Paper Moisture Meters
A paper moisture meter measures the humidity of paper and paper products. Use of a paper moisture meter can prevent costly damages resulting from paper expansion or shrinking. A paper moisture meter determines paper moisture content based on either absolute humidity or relative humidity. Absolute humidity does not take into consideration temperature, while relative humidity relies on temperature and is expressed as a percentage of the total amount of moisture possible at the current temperature. Thus, many paper moisture meter devices feature automatic temperature compensation (ATC).
For paper producers, paper manufacturers, paper mills and others in the pulp and paper industry, moisture and humidity control is essential, especially during the production process, as excessive moisture can lead to warming of the paper rolls. A paper moisture meter can be used to detect moisture streaks during the paper production process as well as to identify optimal drying times.
Regardless of whether paper is stored in paper rolls in paper converting plants or stacked in sheets and paper bales in commercial printing warehouses, the porous surface of paper gradually takes in moisture relative to the humidity of the surrounding environment. This moisture can be problematic, as too much moisture can cause curling, buckling or the formation of waves in otherwise flat paper products. Moisture also can prevent inks, dyes, paints and coatings from covering and saturating paper properly during printing and processing.
PCE Instruments (PCE) offers digital handheld moisture meter devices for measuring the moisture content of paper and paper products such as cardboard, paperboard, corrugated boxes, craft paper, wrapping paper, brown packaging paper, butcher paper, recycled paper, coated paper and more. Different paper moisture meter models utilize different paper moisture measuring techniques, performing moisture content tests of paper products via either destructive or nondestructive methods. Typically, a standard pinless paper moisture meter is nonpenetrating, thus allowing for the nondestructive measurement of paper water content.
