Thermometers (Upto 150^oC)

Introduction

Thermometer is a simple instrument to measure temperature accurately. The industrial thermometers proposed in the project profile are ‘liquid in glass thermometers' of the solid stem type or the chemical school type having flexibility in shape and purpose. These thermometers can be developed in various ranges, sizes, shapes to cope with the diversified needs to develop various industrial horizons within the International Standards.

Market Potential

With the advent of science and technology, research and development and rapid industrialisation, educational development programmes, there is a very good scope for setting up a number of small scale units covering various ranges, sizes, shapes. The industry relies on correct estimation of temperature measurements in various processes/ reactions. Industries and research laboratories require mostly thermometers ranging between - 100ºC to 500ºC. Due to expansion educational instructions with science as a basic subject being introduced from primary classes onwards, the need of thermometers between 0-110ºC and 0-150ºC ranges is fairly large.

This project is envisaged for the manufacture of different types of solid stem thermometers with temperature ranging from 0-50ºC to 0-110ºC and 0- 150ºC. These thermometers are expected to have a good market in the country in educational institutions, laboratories, R and D centres, industry etc.

Basis and Presumptions

1. Efficiency: Units for the manufacture of these thermometers can be set up in any part of the country preferably in cooler climates like hill-stations. It is proposed that the unit will work 300 days a year on a single shift basis of 8 hours a day. 75% efficiency of personnel and machinery is taken for achieving the full capacity production.

2. Time period: Within 1 year of trial production the full capacity is expected to be achieved.

3. Labour wages: Labour wages is taken at prevailing rate of market.

4. Interest rate: Taken at 13% per annum.

5. Pay back period: About 7 years.

6. Land cost: own premises.

Implementation Schedule

The project should be implemented within 6 months. The following is the time-schedule required for each activity for implementation:

Technical Aspects
Process of Manufacture

a. Raw Materials

The principal raw materials required for thermometer manufacture are capillary tubing, glass tubes and filling liquids like pure mercury.

The capillary tubing are glass tubes with fine bores. They can be of different shapes and different colours. Thermometers require tubes from 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm bore. These bores approximately correspond to 360 mm to 20 mm spirit height. The outside dia of the capillaries ranges from 1 mm to 10 mm or so. Coloured enamel is used on the back side of capillary and also the bore is made oval for making the column visible. The prismatic capillaries in red and blue back are also used.

Pure, triple-distilled mercury is required as a filling liquid. Petroleum, coloured red or blue for better visibility is also used for lower temperature.

b. Production technique

The manufactures of these thermometers require very skilled blowers and graduators. The quality of these thermometers depends upon the manufacturing process, the skill of the workers, use of correct machinery, following correct specifications and use of good quality raw materials.

c. Blowing Section

The capillaries received from factories are sorted out as per their spirit heights. It is then put in a dust proof cup-boards, so that the selection is easy and quick.

By knowing the range and type of a thermometer, the mercury length of the capillaries is accurately determined.

The bulb size is calculated using the formula

The capillaries are cut to the required sizes.

A bulb is blown at one end of the capillary by closing the other end with sealing wax. A small piece of glass tube is attached to the capillary and finally by heating a bulb is drawn neatly. The exact quantity of mercury as per the bulb size is poured into the bulb and the bulb size is marked. The mercury is then removed, the bulb is closed at the marked point.

A funnel is attached to the other end of the capillary. The bulb of the thermometer is slightly warmed to expel the air out of the bulb and the capillary. The end of the funnel with a jet is immersed in a cup of pure mercury. The mercury rises into the funnel and then the jet is sealed.

The thermometer is heated over a ribbon burner by which all the air and moisture trapped in the bulb and the capillary is driven into the funnel. By heating the funnel, a vacuum chamber is provided at the top, above the range of the thermometer. After it is made sure that the air is removed, the thermometers are put inside a bath of ice for about 10 minutes, and when the contraction of mercury is complete, the mercury thread is broken at the measured distance from the bulb. The thermometer is roughly checked at any two points in the range. The vacuum bulb is cut and top is sealed.

In vacuum process filling, the funnel need not be attached to the thermometer. By using rotary oil pump and the mercury diffusion pump, the thermometers are filled up.

Now the thermometer is ready to be sent to graduation section.

d. Graduation Section

The thermometers are first cleaned with clean rag and the oily substance is removed with sprit.

The thermometers are then put in different temperature baths (according to the range and sub-division) from higher temperatures to lower temperatures and adjusted avoiding parallax error.

The thermometers are then given a fine and thin coating of wax mixture leaving no space.

They are then graduated with the help of graduating machine neatly and etched with Hydrofluoric acid of 80-85% strength. The time of etching range from 60-90 seconds depending upon the type of glass and season and depth of etching needed. After etching is over, they are immersed in hot water and dewaxed thoroughly.

The graduated thermometers are then pantographed carefully after waxing again. Trade marks etc., are also pantographed. It is finally dewaxed and then a mixture of printing ink and turpentine oil is applied to the graduated portion, cleaned with a soft paper and allowed to dry.

The thermometers are finally checked at different temperatures to know the accuracy of graduation and, if found to be giving erroneous readings, rejected.

They are then packed either in wooden covers or cardboard covers and sent to the market.

The general procedure for any stem thermometer is the same. If, however, there is any special design or range or construction, it is accordingly made and finally adjusted and completed.

Quality Control and Standards

Production Capacity (per annum)

Pollution Control

Exhaust fans.

Financial Aspects
A Fixed Capital

(ii) Machinery and Equipments

B. Working Capital (Per Month)

(i) Personnel (per month)

(ii) Raw Materials (per month)

C. Total Capital Investment

Machinery Utilization

No bottleneck is expected during operations and 75% utilisation of machinery and manpower has been taken into consideration.

Financial Analysis

(6) Break-even Point

Addresses of Machinery and Equipment Suppliers

British

1. M/s. Brannan Thermometers
Cleaton Moor
Cumberland CA 225 QE.

2. M/s. Negretti and Zambia Ltd.
Stockdale Aylesbury,
Lbucks HP 20 IDR.

3. M/s. Taylor Instruments
Road Gunnels, Wood Road,
Stvenage/Herts SG Iand/EL.

4. M/s. GH Zeal Ltd.
Loni Land, Herton,
London SW 19300

5. M/s. L Richoux Co. (London) Ltd.
3 Morocoo Street, South Wark
London SEI 3 HB.

China

1. M/s. Fuxing
Man Wai Street, Peaking.

West Germany

1. FA Armarol
Werthien (Main),
West Germany.

2. Fa Jucleim Thermometers Gabrik,
West Germany.

3. Franz Guentner
8593, Tirschenreuth,
Franz-Holdmann Bawaria
Street-19, West Germany.

4. M/s. Herbert Arnold, Glass Techn.
Machinery and Apparatus,
Weillrug Lahn, Weil Strasse-21,
West Germany.

5. M/s. Beopple and Co. Glass Techn.
Machinery and Apparatus,
Giessan Lahn POB (40)
West Germany.

For Vacuum Plant

1. M/s. Arthur Pfeiffer
Wotzlar/Lahn,
PO.147, West Germany.

Indigenous

1. M/s. Veer Workshop
B-53, Naraina Indl. Area Phase II,
New Delhi-110 028.

2. M/s. Japsin Products Inds.
7, Netaji Subhash Marg,
Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2.

3. M/s. Mohan Brothers
Science Apparatus Workshop,
Bengali Mohalla, Ambala Cantt.
(Haryana.)

4. M/s. Thermometers and
Thermomatric Appliances
F-6A, Bhagat Singh Market,
New Delhi-1.

5. M/s. Swastika Electric and
Scientific Works ®
Timber Market,
Ambala Cantt-133 001.

6. M/s. Oswal Scientific Stores
S.C.O., 4 Sector 16-D,
Chandigarh-160 017.

7. M/s. K.G. Khosla and Co. Pvt. Ltd.
D.G. Road, New Delhi.

8. M/s. Standard Sheet Metal Works
Cross Road No.2, Ambala Cantt
(Haryana).

9. M/s. Gansons Pvt. Ltd.
207, Kalka Chamber,
Dr. Annie Besant Road, Worli,
Mumbai-400 018.

10. M/s. Narain Dass Jugal Kishore
Nicholson Road, Ambala Cantt.

11. M/s. National Physical Laboratory
Hill Side Road, New Delhi.

12. M/s. Toshniwal Bros. Pvt. Ltd.
3E/8, Jhandewalan Extn.,
New Delhi.

13. M/s. Vijay Bros.
S. Ramaswamy Street
G.T. Road, Chennai-1.

Muffle Furnace and Ovens

1. M/s. S.R. Electric Works
Staff Road, Ambala Cantt.

2. M/s. Craftsman Electric Corpn. Ltd.
Suthona Hall, Nosbit Road,
Mazhagoan, Mumbai.

3. M/s. Thermo Electric Equipment Co.
59, Commercial Chamber,
Maszid Bhunder Road,
Mumbai.

4. M/s. Hysakhi and Co.
55, Bannerjee Street,
Kolkata-6.

Raw Material Suppliers

Suppliers of Thermometer Capillary and Tubing

Japan

1. M/s. Endow Sangyo Co. Ltd.
Akamon Building, 10 Shibo
Tharmuracho, 2-Chomo
Minato-KV, Tokyo, Japan.

2. M/s. Terumo Corpn.
44-1, Hatagya, 2-Chome,
Shibuya-KU, Tokyo.

3. M/s. Japan Thermometer and
Hydrometer Inds. Co. Ltd.
9, Kanda Ta-cho 2-Chome
Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo.

4. M/s. Sansei Medical Instruments Co. Ltd.
10-9, Kika Wahigashi, 3-
Chkome, Yodogawa-ku,
Osaka, Japan.

5. M/s. Tajiri Industrial Co. Ltd.
19-7, Hongo 3-Chomo
Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.

6. M/s. Shi Batama Scientific Co. Ltd.
11-8, Minami Otsuka, 3 Chome,
Toshima-Ku, Tokyo, Japan.

Germany

1. M/s. Jennar Glass Works, Schott
and Gen Main Halternberg Strasse
West Germany.

2. M/s. Glass Workwertheim, Gerate
Fur Fissen Chaft and Technik
Wertheim Main, West Germany.

3. M/s. Web Jena Glass Work and
Schoot and Jen Jens
Postamachrift Jene Post Fach,
129, West Germany.

4. M/s. Edger Heintze
Weilburgn Lahn
P.O. Box No.94,
West Germany.

5. M/s. Branin Wartheim Main
West Germany.

U.K.

1. M/s. James A Jobling and Co. Ltd.
Wear Glass Works Sunduland SR
46 E J, Durham,
England.

2. M/s. Whitefriers Glass Ltd.
Wealdstone Harrow Middlesex,
England.

3. M/s. Grainger and Thosrelfull Ltd.
9.13, St. James St.,
Newcastte, Upon Tyne-II, England.

4. M/s. Gallenkemps and Co. Ltd.
Christopher Street,
London EC 2 P 2 ER,
England.

5. M/s. Philip Harris Ltd.
Lynne Lane Shenstone WS 14
DEE, England.

6. M/s. Jencons (Scientific) Ltd.
Mark Road, Hemel Hampstead
Herts, England.

7. M/s. R.W. Jennings and Co. Ltd.
Scientech House Main Street,
East Bridge Ford Nr. Norringham
Notts, England.

France

1. M/s. Cristalleries Verreries
18, Ruede Sebstopol, 18,
Cheisyrio, Sline, France.

Indigenous
Neutral Glass Tube

1. M/s. Saraikella Glass Works P. Ltd.
PO Nagabram, Konnagharh,
Distt. Hooghly (W.B.)

2. M/s. Borosil Glass Works
19/90, Connaught Circus,
New Delhi.

Soda Lime Glass
Tube and Capillary

1. M/s. Ganga Glass Works
PO. Balawali, Distt. Bijnore (UP).

Capillary

1. M/s. Jintan Clinical
Thermometers,
Surender Nagar (Gujarat).

Soda Lime Glass
Tube and Capillary

1. M/s. India Optical and Scientific Glass Works
S.N. Marg, Firozabad, (UP)

2. M/s. Manohar Glass Works
Railway Road, Firozabad,
Agra (UP)

3. M/s. Sun Tech Glass Works
Agra Gate, Firozabad (UP)

Contact for more information:

Information Manager
TIMEIS Project
E-mail: timeis@ficci.com