Starting, stopping, slowing down, reversing, and then moving forward again—these operating states are common in unwinding, rewinding, fixed-length processing, and production processes that require repeated material-position adjustments.

For speed and length measurement equipment, these are precisely the moments that present the greatest challenges:

· How should length be calculated after the material reverses?

· Can the direction still be identified accurately when the speed approaches zero?

· Can the final accumulated length remain reliable after frequent starts and stops?

To address these real production needs, DALA Measurement officially launched its new DLS Bidirectional Laser Length Meter at the Shanghai Wire China exhibition.

Building on the non-contact speed and length measurement capabilities of the existing DLS series, the new model adds zero-speed measurement and forward/reverse direction detection, enabling DALA's length meters to support a wider range of complex motion states and automation control applications.

The new series is currently available in two versions: the DLS120-R Bidirectional Short Stand-off Model and the DLS300-R Bidirectional Standard Model.

01 / WHY BIDIRECTIONAL

Why bidirectional measurement?

The existing DALA DLS series already covers a range of measuring distances and speed ranges, including the DLS120, DLS300, DLS600, DLS1200, and DLS2500-M.

Using non-contact measurement to measure length and speed, the series offers an accuracy of ±0.05% and repeatability of ±0.02%. It is already used in continuous production applications such as wire and cable, film, papermaking, steel, and pipe manufacturing.

However, as application scenarios have expanded, we found that some production-line needs were still not being met:

· Examples include repeated forward and reverse movements during machine setup, reverse motion during winding and unwinding, frequent production-line starts and stops, and backtracking during fixed-length control.

· If the device cannot accurately detect the direction of motion, the material may move backward while the accumulated length continues to increase.

These are the core issues addressed by the new DLS bidirectional series.

02 / DIRECTION

From “how far has it moved?” to “which way is it moving?”

The new DLS Bidirectional Laser Length Meter supports zero-speed measurement and forward/reverse direction detection. Length is accumulated normally as the material moves forward. When it reverses, the device detects the direction and calculates the length accordingly.

It delivers high-precision, traceable measurement results for a wide range of continuous production applications. It identifies forward and reverse movement and accurately detects when speed reaches zero, making it suitable for complex production conditions such as frequent line stops and material backtracking.

This enables the device to support a wider range of automated applications across different production environments:

03 / INDUSTRIES

From wire and cable to a wider range of continuous-production industries

Whenever a production process involves pulling, feeding, winding, unwinding, cutting, or continuous conveying, accurate speed and length measurement may be needed. DALA's bidirectional length meter can be used across a variety of industries:

Wire and cable · Rubber · Plastics · Papermaking

Non-ferrous metals · Packaging · Film

Cold rolling · Hot rolling · Textiles · Extrusion

04 / CONNECTIVITY

More than measurement: connecting to the production line

In practical applications, laser length meters also need to send data to PLCs, inkjet printers, cutting machines, and other automated equipment. The interfaces and communication protocols supported by DALA's bidirectional length meter include:

From unidirectional to bidirectional measurement

From wire and cable to a wider range of continuous-production industries

DALA aims to keep expanding its measurement capabilities
to meet the speed and length measurement needs of different production environments.