EVK‘s innovative hyperspectral imaging system brings quantitative analytics straight into your processing line. The device‘s centrepiece, the NIR spectrograph, was developed together with WILD.

EVK‘s speciality lies in real-time systems suitable for process analysis with powerful data and high-precision signal processing, which can withstand harsh industrial working conditions. The company‘s convincing claim for its new Helios EQ32 hyperspectral imaging system is ”We bring the lab into your line”. After all, its stable optomechanical design was specifically developed for real industrial temperature conditions, machine concepts and application areas. This allows, for instance, for the complete measurement of chemical concentrations in unit and bulk material in Helios EQ32 without having to interrupt the production flow. ”In close cooperation with partners like WILD, we have developed a system that allows for completely novel applications in quantitative analytics and which can be used directly in the process line thanks to its real-time capability and robustness. Our customers are now capable of managing difficult or hitherto unsolvable analytical tasks. This ranges from the detection of various toxins in foodstuffs to the determination of production-related parameters such as heating value and humidity in alternative fuels”, explains Dr. Matthias Kerschhaggl, Head of Research and Development at EVK.

The fact that the entire evaluation process can take place in a single device without requiring an external system can also be attributed to the WILD Group‘s expertise. The centrepiece of the device, the NIR spectrograph consisting of a diffraction grating and imaging optics for the camera, as well as the custom-made mechanical components for the system, were developed in cooperation with WILD. ”The task of diffraction grating is to split the light reflected from the examined specimen into the spectral colours. One can thus determine the specimen material or other characteristics”, explains Stefan Werkl Head of Optical Technologies at WILD.

The greatest challenge in manufacturing consists in reconciling stability and utmost precision. ”The NIR spectrograph we produce for EVK will be exposed to harsh conditions like dust, temperature differences of 0 to 50 degrees and to vibrations. The optical components we provide must therefore be correspondingly adjustable and remain stable. At the same time, they must meet the required imaging quality with particularly little scattered light”, Werkl explains.