trained operator.

Find out more about thermal imaging for medical and veterinary applications here.

As with any test instrument, having the proper training is vital. There are many factors that can affect the readings that a thermal camera will display and understanding what these factors are, and how to set the camera up correctly, will ensure that your surveys are accurate and that you are not giving incorrect information to a client.

There are a number of training courses available, from general 1 day courses, to a fully certified 5 day course, that you can sit. In addition you may also want to attend an applications based course, which is focused on how thermography is used in a given field.

Instrotech are an ITC approved (Infrared Training Center) training provider and we currently run a series of 1 day thermography training courses. Details of the courses and content can be found at the links below:

You can book a place on our Introduction to Thermography training course online, or call us on 01923 442244.

You can book a place on our Electrical Thermography training course online, or call us on 01923 442244.

The Level 1 training course is run by the ITC throughout the year at various venues in the UK. Instrotech are an approved training reseller and the course can be booked through us by calling 01923 442244.