Electro - optics in industry

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the application of electro optical instrumentation and techniques to solving measurement, inspection and quality control problems in an international glass manufacturing firm. Firstly a review is carried out of equipment available to the industrial scientist. Three areas are studied: sources, media, and detectors. A number of problems which have arisen are then discussed, and the techniques used to solve them are described. The problems include the monitoring and control of 'foreign’ substances in glass cullet prior to being fed into the furnaces; measuring the flatness of large areas of thin glass without using mechanical contact; the construction of a small stable infra red interferometer based on the Smartt point diffraction interferometer; rapid measurement of the curvature of ophthalmic lens surfaces; monitoring the position of wire mesh in wired glass; and measurement of very small amounts of haze on glass surfaces.