Todd Allen - Advanced Gauging Technologies

April 10, 2016 By Todd Allen

AGT Laser Gauge Measures Any Alloy

Article appears in Metal Center News Magazine, March 2016.

March 2016 – Advanced Gauging Technologies, Plain City, Ohio, offers its patented AGT800 laser thickness gauge, designed to measure any alloy processed in coil, sheet or strip form. The AGT800 is an optical-based measuring system that uses high-precision Keyence laser senors. Each sensor emits a Class II laser beam and receives the beam back on a RS-CMOS pixel array. The gauge then determines the exact distance to the target material and calculates a precise material thickness.

The AGT800 features an intuitive, easy -to-operate user interface making it convenient for operators to access information and navigate between screens, the company claims. It provides graphic representation of strip thickness over the entire length of the coil and dictates out-of-tolerance material instantly. The system is calibrated using N.I.S.T-traceable samples. Detailed S.P.C. reporting and data storage are standard features included with the AGT800.

Direct benefits realized through the measurement process of the AGT800 include documented compliance with ISO9002, QS9000, improved process control, increased productivity and scrap reduction. The standard system also provides disk or network data storage and easy recall of all S.P.C. information. This feature eliminates the need to maintain large collection of printed reports for the long-term record keeping purposes.

October 30, 2015 By Todd Allen

Rapid Results

Article by Emily Vasquez and appears in Modern Metals Magazine, September 2015.

Service center realizes unexpected savings by upgrading gauging system

September 2015 – Where there is a problem, there must be a solution. When Vince Gallo first arrived at Nova Steel in 2013, he noticed the Stoney Creek, Ontario, facility was using an older gauging device that needed to be replaced with something far more accurate. The pickling line at the service center had an X-ray gauging system in place, but it was “difficult to read and effectively distribute gauge charts,” says Gallo. “People today want more accurate, precise information.” Seeking to increase its capabilities, Nova Steel installed a new slitting line along with new state-of-the-art measuring technology, improving process control and increasing output.

“We had some old gauging devices installed on our pickling line,” says Gallo. In September, we ordered a new slitter but, as we had very limited gauge reading capabilities, we called on Advanced Gauging Technologies again,” says Gallo. The AGT800 laser thickness gauge, which was installed in February 2015, was just the solution Gallo needed.

With over 30 years in the service center industry, Gallo’s knowledge of gauging technology spans three decades and his search always led him back to A.G.T. “There was never any question,” he says of his decision to go with the Plain City, Ohio, instrument maker for Nova’s gauging needs.

Gauging instruments, he says, is “a market that has fewer and fewer players because of its difficult technology, but A.G.T. has a lot of experience and a wealth of knowledge. In the last 30 years, I’ve dealt with about 11 of their gauging systems.”

Steve Venters, sales manager at A.G.T., confirms, “We have known Vince for many years. In fact, he bought several of our very first AGT400 isotope thickness gauges more than 15 years ago. He’s been familiar with our gauges from his experience at other steel service centers.”

Instant results

When it came to the slitting line at Nova Steel, Gallo selected the AGT800 laser thickness gauge which is designed to measure the thickness of metals and virtually any other material processed in coil, sheet or strip form.

Introduced in 2013, the AGT800 offers a safer, improved alternative to isotope and X-ray gauging systems. The AGT800 has no radioactive source, compared to an isotope gauge. This means there are no requirements for compliance with federal and state regulations and radiation leak tests are not necessary.

“The isotope is a great gauge but we were able to get the same capabilities without all the legislative requirements that come with the isotopes. The software is also exactly identical. So, of course, we skewed to the AGT800; it became the first [one in use] in Canada at the time,” says Gallo.

The AGT800 is a two-part system comprised of an easy-to-install C-frame mounted on the processing line, and an electronics cabinet which contains the computer, electronics shelf, uninterruptable power supply, monitor and other key components. The AGT800 is designed to measure materials with a thickness range of up to 0.75 inch. It uses Keyence laser sensors that emit Class II laser beams which are received back on a RS-CMOS pixel array, or a photo sensor, and determines the distance to the target material. The gauge’s software uses this information to calculate the distance to the target material and precise material thickness is then determined. The AGT800 computer then translates the information instantly, automatically creating a coil report and various measurement data. This information is then stored on the gauge and can also be sent to a company server to avoid any loss in case of a power outage or other unforeseen incidents.

The S.P.C. reporting software collects and organizes the data to create detailed coil reports. The gauge also has sophisticated diagnostic screens which can make it much easier to diagnose any system problems that may arise. A.G.T.’s ISOcal system allows the gauge to check the calibration through sampling, which simplifies regular system checks. The report summaries are stored and saved onto Nova Steel’s hard drive and printed for technicians to analyze data.

“The gauge charts are very clear, concise and save to our hard drive automatically. We have it set up to not only save on the hard drive but it also creates a PDF to send to our sales team,” says Gallo.

Maximum accuracy

To instruct users on the complex technology, A.G.T. technicians offer detailed training support on the AGT800’s operation and maintenance requirements during the gauge startup. “When we commission a new system, it is typically a three- to four-day process,” says Venters. “We make sure everything is calibrated and everything operates correctly. Then, we meet with all the operators and maintenance personnel.” A.G.T. also performs semi-annual preventive maintenance checks in order to make sure the gauge is operating as designed.

“Every time A.G.T. comes in to do service work, they do a refresher for our maintenance personnel and operators. It’s a real benefit to us,” says Gallo.

Overall, the AGT800 has made Nova Steel’s operations more productive, he notes. Previous setup on the old gauge provided poor documentation, which created problems for Nova on gauge-related claims. “It’s a tremendous amount of money and time without gauge traces,” says Gallo, referring to the pickling line that ran with an older DMC gauge, which prolonged processing whenever the material was out of spec.

“We can now monitor gauge-related issues and crop accordingly. If a customer wants a gauge from 0.35 inch to 0.40 inch, and the material comes in 0.34 inch, we’re able to accommodate. Prior to this, you’d have to stop the line on several occasions.”

The AGT800 ensures measurements are accurate before shipping out any orders. “We can now say, ‘Supplier A, you’re supposed to send us 0.35-inch material and you sent us 0.33-inch.’ We have actual documentation showing any discrepancies,” explains Gallo. “If you don’t have any proof, you have to take a sample by hand. An average coil takes over 20,000 gauge points. Meanwhile, we can only do four or five by hand.”

Of A.G.T., Gallo says, “They are very professional and always willing to help us out. If you look at their products, they are very progressive and always finding ways to improve.”

After seeing positive results with the slitting line one month after installation, Gallo ordered an AGT800 for its outdated pickling line gauging device. The gauge is scheduled for installation during fall 2015. MM

June 12, 2015 By Todd Allen

A.G.T. Revolutionizes Thickness Gauging with Keyence Laser Sensors

Advanced Gauging Technologies in Plain City, Ohio, is a supplier of quality, affordable thickness gauges to the metals industry. The company’s newest gauge, the AGT800 uses laser triangulation technology instead of radioactive isotopes. Elimination of the radioactive source allows companies to achieve accurate thickness measurements without the hassle of licensing and leak test requirements, shipping issues and radioactive source disposal fees.

Steel service centers use thickness gauges throughout their various processing operations for many different reasons. One is that service centers want to make sure they are meeting their customers’ thickness specifications. This is especially important as tolerances are becoming more and more critical in industries such as automotive, aerospace and electronics. Another reason is that the reports generated by the gauges provide accurate documentation for a customer’s quality control records and ISO certifications. Some companies also want to measure incoming material thickness to make sure they are receiving exactly what they ordered from their suppliers.

Thickness gauges are essentially two-part systems. An electronics cabinet contains the “brains” of the system that includes a computer, software, monitor and keyboard – all of which pairs up with a C-frame that contains the measuring heads. A traditional isotope gauge incorporates a C-frame with a detector head at the top and a radiation source head on the bottom. As the material passes between the two heads, a shutter opens on the source head releasing a small amount of gamma radiation. The detector head measures how much radiation passes through the metal being processed. The system then converts the radiation into electrical signals that are sent to the computer and translated into measurement data using special proprietary software and A.G.T. in-house developed algorithms.

Since its inception by Ron Cook and his son Scott in 1997, Advanced Gauging has focused on understanding and meeting their customers’ needs with user-friendly and cost-effective products coupled with exceptional customer support. In response to some customers’ dissatisfaction with the issues and requirements involved with radiation, the A.G.T. team focused its attention on developing a laser sensor gauge to give their customers a viable alternative.

The company’s AGT800 Laser Thickness Measurement Gauge is an optical based measuring system that relies on two non-contact, high-precision semi-conductor Keyence LK-G Series laser sensors to provide continuous, high speed, accurate and reliable thickness measurements. The sensors are mounted above and below the strip of material to be measured and take the place of the isotope source head and the detector head on the C-frame. Each sensor emits a Class II laser beam and receives the beam back on an RS-CMOS pixel array. The gauge then determines the distance to the target material and calculates the precise material thickness.

“When developing the laser measurement gauge, we compared 13 sensor models from eight different companies, located in five countries,” explained Venters. “Our decision to go with Keyence was easy. Their sensor was the best, and the support, warranties pricing and terms they offered were unmatched in the industry.”

Like most systems, there are pros and cons to both types of gauges. Isotope gauges are ideal for measuring metals (primarily steel alloys) with a thickness range of 0.007” up to 0.250”. However, they are not as effective when measuring aluminum and non-ferrous materials. On the plus side, isotope gauges are not adversely affected by dust, scale and oil mist. They are based on proven technology that has been in use for decades.

“The biggest drawback with isotope gauges, is that they do use radioactive material. As such, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) must license them, and an independent certified technician must inspect and leak test them every six months – this means more paperwork and costs for both the vendor and the customer. Also, isotope gauges are designed strictly for metal (mainly steel and alloys), which limits their applicability,” related Steve Venters, Sales and Marketing manager at Advanced Gauging Technologies.

In addition to offering steel service centers an alternative solution, the new AGT800 laser gauge technology opens the door to many new markets for A.G.T. and ideally positions the company for growth. Because the laser gauge is alloy insensitive, it can measure virtually any material in sheet, strip or coil form. This means the system can be applied to a much wider range of industrial customers, including companies that handle paper and fiber products, plastics, films and foils, rubber, glass and aluminum.

Since the AGT800’s introduction, A.G.T. customers in the metals industry have embraced the technology. In fact, American Metal Markets magazine recognized the advancement as a top five finalist for its 2014 annual Best Innovative Product award.

“Choosing Keyence sensors when we developed our new gauge was key to bringing this new innovation to life, and we are really excited about what it will do for our customers and our company,” said Venters. “We have already seen tremendous interest in the laser gauge and anticipate continued high demand for the product.”

A.G.T. is a premier supplier and service provider for thickness gauges throughout North America. With ten employees, the company has over 230 A.G.T. gauges in operation and provides service over 400 total gauges at over 165 steel service centers.

March 16, 2015 By Todd Allen

A.G.T. Leads The Way In Laser Thickness Measurement

Advanced Gauging Technologies was mentioned in the March 2015 issue of American Metal Market as a pioneer in the transition from isotope to laser based thickness gauging. Bill Beck’s article highlights the various ways that the metal industry, and its service centers, are using technology to enhance productivity in ways not thought possible even a decade ago.

You can find the whole article “Technology centers” over at the American Metal Market website but here is an excerpt with our mention:

Perhaps no segment of the metals service center industry has experienced more technological change in the 21st Century than metals testing. Waltham, Mass.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. provides its service center customers with sophisticated handheld alloy analyzers. And Plain City, Ohio-based Advanced Gauging Technologies LLC has helped pioneer the transition of measuring the thickness of coil, sheet or strip metal from isotope gauges to laser gauges, eliminating the use of radioactive material and giving operators a measure of precision that is hard to surpass.

February 27, 2015 By Todd Allen

Annual Radiation Training

The staff here at Advanced Gauging Technologies recently completed our annual radiation training event. We do this in order to train new staff and offer a refresher to the rest. Each year, Dr. Laura Smith teaches us about the physics of atoms, nuclear binding forces, particle emissions, and a host of other cool nuclear physics topics.

In addition to all of the normal training material, relevant and current news topics always seem to find their way into the conversation. Items such as the Alexander Litvinenko poisoning with polonium-210 in 2006, the Fukushima nuclear reactor event in 2013, or the theft of radioactive Cobalt-60 medical material in Mexico last year lead to great training conversations about how radioactivity affects us in our everyday lives.

In the near future we plan on adding some of our training material to the website to help illustrate and explain how we use nuclear physics in our isotope thickness gauges. Stay tuned!