Confocal controllers offer excellent signal-to-noise ratios

The new all-metal, DIN rail-mountable controllers are designed for use in OEM, continuous production and R&D test applications across all industry sectors, particularly semiconductor, glass, plastics, medical and other high-precision applications. As well as measuring distance to virtually any target material, the controllers are suitable for measuring the thickness of single and multi-layer transparent materials, as well as for the monitoring of liquid fill levels, inspection of bore holes (or small cavities), and for measuring transparent, reflecting or matt surfaces.

Micro-Epsilon's new confocalDT 2451 and confocalDT 2471 controllers replace the company's existing IFC2401 and IFC2431 confocal controllers. The new controllers can be used with all Micro-Epsilon confocal sensors, including miniature 4mm and 8mm diameter confocal sensors in axial or radial versions.

These new controllers were developed in-house by Micro-Epsilon and therefore benefit from a complete redesign and from the company's experience in the development of high-speed, high-precision optical laser sensors. For the first time, the controllers have a rugged industrial design and use a high-performance CCD array as the sensor element. The confocalDT 2451 utilises a white LED as the light source, which enables measuring rates up to 10kHz. The confocalDT 2471 provides up to 70KHz measuring rate using an external Xenon light source. Both controllers are provided with Ethernet, EtherCAT, RS422 and analogue output interfaces.

Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon UK Ltd, comments: "The new controllers are currently the fastest controllers available on the market. They offer excellent signal-to-noise ratios, up to four times better than their predecessors and other competing controllers. Traditionally, most confocal controllers perform poorly when trying to compensate for difficult and changing surface conditions, particularly in high-speed surface scanning tasks. However, the confocalDT 2451 and 2471 controllers use newly developed software algorithms based on Micro-Epsilon's experience in optical laser sensor design. These algorithms enable the new controllers to compensate in real time, enabling users to scan surfaces very rapidly at high resolution. The controllers also provide high-speed triggering that allows them to be synchronised with encoders and other motion control devices. The result is a controller that provides more stable, higher-accuracy measurements, down to nanometre resolution if required."

Passive cooling system

Jones adds: "Most conventional confocal controllers use an integral fan and air vents in order to cool the controller during operation. The new confocalDT 2451 and 2471 use a passive cooling system that does not require a fan or air vents, which greatly improves the controller's protection rating and longevity."

The new controllers are simple to set up and operate. The user can remotely configure measurement channels using the web-based software via Ethernet. The user does not need to install any other measurement software.

Jones notes: "We've also developed integrated multi-peak software, which enables users to measure the thickness of multi-layer measurement objects such as the touch screen of a smart phone. This software is able to evaluate up to six peaks or five layers."

For more information on the new confocalDT 2451 and 2471 confocal controllers, email [email protected], or visit the website at www.micro-epsilon.co.uk.