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NextSense Revolutionizes Measurement of Wheel Diameters of Railroad Wheelsets
NextSense Revolutionizes Measurement of Wheel Diameters of Railroad Wheelsets
Innovative product for use in railroad workshops
The wheel diameter is one of the critical parameters involved in evaluating the running performance and safety level of railroad vehicles. Until now, there have been no completely satisfactory solutions for measuring these diameters. The systems available on the market have either not been designed for mobile use or are too inaccurate. NextSense quite literally took up the challenge posed by these unsolved problems. After a two-year development phase, the solution is now available as a production-ready product for use in railroad workshops.
A gauge manufactured using CFRP lightweight technology is fitted onto the built-in wheel with a hand grip. The user conducting the operation brings the sensor of the measuring device close to the gauge. After just a few seconds, the result is indicated and enables further subsequent evaluations to be carried out, such as the diameter difference on the wheel set or overstepping of thresholds.
ONE device for mobile “all-inclusive” wheelset measuring at Innotrans
The new diameter-measuring device forms part of a family of measuring modules which enable wheelsets to be measured while completely mobile. The new runout and wheel-defect modules, as well as various track-measuring modules, will be presented to visitors at Innotrans. They will also be able to take a look at the wheel-profile, brake-disk, wheel clearance and tire-thickness modules that have already been successful on the market, and of course the diameter-measuring device.
The wide range of Calipri products for use in the railroad sector is being continued in the automotive sector with the use of “split and offset measuring” and will soon be merged with the Calipri-Universal product, a measuring device which can measure and record almost any profile contours.
NextSense Mess- und Prüfsysteme GmbH
NextSense is a high-tech start-up company which provides innovative solutions for measuring and test engineering in the rapidly expanding market for optical sensors. The company develops, produces and markets mobile, laser-based profile-measuring devices as well as specific system solutions for customers from various sectors. Alongside numerous renowned companies in the rail traffic and railway supply sectors (DB, ÖBB, SBB, NedTrain, TrenItalia, Siemens, Stadler, Bombardier, etc.), NextSense’s customer portfolio includes automotive and steel companies such as Magna-Steyr, voestalpine and Mittal-Steel. Certified in accordance with ISO-9001:2008, the company is a spin-off from a well-known, large-scale Austrian research organization and currently employs 15 members of staff at its site in Graz