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Summary of Contents for DAKOTA ULTRASONICS ZX-3
- Page 1 OPERATION MANUAL DAKOTA ULTRASONICS Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge P/N P-302-0002 Rev 1.10, March 2019 1.888.610.7664 www.calcert.com sales@calcert.com...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION ..............1 1.1 D ......................... 1 ISCLAIMER CHAPTER TWO KEYPAD, MENU, DISPLAY & CONNECTORS ..... 2 2.1 ON/OFF/ENTER K … ..................... 2 2.2 PRB 0 K … ........................2 2.3 CAL K ….......................... 3 2.4 GAIN K …. - Page 3 6.6 P ......................27 ROBE IAMETER 6.7 L ..........................28 6.8 F ......................29 ACTORY EFAULTS APPENDIX A - VELOCITY TABLE ..............31 APPENDIX B- APPLICATION NOTES ............33 1.888.610.7664 www.calcert.com sales@calcert.com...
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Page 4: Chapter One Introduction
CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The Dakota Ultrasonics model ZX-3 is a basic dual element thickness gauge with the ability to locate blind surface pitting and internal defects/flaws in materials. Based on the same operating principles as SONAR, the ZX-3 is capable of measuring the thickness of various materials with accuracy as high as ... -
Page 5: Chapter Two Keypad, Menu, Display & Connectors
2.2 PRB 0 Key The PRB 0 key is used to “zero” the ZX-3 in much the same way that a mechanical micrometer is zeroed. If the gauge is not zeroed correctly, all of the measurements that the gauge makes may be in error by some fixed value. -
Page 6: Cal Key
ZX-3 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 2.3 CAL Key The CAL key is used to enter and exit the ZX-3's calibration mode. This mode is used to adjust the sound velocity value that the ZX-3 will use when calculating thickness. The tool will either calculate the sound-velocity from a sample of the material being measured, or allow a known velocity value to be entered directly. - Page 7 Dakota Ultrasonics The MENU key is used to access and set all of the additional features of the ZX-3 that are not at the top level of the keypad with a dedicated key. The features and setting are outlined in the table below:...
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Page 8: The Display
The icons and segments that will be used with the ZX-3 are shown in the diagram above. -
Page 9: The Transducer
For a complete list of the menu features in the ZX-3, Refer to page 3 for a list. The ZX-3 can be locked once calibrated, to avoid accidently changing the calibration. When this icon is illuminated, the ZX-3 is in lock mode. - Page 10 The Stability Indicator should have six or seven bars darkened, and a number should appear in the display. If the ZX-3 has been properly "zeroed" (see page 14) and set to the correct sound velocity (see page 16), the number in the display will indicate the actual thickness of the material directly beneath the transducer.
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Page 11: Top End Cap
When the transducer is removed from the surface, the display will hold the last measurement made. 2.11 Top End Cap The top end cap is where all connections are made to the ZX-3. The diagram above shows the layout and description of the connectors: Transducer Connectors Refer to Diagram: The transducer connectors and battery cover/probe zero disk are located on the ZX-3’s top end cap. -
Page 12: Chapter Three Principals Of Ultrasonic Measurement
CHAPTER THREE PRINCIPALS OF ULTRASONIC MEASUREMENT 3.1 Time versus thickness relationship Ultrasonic thickness measurements depend on measuring the length of time it takes for sound to travel through the material being tested. The ratio of the thickness versus the time is known as the sound velocity. In order to make accurate measurements, a sound velocity must be determined and entered into the instrument. -
Page 13: Temperature
ZX-3, and the PRB 0 key pressed to establish a zero point for the transducer connected. If the Auto Zero feature is enabled, simply pressing the PRB 0 key will perform an electronic zero to establish the same zero point. - Page 14 ZX-3 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge two elements and their delay lines are packaged in a single housing but acoustically isolated from each other with an insulated sound barrier. This allows the transducer the ability to achieve very high sensitivity for detecting small defects. Also, the surface of the test material does not have to be as flat in order to obtain good measurements.
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Page 15: Chapter Four Selecting The Measurement Mode
CHAPTER FOUR SELECTING THE MEASUREMENT MODE 4.1 Which mode & transducer do I use for my application? High penetration plastics and castings The most common mode for these types of applications is pulse-echo. Cast iron applications require 1 - 5MHz frequencies, and cast aluminum requires a 7 - 10MHz frequency depending on the thickness. - Page 16 ZX-3 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge Noisy Material Materials such as titanium, stainless steel, and aluminum may have inherent surface noise issues or mirroring effect. Higher frequency transducers 7 – 10MHz offer improved resolution to avoid erroneous measurements. Restricted access Measuring materials with extreme curvatures or restricted access are best suited for higher frequencies and smaller diameter transducers.
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Page 17: Chapter Five Making Measurements
In this case the reference disk mounted to the ZX-3 is not used. This is called two- point calibration and is described on page 19. - Page 18 ZX-3 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 2) On Block Zero (Manual Probe Zero) – When this feature is enabled the transducer must be placed on the probe zero disk (battery cover) located on the top of the unit. Both zero procedures are outlined as follows:...
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Page 19: Material Calibration
5.2 Material Calibration In order for the ZX-3 to make accurate measurements, it must be set to the correct sound velocity of the material being measured. Different types of materials have different inherent sound velocities. - Page 20 .100” (2.54mm) to 1.0” (25.4mm), the user should calibrate on a known thickness sample close to 1.0” (25.4mm). Note: It’s always handy to carry a set of mechanical calipers to use in conjunction with the ZX-3 for calibration of various materials in the field:...
- Page 21 Dakota Ultrasonics Note: A sample or location on the test piece should be used as close to the maximum thickness of the test range to minimize error. 2) Apply a drop of couplant on the transducer and place the transducer in steady contact with the sample or actual test material.
- Page 22 ‘zero’ reference, performing the first point of a two-point calibration sets the internal zero of the ZX-3. This should be used only in manual probe zero mode “on block”.
- Page 23 “1 of 2”, which sets the zero value and returns to the measurement screen. Note: The internal zero of the ZX-3 is now set. The procedure above can be used to set the internal zero of the ZX-3 to use any reference standard as the ‘probe zero’...
- Page 24 (MATL) list in the ZX-3 would offer a reasonable approximation of the thickness. There are 9 common materials and 2 user programmable settings available.
- Page 25 Dakota Ultrasonics in/µs ALUMINUM 0.250 6350 (2024) 0.233 5918 STEEL (4340) 0.223 5664 STAINLESS (303) 0.180 4572 CAST IRON 0.106 2692 PLEXIGLASS 0.094 2388 0.092 2337 POLYSTYRENE 0.070 1778 POLYURETHANE USER PROGRAMMABLE 3) When the desired MATL setting is displayed, press the key to set the material velocity and return to the measurement screen.
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Page 26: Chapter Six Additional Features
ADDITIONAL FEATURES 6.1 Gain The gain, or amplification of the return echoes, can be adjusted in the ZX-3 to accommodate a variety of materials and applications. The setting of the gain is crucial in order to obtain valid readings during the measurement process. Too much gain may result in erroneous measurements, detecting on noise rather than the actual material back wall surface. -
Page 27: High Speed Scan
6.2 High Speed Scan The High Speed Scan feature of the ZX-3 increases the overall repetition rate to a maximum of 140Hz with a high speed screen refresh rate of 25 times a second. This... -
Page 28: Lite
6.4 Lite The ZX-3 uses a custom glass segmented display that is equipped with a backlight for use in low light conditions. The options are on/off/auto, where the auto setting only lights the display when the gauge is coupled to the material and receiving a measurement. -
Page 29: Zero
6.5 Zero There are two transducer zeroing options available in the ZX-3; auto and manual. The AUTO zero can be performed automatically without using a reference standard to zero the gauge (off block), while the MANUAL option requires a reference standard like the battery disk at the top of the gauge (on block). -
Page 30: Probe Diameter
ZX-3 Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge The procedure to select the zero option only, is outlined below: Zero (Auto/Manual) 1) Press the key to access the menu items/features. 2) Use the keys to scroll through the items/features until the ZERO feature is being displayed. -
Page 31: Lock
6.7 Lock The lock feature was built into the ZX-3 for the purpose of locking the operators out of editing any of the gauge settings, for purposes of consistency between operators. When the lock feature is enabled, the gauge calibration functionality cannot be altered, as well as any of the individual features in the gauge. -
Page 32: Factory Defaults
ZX-3 on 6.8 Factory Defaults The ZX-3 can be reset to factory defaults at any time to restore the original gauge settings. This should only be used if the gauge is not functioning properly, or perhaps multiple features have been enabled and a clean start is needed. - Page 33 Dakota Ultrasonics 5) Press the key to edit the reset option. 6) Press the keys to toggle YES, followed by pressing to reset the gauge. 7) Repeat the steps above to set “MEDI” & “ZERO” back to their original settings noted in step three above.
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Page 34: Appendix A - Velocity Table
APPENDIX A - VELOCITY TABLE Material sound velocity sound velocity in/us Aluminum 0.2510 6375 Beryllium 0.5080 12903 Brass 0.1730 4394 Bronze 0.1390 3531 Cadmium 0.1090 2769 Columbium 0.1940 4928 Copper 0.1830 4648 Glass (plate) 0.2270 5766 Glycerine 0.0760 1930 Gold 0.1280 3251 Inconel... - Page 35 Dakota Ultrasonics 0.1310 3327 Titanium 0.2400 6096 Tungsten 0.2040 5182 Uranium 0.1330 3378 Water 0.0580 1473 Zinc 0.1660 4216 Zirconium 0.1830 4648 1.888.610.7664 www.calcert.com sales@calcert.com...
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Page 36: Appendix B- Application Notes
At such elevated temperatures, it is recommended that the user perform calibration on a sample piece of known thickness, which is at or near the temperature of the material to be measured. This will allow the ZX-3 to correctly calculate the velocity of sound through the hot material. - Page 37 Dakota Ultrasonics the probe be left in contact with the surface for as short a time as needed (intermittent contact) to acquire a stable measurement. Measuring laminated materials Laminated materials are unique in that their density (and therefore sound-velocity) may vary considerably from one piece to another. Some laminated materials may even exhibit noticeable changes in sound-velocity across a single surface.
- Page 38 Additionally, Dakota Ultrasonics warrants transducers and accessories against such defects for a period of 90 days from receipt by the end user. If Dakota Ultrasonics receives notice of such defects during the warranty period, Dakota Ultrasonics will either, at its option, repair or replace products that prove to be defective.
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