An Overview of Steel Thickness Measurement using X-Ray Thickness Gauges
From raw materials to finished products, measuring the thickness of steel or other metals (such as aluminum) has become one of the most effective methods of maximizing your process’ efficiency and quality, while maximizing yield wherever possible. Whether you are a steelmaker using a blast furnace or an electric arc furnace (EAF), or a small slitting or cut-to-length operation, process instrumentation and automation are essential to meeting your customers’ demands.
Industrial X-Ray thickness and coating weight gauges first emerged in the early 1950s, when The Sheffield Corporation began offering Measuray Thickness Gauges. In 1969, Bendix A&M acquired Sheffield Corporation, and a decade later Measuray Corporation emerged as a spinoff to manufacture, service, and maintain the Measuray product line. In the years that followed, the industry has continued to evolve with huge advances in the system technology, applications, materials, and options for reporting and control.
In 1999, Global Gauge Corporation (GGC) was founded and acquired the former assets of Measuray, subsequently releasing its first PLC-based X-Ray thickness gauge. Over the years, Global Gauge continued to acquire legacy competitors in the market, including PDM Systems and ESC Resources. Global Gauge has continued to grow its product line and has shipped hundreds of new gauges and gauge upgrades. Today, the Global Gauge product line is recognized as the industry standard for non-contact thickness measurement systems for rolling mills and process lines.
Throughout the entire production of flat-rolled steel and metals, Global Gauge’s X-Ray thickness and coating weight gauges deliver measurements with extreme accuracy and reliability.
Hot Strip Mill
Global Gauge Hot Strip Mill Thickness Gauges are typically housed in stainless-steel c-frames and use robust sensors and cooling systems to measure thickness in the most extreme environments. Our systems can be offered as standalone gauges or as a dual system with one scanning and one center point gauge. The scanning option allows our customers to obtain an overview of their strip profile as the material passes through the frames.
Plate Mill
Global Gauge Plate Mill Gauges are designed specifically for the thicker products seen on our customers’ plate mills. Our gauges can provide customers with automatic gauge control, and highly accurate reports on their plate thickness along the weight. We offer multi-point thickness gauges which allows our customers to see how their plates are crowning or wedging toward the center or sides which, coupled with automatic gauge control, will significantly improve plate quality.
Cold Mill
In Cold Mills and Process Lines (pickling, annealing, slitting, etc.) we offer customized solutions to meet your specific rolling or processing needs. Global Gauge Cold Mill Thickness Gauges are cost-effective systems that do not require stainless-steel frames, and can often be PC-based, reducing the system complexity and cost.
System Upgrades
Global Gauge offers electronics and sensors upgrades to legacy gauges, including Measuray, DMC, Loral, NDC, IRM, and many others. Oftentimes, the legacy c-frame can be repurposed, resulting in significant customer savings.
Coating Weight Measurement
Global Gauge Coating Weight Gauges can measure galvanized, galvaneal, tin, and other metallic coatings, using an X-Ray Fluorescence method. These systems allow our customers to accurately measure how much coating they’re using, and ensure they’re not losing material by overcoating their metal.
Global Gauge continues to service the flat-rolled steel and metals industry with the systems our customers require for accurate and cost-effective thickness and coating weight measurement. We will always strive to innovate and to maintain our reputation of providing the best gauges for the industries we serve!
