Cleaning the IR Lens

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael Stuart on December 15, 2010 at 10:34pm

Jamie,

 

Good question!   

 

Most of the time, there is very little need to actually actively "clean" the lenses of your infrared imager.

However, in the event lens cleaning is required, here is what I recommend for Fluke Thermal Imagers:

 

1)       Use a photography air bulb to gently blow debris or dust from the lens area.  (DO NOT USE compressed air, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide which may cause a temperature drop and "thermally shock" the lens.)

2)       If you do not have a photography air bulb, you can also use a photography lens brush or small artist's paintbrush to gently brush off the surface of the lens.

3)       If the lens is still not cleaned sufficiently, or there are fingerprints or residue present, you can clean the lens with the following procedure:

a.       Create a light soap solution with a few drops of a mild liquid soap (like dish soap) in a small container of warm water.

b.       Dampen a clean micro-fiber cloth in the solution.

c.       Gently wipe the surface of the lens with this cloth, but do not apply significant pressure.

d.       Allow to air dry or gently pat the surface of the lens with another, clean, but dry micro-fiber cloth

 

Keep in mind that you should very rarely need to clean lenses if the cameras are taken care of, and stored properly.   Dust particles will usually not cause any deterioration of image quality or performance.  Fingerprints also do not cause major issues because they are not in the focal plane of the target objects.  However, fingerprints contain oils, which if left on the surface of the lens, can cause the special coatings to deteriorate.   If the coating deteriorates or is significantly scratched, there will eventually be deterioration in performance.

 

DO NOT use any kind of solvents or commercial cleaners to clean your lenses, (No acetone, alcohol, ammonia, benzene, etc.) as these could damage both the coating and the sealants in the lens assembly.  

 

DO NOT immerse the camera or lenses in any liquids, as they are not waterproof, only moisture resistant per the IP54 testing standards.

 

DO NOT use dirty or heavy rags to clean the lenses, as these can result in scratching.

 

The cases and holsters can be carefully cleaned with light soapy solution and a standard, damp cleaning cloth of some type.... Just like Fluke's other meters.

 

I hope that this helps!

 

Regards,

 

Michael

 

Michael D. Stuart
Sr. Product Marketing Manager
Thermal Imaging Products
Fluke Corporation
 
Thermal / Infrared Thermography, Level III
Certified in compliance with ASNT Standards 
 

Permalink Reply by John Snell on December 16, 2010 at 3:05am

It is, as you suggest, simpler to keep the lens clean in the first place. Any thin-film bag that is highly transparent to infrared radiation works well. If it is also visually transparent, like a dry cleaner bag, then you can wrap your whole  imager and still see the view screen. Test for transparency by looking at something like a wall with and without the bag—go for a bag with the least change in image or temperature involved.
Thermally yours,

John Snell

The Snell Group

www.thesnellgroup.com

www.IRTalk.com

Permalink Reply by Jamie Kaye on December 16, 2010 at 6:25am

Thanks for the great responses.