Digital thermometers: Indispensable aides in industry and food production

There are many areas in industry where the precise indication of temperature is crucial. Deviations of not even one degree can have devastating consequences! So it’s good that the digital thermometer reliably indicates the correct temperature and is therefore suitable for use in a variety of fields. Whether in catering or in the production and processing of food, in the monitoring of cold chains or in checking the function of air conditioning systems: a digital thermometer has become indispensable.

A digital thermometer is familiar to everyone, from its use at the doctor’s or at home. If fever needs to be measured, you'd be hard pressed to even find an analog thermometer; because these days modern digital thermometers are the norm. These use a relatively simple technique: the thermometer uses a sensor in the tip for the measurement. This, in turn, has an electrical resistance that reacts to changes in temperature. Semiconductor sensors are used for this purpose, and these become more conductive when influenced by temperature, allowing a larger current to flow. The digital thermometer shows the temperature calculated from the current flow on the display. What is common practice in medicine or domestic applications has long been used in industry too. Here, however, we find another generation of digital thermometers, which make the continuous development or the temperature curve visible and thereby make evaluations possible.

We’re talking about temperature data loggers, in which the measured values are stored and can thus be evaluated. They also serve as proof, for example, of a seamless cold chain. These days, a digital thermometer is used wherever temperature measurements are required, and different types of thermometers are conceivable:

• Infrared thermometers (measurement from a distance)
• Surface thermometers (with fixed or interchangeable probes)
• Air temperature gauges
• Penetration thermometers (e.g. for the preparation of food)
• Digital thermometers for immersion measurements

These are only a small selection, because digital thermometers are used wherever temperatures and observance of these are important. They cannot be replaced by other measuring instruments, but are often used in combination with them. In that event, temperatures and humidity values are measured simultaneously.

There is probably no industrial sector that can make do without measuring temperatures. The catering sector cannot make do without a meat thermometer, which is inserted into the cooked product in order to measure the ideal temperature, and has a long probe for this purpose. These types of thermometers can also be used for measurements in liquids, sometimes using an interchangeable probe.

Thermal imagers are indispensable in the building trade and in heating engineering. They make possible cold bridges in buildings visible and help locate unwanted heat sources. They are also used to assess the energy efficiency of a building and are also used in industry, science and research.