NDC measures ultra-thin film with unrivalled accuracy
NDC
Infrared Engineering has developed a new approach to measuring ultra-thin
film products using its proprietary near infrared (NIR) technology. The
requirement today in the plastic film extrusion industry is not only to
produce thinner and wider webs but at the same time to increase line speed
and enhance product quality in the process. NDC’s new sensor, an
on-line thickness gauge called TFG-710, enables high performance thickness
measurement down to five microns or less, providing a new level of on-line
measurement accuracy and precision. The sensor provides real-time measurement
with a single scan and has been designed specifically for bi-axially oriented
films. These are films, typically polypropylene or polyester, which have
been stretched in both directions (bi-axially) as they are manufactured,
and which are used in packaging materials such as cling film and in photographic
film and videotape.
The patented near infrared design of the sensor overcomes the effects of optical fringe interference which occur with other NIR gauges when attempting to measure the thickness of thin plastic films. Other benefits of the TFG-710 include the ability to achieve high resolution measurements from edge to edge, without the inherent statistical noise of beta gauges and the fact that the gauge is unaffected by changes in humidity, air pressure, dust or film orientation.