gravitational energy Archives

One of the greatest pastimes in the world are amusement parks. They bring fun and thrills for all generations with attractions for purposes of entertainment that include rides, shows, and games.

There is also a lot that goes into building an amusement park to keep the thrills high and the safety even higher. In addition, many types of theme park and carnival amusements keep innovating like most things in our society. The first historical reference amusement ride came around in the 1880s in the form of a carousel found at Dreamland Margate in England. The ride that was in the form of a ship and would pitch daring thrill seekers up and down like they were at sea.

Today, the level of entertainment is far more demanding of adventure and reality. Amusement entertainment continues to evolve through all types of animatronics, interactive screens, alternative realities, and physical adventure. This also requires a great deal of imagination and innovation backed by science and engineering to keep the audience captivated throughout the experience. This is also where Interface plays a significant part in amusement adventure testing and safety monitoring.

Critical in designing and building amusement park rides and other entertainment features is the application of force sensing before, during and after production. When you think about the different variables that go into building a roller coaster, you often think about velocity, drag, and gravitational energy. Factors that also play a massive role are weight, torque, and force. There are no exceptions to accuracy when measuring and evaluating these factors. It requires precision measurements from quality sensor technologies.

Interface load cells, torque transducers, and instrumentation are used in all types of entertainment and amusement applications. The reasons are apparent, it is because quality, safety, and durability matters. It also defines the believability and exhilaration of the experience. Our products are used in the engineering and design of amusement rides, as well as testing a myriad of components for these types of systems and apparatus. In addition to testing force to ensure an amusement park ride meets standards before it is available to the public, our load cells are utilized as embedded sensors to ensure the rides are working properly in use. The real-time feedback in testing and during use provides makers and engineers vital data to demonstrate adherence to many safety regulations and requirements needed for these types of systems in the entertainment industry.

Interface has provided sensors technologies to makers of all types of amusement park rides and forms of carnival-like entertainment. Our load cell and instrumentation devices are used to provide measurements of force for ground-level rides, twirling rides, roller coasters, railroad and transportation experiences, water rides, Ferris and rotational wheels, and about anything that spins or lifts you off the ground.

In addition to amusement park rides, Interface has helped to supply accurate and reliability force solutions for the following applications that found throughout the amusement park experience.

Amusement Animatronics and Robotics

To ensure maximum effect, quality of product development, and safety regulations, entertainment product makers use force testing and monitoring in wide variety of entertainment-related applications. Not only is this at the early stage of testing, but through the equipment’s life cycle. Continuous measurement using load cells and other sensor devices is key to the successful launch and use across all type of entertainment sectors. Another growing use case for force and torque measurement is automation of equipment and robotics, including simulation environments and animatronics.

Touch Screen Testing for Venus Displays

Monitors and displays are commonly used in all types of entertainment and amusement venues. From ticketing to directional aids, these touch screens are used by consumers with varying forces. The testing of the material durability to withstand the touch, as well as environmental conditions, packing and shipping, set-up and long-term wear is critical for those that design, manufacture, and supply this type of equipment. Entertainment has been using big screens for decades, the smaller and more mobile touch pads require rigorous test and measurement before putting them into use, not only for quality of product but also for consumer use and safety. Interface supplies load cells and instrumentation for testing forces of the glass, display housing, stands, rigging and inserts for all types of touch screens and LED screens.

Entertainment Component Manufacturing

Interface has been designing and building a variety of sensors for more than five decades that have been used in a variety of entertainment applications. More than ever, today we understand it is imperative that sensor solutions meet the needs of smart use cases, pushing innovation and solve modern design and testing challenges. This particularly applies to the constantly evolving global entertainment and amusement industry. Interface offers a broad range of force measurement products for testing, monitoring, and embedding sensors into products and components supplied to the industry. This includes our load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors, miniature load cells, digital instrumentation, wireless and Bluetooth telemetry systems, and custom force measurement devices for OEM applications.

These are just a few examples of how Interface helps create the experience you will find at amusement parks, but there is so much more we are able to assist with to ensure product quality and safety.

To learn more about other entertainment industry applications, read more here.

Entertainment-Brochure

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Interface Entertainment and Amusement Industry Solutions

Entertainment LED Screens

Gaming Hardware Benefits from Force Measurement Solutions

As technology and infrastructure have advanced to accommodate various forms of energy collection, the role of force measurement in the test and manufacturing of these machines has grown significantly. As a precision force measurement solutions provider, Interface has been a long-time partner to these global production and equipment customers in the energy industry. Interface sensors are used in different applications for various sectors, including oil, gas, wind, coal, solar, hydro, geothermal, nuclear, renewables and emerging alternatives around the world, as detailed in our energy solutions overview.

As a pioneer of load cell technology, Interface is recognized globally for providing the most accurate and reliable force measurement solutions utilized by energy market leaders and suppliers of parts, machines and technologies used in the sector. Accuracy matters for safety and reliability in energy-related test and measurement projects, engineering and product design, and in the original equipment manufacturing of components that require precision sensor technologies.

Interface products are used in several different applications for the energy marketplace. In fact, Interface is recognized as the prominent oil and gas solutions provider of force measurement solutions. These companies within the energy industry recognize Interface for product reliability, accuracy, and innovative design, as detailed here: Interface Most Promising Energy Tech Solution Provider.

To meet the growing demands for best-in-class energy market solutions, Interface recently launched our new downhole force measurement solution for high-pressure, high-temperature applications, the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell (IPCD). The IPCD is a Wheatstone bridge foil-gaged-based force measurement solution using proprietary compensation methods and designed to provide highly accurate force data in harsh environments, like those found in the oil and gas industry, while requiring limited maintenance compared to similar solutions on the market. Read the new IPCD technical white paper here.

Another area that is growing tremendously are alternative energy applications. Recently, Interface has been involved with projects involving wind and water energy, as well as playing a significant role in testing batteries on electric vehicles. Also, our energy customers come to us needing a custom force measurement solution to deal with these unique challenges for all energy types including thermal, radiant, chemical energy, nuclear, electrical, motion, sound, elastic, and gravitational energy.

Types of energy industry applications that utilize Interface products, services and technologies include:

Oil and gas extraction equipment and parts
Hydro power generation
Windmill energy equipment
Wireline spool tension control
Fuel management and measurement
Solar panel testing
Hook load tension
Torque tong monitoring
Tool recovery and fishing
Wave energy generator
Downhole equipment
Plug setting
Calibration and equipment maintenance
Storing crude oil and natural gas
Transporting crude oil and natural gas
Wireless monitoring equipment
Activation of components and embedding sensors

We recently introduced a new solutions brochure on our energy solutions page. Additionally, we have included a few application examples below to give you an idea of the type of work we do and the customers we serve in energy:

Wave Energy Generator

A scientist had been tasked to create electricity by using the energy that is generated by ocean waves. As electricity is generated by ocean waves, an Interface load cell was used measure tether line tension using a submersible 3200 Hermetically Sealed LowProfile® Precision Stainless Load Cell. The mooring line was attached to the load cell base and the platform generator was connected to the load cell hub. This measured the forces that were generated by the ocean waves and data was later analyzed by the customer’s Data Acquisition System (DAQ). Scientists used force data to make adjustments to the tether line. Also, if tether line breaks free, the scientist can be notified immediately to reattach the tether line.

Windmill Energy

A customer wanted to improve the performance of a windmill by adjusting the blade pitch and measuring the torque generated as power ramps are studied. Interface offered a T2 Ultra Precision Shaft Style Rotary Torque Transducer which can be coupled between windmill blade propeller and electric generator. Information is sent to customer’s Data Acquisition System (DAQ). Using this solution, the customer was able to use torque data to determine the optimal blade pitch for the windmill and generate more power with less stress on the bearings.

Interface has worked with market leaders and innovators in the energy industry for decades. As new forms of energy are developed, new force innovations are required to confirm and test accuracy and reliability. As well as enhancements to machines, parts, equipment and materials, Interface is a supplier of choice for standard, modified and custom solutions. Our sensors are embedded into equipment, as well as part of everyday monitoring of force and pressure. To learn more about our work in the energy industry, visit our solutions page at https://www.interfaceforce.com/solutions/energy/.

Additional Resources

Interface Leads Innovation in Oil and Gas Force Measurement

Announcing the Launch of the Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell

Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell White Paper