Building materials

MoistScan® online moisture sensors are ideally suited for use in the  manufacturing of many building materials as the moisture in these products will determine the strength of the final product. These include:

•    Panel board
•    MDF board
•    Fiber (Fibre) board
•    Clays
•    Bricks
•    Cement and Concrete
•    Plaster board
•    Charcoal

The production of building products generally involves the mixing of a variety of raw materials with bonding agents according  to a strict formulation.   A typical use of MoistScan® is for real time moisture analysis of the incoming feeds so as to calculate the dry tonne equivalents of each raw material.  This way mix ratio's can be more tightly controlled.  In the manufacture of many building products such as bricks the mix is forced through a die before being extruded then cured in a kiln or dryer.  Here MoistScan online microwave moisture meters can be used to monitor the moisture content of the extruded product as it enters and exits the kiln.  Integrated with a PID controller the resident time of the extruded brick can be regulated so as to achieve the desired level of moisture in the end product. 

The particular advantage of MoistScan technology over Near Infra Red (NIR) online moisture sensors in materials processing in the building industry is the the ability of MoistScan to measure the moisture throughout the entire profile of the product from top to bottom.  NIR is limited to measuring on the surface layer of the material which is typically not representative of the total moisture in the product. 

Examples of applications: 

Building Product Manufacturer - Victoria, Australia



Instrument:
Material:
Installation:
Moisture: 
Purpose:


MA-500
Clay Blends
On fine clay line just prior to extrusion 
5 - 9%
Feed forward control of water addition 

 

Building Product Manufacturer - Australia

Instrument:
Material:
Installation:
Moisture: 
Purpose:
MA-500(2)
Clay Blends
1. On conveyor measuring moisture in clay blend feed prior to wet pan mixer
2. On conveyor downstream of wet pan mixer
8 - 15%
Feed forward and feedback automation of water addition to wet pan mixer. Analyser controls a water addition valve to achieve pre determined moisture content of 16.7%. The analyser downstream of the wet pan is used for fine tuning feedback to initial analyser set point.

 

Building Product Manufacturer - USA



Instrument:
Material:
Installation:
Moisture: 
Purpose:


MA-600
Fibreboard
On wet board conveyor
50 - 60%
To control board press to achieve optimum moisture resulting in reduce energy costs of drying


Contact us for further information