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Working in cleanrooms, operating rooms and critical environments found in pharmaceutical and other industries requires you to maintain a positive pressure to prevent contaminants from entering these spaces. The pressure level necessary to keep these areas contaminant-free is typically between 0.01 to 0.15 inches of water differential. There are also negative pressure applications such as isolation rooms that require you to maintain pressures to similar levels. So, how exactly can you maintain such precise conditions to ensure these environments are safe for use? The solution lies in carefully choosing instruments specifically designed and calibrated for these critical environments, coupled with an understanding of the future calibration requirements necessary to guarantee precise and reliable readings over time. During the past eight years as a product manager overseeing the low-pressure sensor product line at Ashcroft, I’ve helped customers address this very issue with great success. In this article, you will learn about critical environments, reasons why instrument calibration is needed and how Ashcroft makes the process easier than traditional methods. You will also be directed to additional resources that can help answer other common questions about this topic.

Pressure transducers are important instruments that are used to measure air, gas or liquid pressure in many industrial applications. They work by measuring pressure at various stages of a process and converting the measurement into an electrical signal, which is used to monitor and control the overall system. Ashcroft has been making pressure transducers for decades and one question we are often asked is whether these instruments can be installed in any orientation. While the short answer is “yes, they can,” there are factors to consider before you install your transducers. Read this article to learn how transducers work, the effect that changing the orientation may have on the instrument’s accuracy and how position errors can be fixed. You will also be directed to additional resources that can help answer other common questions about pressure transducers.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), groundwater serves as a crucial resource for half of the U.S. population. Reliance on this vital natural resource is especially significant in regions with scarce rainfall, limited surface water availability, or high agricultural demands and population. As a leading manufacturer of pressure and temperature instrumentation, Ashcroft understands the challenges of protecting this vital resource. In this article, you will learn about submersible pressure transmitters and how they are used to monitor water levels and provide essential information to water management personnel. You will also see examples of four common applications where submersibles are used and some challenges these instruments may encounter while in use. When you are done reading, you will find additional, related resources that may be of interest when you are ready to go beyond the basics of this topic.

Measuring very low-pressure in controlled environments like data centers, isolation rooms, labs, and operating rooms, for example, is challenging because they must maintain a very specific and very controlled atmosphere. If these environments are compromised in any way, it puts the people and the equipment you are protecting at risk. That's why you must ensure your pressure measurement instrumentation meets the specified guidelines for accuracy and reliability. As a product manager at Ashcroft, I have 26 years of industry experience, including the past eight years working exclusively on low-pressure sensing technology. In this article, you will see how we define 'very low' pressure, see examples of controlled environments where low-pressure measurements are required, and learn how pressure is measured in these applications. You will also gain a better understanding of the impact temperature has on pressure measurement and what to look for in a pressure measurement instrument to ensure your controlled environment stays secure. When you are done reading, you will also be directed to additional articles and resources that may be of interest for other questions you may have.

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process used to create highly advanced, field-proven, thin film technology for pressure sensors that are used in mid- to high-pressure applications. These sensors are designed to deliver consistently accurate, reliable and repeatable pressure measurements under some of the most difficult conditions. If you are an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), you know that your operations are among the most rugged in any industry. As such, you require instrumentation that is both consistently accurate and able to meet the shock, vibration, temperature and high cycle demands of your applications. As a recognized leader in pressure and temperature instrumentation, Ashcroft pressure transducers offer OEM customers everything they need in a high-quality pressure transducer. Our CVD-based sensors are produced in Japan by our parent company, Nagano Keiki, and are used in many of our pressure sensors, especially those needed for OEMs. In this article, you will learn how CVD technology works in the manufacturing process, applications where you will find this technology and the benefits it offers to OEM manufacturers and others who use it. When you are done reading, you will see other related resources that will help you learn more about the pressure instruments that incorporate CVD technology and the applications where they are used.

If you are working in an industry that requires instrumentation to measure and monitor pressure in a system, you already know the basic principle of pressure measurement. According to Pascal's Law, pressure is proportional to the force and inversely related to the area over which the force is applied. In other words, pressure is equal to force per unit area. Figure 1: Pressure Equation. Different systems and applications require different types of pressure measurement instruments. For example, mechanical pressure gauges may be used as visual indicators of pressure levels throughout a process. Conversely, pressure transducers or transmitters can sense changes in a system’s pressure and send a signal to a control room. If you are new to your industry and want to learn more about pressure instruments, this article will give you a high-level overview of how to read pressure, definitions of pressure types and the instruments used to measure pressure. Ashcroft is a recognized global leader in pressure instrumentation and is a trusted authority for related information. When you are done reading, you will find additional resources related to pressure measurement that may interest you.