Dakota Digital MMX-6 - Manuals

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 1 INTRODUCTION The Dakota Ultrasonics model MMX-6 DL is a precision Ultrasonic Micrometer. Based on the same operating principles as SONAR, the MMX-6 DL is capable of measuring the thickness of various materials with accuracy as high as ± 0.001 inches, or ± 0.01 m...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 3 OPERATION The MMX-6 DL interacts with the operator through the membrane keypad and the LCD display. The functions of the various keys on the keypad are detailed below, followed by an explanation of the display and its various symbols. The Keypad This key is used...

Dakota Ultrasonics 4 The PRB-0 key is used to "zero" the MMX-6 DL in much the same way that a mechanical micrometer is zeroed. If the tool is not zeroed correctly, all of the measurements that the tool makes may be in error by some fixed value. Refer to page 14 for an explanation of this imp...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 7 The Display The numeric portion of the display consists of 4 complete digits preceded by a leading "1", and is used to display numeric values, as well as occasional simple words, to indicate the status of various settings. When the MMX-6 DL is displaying...

Dakota Ultrasonics 8 When the IN symbol is on, the MMX-6 DL is displaying a thickness value in inches. The maximum thickness that can be displayed is 19.999 inches. When the MM symbol is on, the MMX-6 DL is displaying a thickness value in millimeters. If the displayed thickness exceeds 199.99 millim...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 9 When the + symbol is on and blinking, this indicates that the MMX-6 DL is currently operating in echo-echo ( Thru-paint/coating ) mode .

Dakota Ultrasonics 10 The Transducer The transducer is the "business end" of the MMX-6 DL . It transmits and receives ultrasonic sound waves that the MMX-6 DL uses to calculate the thickness of the material being measured. The transducer connects to the MMX-6 DL via the attached cable, and t...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 11 This is a top view of a typical transducer. Press against the top with the thumb or index finger to hold the transducer in place. Moderate pressure is sufficient, as it is only necessary to keep the transducer stationary, and the wearface seated flat against th...

Dakota Ultrasonics 12 If the Stability Indicator has fewer than five bars darkened, or the numbers on the display seem erratic, first check to make sure that there is an adequate film of couplant beneath the transducer, and that the transducer is seated flat against the material. If the condition pe...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 13 Condition and Preparation of Surfaces In any ultrasonic measurement scenario, the shape and roughness of the test surface are of paramount importance. Rough, uneven surfaces may limit the penetration of ultrasound through the material, and result in unstable, a...

Dakota Ultrasonics 14 Probe Zero Setting the Zero Point of the MMX-6 DL is important for the same reason that setting the zero on a mechanical micrometer is important. If the tool is not "zeroed" correctly, all of the measurements the tool makes will be in error by some fixed number. When th...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 15 6) While the transducer is firmly coupled to the probe-disc, press the PRB-0 key on the keypad. The MMX-6 DL will display "Prb0" while it is calculating its zero point. 7) Remove the transducer from the probe-disc. At this point, the MMX-6 DL has succes...

Dakota Ultrasonics 16 calibration is the simplest and most commonly used calibration procedure - optimizing linearity over large ranges. The two point calibration allows for greater accuracy over small ranges by calculating the probe zero and velocity. The MMX-6 DL provides three simple methods for ...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 17 Calibration to a known thickness Note: This procedure requires a sample piece of the specific material to be measured, the exact thickness of which is known, e.g. fromhaving been measured by some other means. 1) 1) Make sure the MMX-6 DL is on and switched to P...

Dakota Ultrasonics 18 velocity value it has calculated based on the thickness value that was entered in step 7. 9) Press the CAL key once more to exit the calibration mode. The MMX-6 DL is now ready to perform measurements.

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 19 Calibration to a known velocity Note: This procedure requires that the operator know the sound- velocity of the material to be measured. A table of commonmaterials and their sound-velocities can be found in Appendix C . 1) Make sure the MMX-6 DL is on and switc...

Dakota Ultrasonics 20 varies from lot to lot and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Calibration to a sample of known thickness will ensure that the tool is set as closely as possible to the sound velocity of the material to be measured.

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 21 Two Point Calibration Note: This procedure requires that the operator has two known thickness points on the test piece that are representative of therange to be measured. 1) Make sure the MMX-6 DL is on and switched to P-E (pulse-echo) mode. Press the Dual-Mult...

Dakota Ultrasonics 22 8) Press the Probe key. The display will flash 1OF2 . Repeat steps 3 through 7 on the second calibration point. The MMX-6 DL will now display the sound velocity value it has calculated based on thethickness values that were entered in step 7. The MMX-6 DL is now ready to perfor...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 23 The Back light The back light of the MMX-6 DL can be set to three different positions on/off/auto. The following steps outline the procedure for changing the settings of the back light: Using The Back Light 1) Press ON/OFF key to power up the MMX-6 DL . 2) Pres...

Dakota Ultrasonics 24 measurements every second. While the transducer is in contact with the material being measured, the MMX-6 DL is keeping track of the lowest measurement it finds. The transducer may be "scrubbed" across a surface, and any brief interruptions in the signal will be ignored...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 25 Using the Beeper 1) Press ON/OFF key to power up the unit. 2) Press MODE key to activate features and settings. 3) Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to scroll to bEEP . 4) Press the SEND key to toggle the status of the beeper on/off. 5) Press the MODE key once ag...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 27 RS232 Serial Port & The Data Logger The MMX-6 DL is equipped with an RS232 serial port. Using the accessory cable (part# N-306-0010), the MMX-6 DL has the ability to connect to a computer, or external storage device. The following section outlines the proce...

Dakota Ultrasonics 28 Note: Communications software packages generally have the ability to capture the screen data to a common text file. This text file,containing the measurements, can then be imported into anycommon spreadsheet program (i.e. Excel  , Quattro Pro  , Lotus123  ) for further repor...

Dakota Ultrasonics 30 Clearing a Storage Location The user may require a storage location, that is currently full, be overwritten. This procedure is outlined in the following steps: Note: ƒ Assuming the steps in Using The Data Logger have been completed , and step 8 is being repeated. 1) Press the U...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 31 Clearing an Entire File The user may require the contents of an entire file be completelycleared of all measurements. This would allow the user to start a newlist of measurements starting at storage location L001. The procedureis outlined in the following steps...

Dakota Ultrasonics 32 Clearing all Files 1) Press the ON/OFF key to power up the MMX-6 DL . 2) Immediately press the CLR key. CLr? Will be displayed. 3) Press the CLR key once again to clear all files. Sending All Files to a Computer At the end of the inspection process, or end of the day, the user ...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 33 Printing a File The user may wish to print an individual file to a serial printer orcomputer. A file can, very simply, be printed to a communicationsprogram on a PC ( i.e. Windows 3.1 - Terminal, Window 95/98/Me/XP- HyperTerminal ), and then printed. The proced...

Dakota Ultrasonics 34 TRANSDUCER SELECTION The MMX-6 DL is inherently capable of performing measurements on a wide range of materials, from various metals to glass and plastics. Different types of material, however, will require the use of different transducers. Choosing the correct transducer for a...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 35 reduce the strength of the waves, and thus, the MMX-6 DL 's ability to detect the returning echo. Higher frequency ultrasound is absorbed and scattered more than ultrasound of a lower frequency. While it may seem that using a lower frequency transducer might be...

Dakota Ultrasonics 36 Selection of the proper transducer is often a matter of tradeoffs between various characteristics. It may be necessary to experiment with a variety of transducers in order to find one that works well for a given job. Dakota Ultrasonics can provide assistance in choosing a trans...

Dakota Ultrasonics 38 APPENDIX A Product Specifications Physical Weight: 10 ounces Size: 2.5W x 4.75H x 1.25D inches (63.5W x 120.6H x 31.75D mm). Operating Temperature: -20 to 120 ° F (-20 to 50 ° C) Case: Extruded aluminum body / nickel plated aluminum end caps. Keypad Sealed membrane, resistant t...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 39 APPENDIX B Application Notes • Measuring pipe and tubing When measuring a piece of pipe to determine the thickness of the pipe wall, orientation of the transducers is important. If the diameter of the pipe is larger than approximately 4 inches, measurements sho...

Dakota Ultrasonics 40 above this point, the change in sound velocity of the material being measured starts to have a noticeable effect upon ultrasonic measurement. At such elevated temperatures, it is recommended that the user perform a calibration procedure (refer to page 15) on a sample piece of k...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 41 An additional important consideration when measuring laminates, is that any included air gaps or pockets will cause an early reflection of the ultrasound beam. This effect will be noticed as a sudden decrease in thickness in an otherwise regular surface. While ...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 43 APPENDIX C Sound Velocities of some Common Materials M a t e r i a l s o u n d v e l o c i t y i n / u s m / s A l u m i n u m 0 . 2 5 0 6 3 5 0 B i s m u t h 0 . 0 8 6 2 1 8 4 B r a s s 0 . 1 7 3 4 3 9 4 C a d m i u m 0 . 1 0 9 2 7 6 9 C a s t I r o n 0 . 1 8 ...

MMX-6 DL Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge 45 WARRANTY INFORMATION • Warranty Statement • Dakota Ultrasonics warrants the MMX-6 DL against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of five years from receipt by the end user. Additionally,Dakota Ultrasonics warrants transducers and accessories again...