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IMS Systems Introduces New Optical Width Gauge

The IMS Camera Cluster Systems (CCS) Gauge is compact, lightweight and affordable. Its other valuable features include an air or water blow-off system for the harshest environments, and the abilities to monitor for dirt and remain unaffected by ambient light. Benefits include low maintenance, long operating life, no moving parts, a high degree of accuracy and easy retrofitting to existing lines.
 
The CCS Gauge weighs just over 300 lbs, compared to the previous generation model’s weight of nearly 1 ton. It measures strip or sheet of any thickness and is accurate to within four one-thousandths of an inch (0.004”) in environments with ambient temperatures up to 120°F. In addition to helping produce defect-free steel, the CCS Gauge can also be adapted to production lines handling aluminum and tin plate packaging materials. Functions the gauge can help to perform include inspection, recoiling, cut-to-length, slitting, coating and foil separation.
 
“With the ability to measure width, edge crack and holes, this innovative measuring solution is really three gauges in one,” says John Buckman, IMS’s general manager and vice president of operations. “Its versatility, precision and affordability make it a unique and valuable addition to the marketplace.”
 
The CCS Gauge’s optical technology was developed by XAPT, a company based in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. IMS has an ownership stake in XAPT, which produces customized optical systems for industrial and commercial applications.
 
Development of the CCS Gauge has occurred shortly after the introduction of the XR Gauge, an x-ray measuring system the company created to assess the thickness of ferrous and non-ferrous strip.
 

IMS Systems Inc. is a leading manufacturer of optical, x-ray and isotope measuring systems. These gauges measure the width, length, thickness, flatness, coating weight, cross-profile and other characteristics of hot and cold, ferrous and non-ferrous strip, plate and tube. IMS gauges are found in mills and service centers throughout North America, often with multiple units on single production lines. IMS supports its quality systems and equipment with a comprehensive array of parts, service, and training that helps customers optimize productivity. The company is headquartered in Heiligenhaus, Germany, near Düsseldorf. Its North American headquarters are in Mars, Pa., near Pittsburgh, and the company’s southeastern service center is located near Mobile, Ala.