I remember when I was first assigned an infrared imager to use as my own. I was like a kid on Christmas (or Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Festivus, etc.) morning. I was excited to have unfettered access to this new and remarkable technology that I had become nearly obsessed with, but I was tempered by this nagging fear that I would do something to break the silly thing. I was afraid if I breathed on it too hard I would somehow render it completely useless and be on the hook for replacing it. As it turned out, this old ISI-1000 was pretty sturdy, and I toted it around for over a year before being issued something newer, and the whole process started over again.
Obviously your IR imager is a precision electronic instrument that requires a certain level of care in order to function properly. It isn’t as fragile though as a newborn baby or a priceless vase from the Ming Dynasty. Manufacturers generally expect their imagers to be used in mildly to moderately harsh environments and this expectation is reflected in the features that make many newer imagers tougher than their predecessors. However, they do still require special treatment and care, but if you use your head you can avoid damage that requires major repair.
One of the easiest ways to protect your imager from inadvertent damage is to use your lens cap. Thankfully, many newer cameras have the lens cap made into the camera itself so you can’t lose it. Personally, this is a major improvement, because I’m pretty good at forgetting where I put something. I’ve misplaced a number of non-captive lens caps in my day. Your lens cap serves two essential functions in protecting your camera. First and most obvious, the lens cap keeps dust and other debris off of your lens. Dust isn’t that bad, but machine oil and particulate matter in the air, as part of a manufacturing process, are different. Gritty debris can scratch your lens, so it’s imperative to keep it away.
The second measure of safety provided by your lens cap is blocking errant radiant energy from coming in contact with your camera’s detector. If you’re carrying your camera, or if maybe you place it on a cart to move from one inspection area to another, or if you set it down while you write down findings, if the lens cap is open, the detector is exposed to sources of radiation around you. If someone is welding nearby and your camera lens is pointed in that direction, guess what? Your detector is exposed to that high energy radiation. Or if the sun is visible from where your camera is sitting, you could have exposure to sunlight on the detector. Don’t ask me how I know, but that isn’t good. Keep your lens cap on!
We demonstrate in Level I how you can place your camera in a plastic bag to protect it from particulate matter, moisture and other possible contaminants.This is a good practice to protect the imager from harsh operating environments. No matter how careful you are though, at some point, your lens will become dirty or dusty enough that it requires cleaning. When this happens, you need to make sure that you consult your owner’s manual to determine which optical cleaning products are approved for use on your lens.There are all manner of lens wipes out there that we use on our safety glasses, face shields and even computer screens, and they work well. They might not be the best product to use on your imager. Consult your owner’s manual to be sure. Along with which product to use, you want to make sure that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendation for how often you clean the lens as well. Cleaning it too frequently can reduce its service life by damaging the coatings that are used to enhance the transmittance of the lens material.
So, while your imager is probably tougher than you think it is, it does require special care. Make sure you protect it from dust, dirt and errant sources of radiation. No one wants to play with a broken toy!