With hundreds of low cost (relative) Infrared Thermal Imagers being purchased each month combined with ease of use for new systems, what is it that makes one a qualified Infrared Thermographer?

I am wondering if the technology has gotten simple enough (like video camcorders) that all a person needs to do is take it out of the box and begin scanning to create positive results.

Of course, training is always desired - I am not discounting the value of training - I just want to know how far one can go with just the technology straight out of the box.

Terry O

When I first started using IR, I thought "How much can there be to this? the part is either hot or it's not". Luckily, I went to John Snell's Level 1 class before I went into the field. Not knowing anything, I learned a lot. What really surprised me was that many of the "experienced" guys in the class admitted that they were making many mistakes that they were unaware of. So much in fact that I had one guy tell me after the class that he now had little or no confidnence in what he had been doing. Because of this experience, I decided to take the level 2 class also before going into the field. Without the training, I'm sure I would have made mistakes. It seems that companies are shying away from training and think that by getting the latest equipment (either IR or vibration) that anyone can do the work. That you can put the information into a computer program and it will think, and make the correct calls for you. As critical as our work is to the safe and efficient operation of equipment, training should be key.
I apologize for the rant. This is an especially sensitive issue for me. I have been lucky in my career to work for companies that believed in training and it ticks me off when I go to job sites where people are put into reliability positions without training and then the technology is thought to not work.

Terry,

Almost anyone can get "some data" with today's out-of-the-box technologies. It takes skill and experience to get Good data, analyze it correctly to convert into useful information, and to make actionable recommendations.

Ask the plant manager if he would give the keys to his new car to his 16-year old son without any driver's education and training!

It also appears to be true (based on many BB postings) that people are buying new technology and have little or no clue on how to use it.

Walt

So using a piece of glass taped to a piece of crumpled aluminum via electrical tape in the view - a very useful and good tool and maybe without it you're in trouble. So, who'd thought? Maybe nobody.

This technology is one area that some degree of training is a must!!!!!!!!!!! No ands-ifs-or-butts......... that's right butts.

Taking data outside in daylight with the sun in the wrong position is very bad.

It may not be easy to miss something but it may be hard to call it right or not hard to call good stuff bad.

I agree with all the above comments. It is easy to use the technology incorrectly and not even realize that you are doing anything wrong if you have not had suitable training. I would think level 1 training is the bare minimum for anyone providing information that will be used to make decisions about equipment maintenance. Knowledge of the equipment being monitored is also a definte plus.

I just finished the level 1 class offered by Snell Infrared. We have had a camera for a little over a year. The electrical reliability group uses it more than the mechanical guys, but I knew some about using it. I basically knew enough to make basic calls and was unaware of how easy it was to get false data. The class was good and being generic and not brand specific, it was not a sales pitch. We had a guest from another of our mills that brought his Flir camera and we have a Mikron. We had a chance to play with both manufacturers cameras.

I feel that anyone going to use infrared for predictive/preventive maintenance should take a good class, get plenty of experience in the field, and keep good notes, for the school of hard knocks is the best teacher.

Look forward to getting my hands back on the camera and practicing what I just learned.

Think thermally,

Gary B

There are so many good posts here it's hard to know where to start!

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Joe Gurney said: "Without the training, I'm sure I would have made mistakes. It seems that companies are shying away from training and think that by getting the latest equipment (either IR or vibration) that anyone can do the work. That you can put the information into a computer program and it will think, and make the correct calls for you."

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Having a good PDA/Laptop/Desktop/Web software program to track and trend what you're doing and to take excellent notes, as Gary B mentioned, can be a great help. That said, it CANNOT think for you and we have always stressed the three legs of a thermography program - training, equipment, and program/data management. If you fall back in any of these areas your program may be imbalanced unnecessarily. Grabbing a camera out of the box (as Terry suggested in his post) may technically make you a thermographer. But you are not a trained thermographer. Nor are you compliant with ASNT-TC-1A or any other standards body standard regarding industrial/infrared inspections.

Now let alone whether you are actually a thermographer or actually a trained thermographer - are you a good thermographer?

Being a good thermographer and one who adds value to your company or grows your business through giving value to your clients, means that you deliver excellent information - useful, timely information - to your clients.

Perhaps as bad as information that is false and mistaken because of poor training, is loads of information that sits or does not get to the right people to take helpful actions to save the plant, facility, customer from serious problems and serious money.