New Portable Scanner Takes Guesswork Out of Edge Stress Measurement in Flat Glass

Strainoptics, Inc. has introduced a new, portable scanner that automates the off-line measurement of edge stress. The PES-100 uses patented, non-destructive stress measurement technology to provide fast, accurate and repeatable readings of edge stress for QC of automotive glazing as well as heat-treated, flat glass. Because the process is almost entirely automated, no special operator training or skills are required.



To obtain an automatic measurement of stress in a particular sample, the operator simply passes a lightweight scanning probe 50 mm into the edge of the glass being inspected. The software reports the maximum tensile and edge-compression stress values for each edge scan and also displays a graph of stress vs. position on the computer’s monitor. The entire process takes only seconds to complete.

Additional features include fully automated system calibration, recognition and reporting of tensile vs. compressive stresses, and nearly maintenance-free operation. For fast “pass or fail” QC applications, the PES-100 offers an Inspection Mode in which the operator scans a pre-selected number of points around the sample’s perimeter. A table of maximum tension and compression readings for each measurement point is then displayed, and can be quickly compared to acceptable levels. The data is automatically filed, including sample ID number, lehr number, shift or other user-defined fields.

For more information, contact Strainoptics, Inc., 108 W. Montgomery Avenue, North Wales, PA 19454. Tel: 215-661-0100. Fax: 215-699-7028. Email: