Are there any online melt index testers?
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Dear forum members, I would like to ask if there are any instruments that can measure the melt index online; the material to be measured is in solid form. Currently, samples are taken and then measured offline using specialized instruments.
There is, but it’s not very useful. Everything is fully automated; then what do we humans need?
I’m an amateur in this area; I really don’t understand it at all. I just searched online and think it should be available somewhere. I don’t know what the actual effect is. You can consult the suppliers that provide such instruments based on your actual testing requirements, and then sign a technical agreement. The German Gneuss online melt indexer is installed between two flange connections. The melt channel is to be designed per customer requirements, with a range from D = 20 mm (0.8 inches) to D = 110 mm (4.3 inches).
It’s mainly a matter of timeliness – laboratory data is generated too slowly, and this slow pace in data delivery leads to serious delays in making adjustments.
Online analyzers for the melt index of polymers have existed for a long time; they have been in use for at least a decade. Online melt index analyzers primarily use near-infrared spectroscopy for measurement; they employ specialized probes designed to handle high temperatures, as well as dedicated optical fibers to transmit spectral data, with Fourier transformation being used to analyze and process the spectra. Since this type of instrument relies on near-infrared spectroscopy models for measurement, it is very important to develop and train these spectral models. This requires the operator to have a certain level of knowledge in near-infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics, as well as an understanding of the analyzer and data processing. If this analyzer is operated by someone with professional background knowledge, the results should be very good; however, if it is used by someone with little understanding of analytical chemistry, especially infrared spectroscopy, the results will certainly not be good. Yokogawa Electric’s NR800 possesses such analysis capabilities, but I’m not sure whether there are still people at Yokogawa Electric China who can provide technical support for these analyzers and handle their setup. When I worked at Yokogawa Electric, I had experience with such instruments; the first two online near-infrared analyzers in China were those for which I provided technical support and handled sales.