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PSTC (Pressure Sensitive Tape Council) Tape Summit 2013 May 13-17 New Orleans

PSTC’s Tape Summit 2013 gives professionals unprecedented opportunities to build their pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape knowledge. This industry-focused event provides segmented and flexible learning options to help you formulate the most effective educational experience possible.

Tape Summit 2013

May 13-17

Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
New Orleans, LA
Click here for hotel information.

Process Sensors will be presenting a paper on Controlling Steam Re-moisturizers to Reduce Edge Curl on Thursday, May 16th at 11 a.m. We will also present our NIR transmitter and Guardian Cross Direction Web Profile System at Booth #46 during the exhibit portion of the Tape Summit.  Please come visit us!

PSTC Tape Summit New Orleans

Hot Melt Measurement with Near Infrared (NIR) Transmitter

Hot Melt Cross Direction Web Profile

Hot Melt Measurement Transmitter

Hot Melt Measurements are typically measured with Near Infrared (NIR) transmitters that provide a digital display in engineering units, analog outputs and a digital interface.  The NIR non-contacting Hot Melt measurement is extremely accurate and stable with no regulatory requirements.  The measurement can be fixed point or scan across the web to provide a cross direction web profile.

Click Here for MCT360 Fixed Point Hot Melt Transmitter

Click Here for Guardian Cross Direction Web Profile System Brochure

Paraffin Wax is largely accepted as the first hot melt coating application. Polymer and copolymer resins brought a host of formulations for improved performance properties that continue to expand the horizons of Hot Melt applications. Typical Hot Melt chemistry is designed to provide strength and flexibility, tackiness for bonding and speed of set in relatively even proportions.

Polymer strength and flexibility, bonding tackiness, set speed for hot melts.

Hot Melt Composition Contributions

Roll Coaters, Die Coaters, extruders, and doctor blade configurations are among the methods of applying hot melt adhesive. Roll coaters offer more flexibility than die application methods as they change over more quickly and allow for stripe coating. Die Coaters offer more precision across the web, especially in the 15 to 20 GSM. Hot melt applications of 100 GSM are very common and therange can go from 0-400 GSM.

Melt coating dies vary from 100mm to 3m, depending on the application. The greater the number of dies, the greater the control across the substrate web to achieve set point. When dies malfunction or get contaminated, they need to be detected, maintained or replaced.

The Guardian CD Web Profile System provides a Cross Direction web profile on a 19” flat panel LCD in an economical and attractive enclosure. The Guardian is fully automated with recipes for web width, scan speed, zone average, and data logging digital outputs. This is a complete system to provide the highest value performance to cost ratio. The system can supply CD Web Profiles and MD Trends for hot melt thickness, moisture and temperature. Multiple measurements can be mounted on a single screen.

Thickness, moisture and temperature profiles

Multiple Profiles on Single Display

 

Wood Board Moisture Measurement Critical to Board Quality

MCT360-WP Measures Wood Moisture

Wood Product Moisture Transmitter

Wood board moisture is critical in the press and manufacture of wood board products.  Waste wood is dried and resin added prior to the press to insure quality board.  If the wood is over dried potential fires can result.  If the wood is under dried, boards can blow up in the press section interrupting production.

NIR transmitters work in the Near Infrared (NIR) region (1200 – 2400 nm), selecting narrow band pass filters that allow specific wavelengths to be utilized for the measurement. The NIR is above the UV (sunburn) and Visible (what you see) colors of light, and below the IR (temperature) region of light.

Moisture absorbs light at 1420 and 1940 nm and one or both of these wavelengths are used as the “Measure Wavelength”. The more water present in the material, the less light reflected back at the water wavelength.   Similarly, resin is measured at 1760 or 2340 nm.  One or two non-absorbing wavelengths are chosen as “Reference Wavelengths”.

An algorithm (math equation) compares the values and provides an accurate and linear measurement of moisture. The Spectra below show relative absorbance for different parameters . Wood board moisture measurement is critical to board quality.

Moisture and Resin Spectra in Wood

Wood Moisture and Resin Spectra

Boston Marathon Explosions

Explosion at Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Explosion 041513

Process Sensors is located in Milford, Mass. approximately 3 miles from the start of the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Mass.  Two explosions at the end of the marathon in Copley Place  Boston have killed at least two and injured at least 30.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to those injured today as we await news of what happened this afternoon in Boston.

 

 

ICE USA is a Cool Time in Orlando

Guardian Highlighted at ICE

ICE USA Features PSC Guardian Web Profiler

ICE USA featured Process Sensors Guardian Cross Direction Web Profile System.  This was the second USA ICE show and will be followed by ICE Asia in 2014.  ICE represents the International Converting Exhibit and is gaining worldwide traction.  We hope to continue our relationship with ICE and AIMCAL to promote our valued converting measurement tools for moisture, coat weigtht and film thickness on paper, film, foil and metal.

Click Here to View our Guardian Brochure.

MCT SFS – Profile Software Package

Process Sensors’ proprietary profile software package is a Windows-based cross web profile package designed to be easy to view and comprehend. Up to six profiles can be viewed on screen for two separate scanning frames.

Profile Display System
• Cross web profile – up to 3 constituents
• 2-10 scan rolling average live profile
• Up to 50 zone averages updates at the end of each scan
• Cross web average updates at the end of each scan
• Adjustable target and alarm levels

Data Logging
• Cross web zone average
• Total cross web average
• Product identification
• Date & time

Scan Motion Setup & Selection
• Each recipe includes scan speed, scan width and park position
• Auto scan or manual jog via local control units

Product Code Selection
• User setup and selection of an unlimited number of product codes and associated web width recipes

Sensor Setup
Icon selectable choices for:
• Calibration
• Diagnostics
• Internal Engineering Parameters

Outputs
• 4 “software controlled” analog outputs
• Optional Alarm/Alert Light Stack

Wood Symposium Highlights MCT360-WP

Wood Symposium

MCT360-WP Moisture and Resin Analyzer

The recent Wood Symposium highlighted the MCT360-WP and its many applications in the wood products industry.  Listed below are a few of the applications for the MCT360-WP.

  • Dryer Input - To adjust feed rate and/or dryer temperature.
  • Benefits: Operation safety, prevents flash fires. Smooth process operation, no dryer overload. Decreased fuel costs.
  • Dryer Output - To regulate dryer temperature-manual or closed loop control. To alter the set point in a feed-forward loop. Optimum efficiency is obtained from holding moisture +/-0.2% target prior to storage or resin addition.
  • Benefits: Cost benefits derived from lower usage of fuel and resin.
  • Blender Input - To control resin addition. Volume of resin required depends upon dry weight of incoming wood fibers.
  • Benefits: More efficient use of costly resin. Consistent high board quality.
  • Blender Output - To monitor resin distribution.
  • Benefits: Enables quick diagnosis of nozzle and filter blockages. Prevents blown boards, saving on production costs.
  • Forming Line - A final QC check on the mat means sub-standard mats can be diverted before reaching the press and processing errors can be rectified more quickly.

Click Here to view the MCT360-WP brochure.

Please contact Process Sensors Corp. to discuss your application for the MCT360-WP at 508.473-9901.