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Thermal camera lenses for taking thermal photographs of circuit boards

Thermal camera lenses for taking thermal photographs of circuit boards

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For taking thermal photographs of circuit boards, you need high-quality thermal camera lenses that provide precision, sharp detail, and accurate temperature measurement. Here’s what you should consider when choosing the right lens:

1. Key Factors for Choosing a Thermal Camera Lens

✅ Focal Length & Field of View (FoV)

  • Close-up/Macro Lenses (10mm – 25mm FoV): Ideal for detailed circuit board inspection.
  • Wide-Angle Lenses (6mm – 10mm FoV): Good for viewing larger components.
  • Telephoto Lenses (50mm+ FoV): Used for zooming in on small areas of a PCB.

✅ Spectral Range

  • Most thermal cameras operate in the longwave infrared (LWIR) range: 7.5 – 14 µm.
  • Ensure the lens is designed for this range to capture accurate thermal data.

✅ Resolution & Pixel Pitch

  • High-resolution sensors (e.g., 640×480 or higher) need quality optics to resolve fine PCB details.
  • Small pixel pitch (e.g., 12µm or 17µm) improves sharpness when imaging tiny components.

✅ Lens Material

  • Germanium (Ge): Most common material for thermal camera lenses; provides excellent infrared transmission.
  • Chalcogenide Glass: A cost-effective alternative with good IR performance.
  • Zinc Selenide (ZnSe): Sometimes used in specialized applications.

✅ Close Focusing Distance

  • For macro thermal imaging, ensure the lens supports a short focusing distance (~5–10 cm) to capture PCB details accurately.

2. Recommended Thermal Camera Lenses for PCB Inspection

  1. FLIR Close-up Macro Lens (2.5× or 1× Magnification) – Perfect for high-resolution PCB inspection.
  2. Seek Thermal Macro Lens – Works with Seek thermal cameras, allowing close-up imaging of small heat sources.
  3. InfraTec Microscanner Lenses – Specially designed for high-precision thermal imaging of electronic circuits.
  4. Custom Germanium Lenses – If using a custom thermal camera module, manufacturers like Ophir, Edmund Optics, or Umicore offer precision lenses for PCB analysis.

3. Applications in Circuit Board Testing

✔ Identifying overheating components (e.g., resistors, transistors, ICs).
✔ Detecting soldering defects or short circuits.
✔ Evaluating power distribution and thermal efficiency.
✔ Monitoring PCB heating in real-time during operation.