Moisture Analyzer
Quality Control in the Production of high- quality plastic parts
In the plastic and polymer industry, unseen moisture is like a hidden culprit that can ruin your products. Moisture Analyzer is the essential tool that detects and measures the water content in plastic materials before they’re processed. Excess moisture can cause defects like bubbles, cracks, or weak spots in the final plastic products. By quickly and accurately measuring moisture levels, manufacturers can properly dry the materials, ensuring they are in optimal condition for molding or extrusion. This results in high-quality, durable plastics that meet industry standards and perform reliably. The moisture analyzer helps keep unwanted moisture in check, safeguarding the integrity of your plastic products.
It also aids in customizing materials for specific applications by tweaking flow properties to meet unique requirements. Ultimately, the Melt Flow Indexer is an essential tool that saves time and resources by preventing production hiccups, helping manufacturers deliver reliable and efficient products to the market.
MA100 Infrared Moisture Analyser
MA100 Infrared Moisture Analyzer, your essential kitchen tool for precision. This advanced machine uses infrared technology to swiftly and accurately measure the moisture content in plastic resins before they’re processed. By detecting even the tiniest traces of water, the MA100 helps prevent common defects like bubbles, cracks, and weak spots in your plastic products. Ensuring optimal dryness, it enables manufacturers to produce high-quality, durable plastics that meet industry standards. With the MA100 Infrared Moisture Analyzer, achieve flawless results every time, enhancing both the reliability and performance of your plastic and polymer products.
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Features
- Versatility: Tests various materials like plastics, plastic laminates, corrugated materials & paper/ paperboards.
- Precision: High accuracy in measuring force, displacement, and elongation.
- Load Capacity: Suitable for low-load testing applications.
- Speed Control: Adjustable testing speeds for different requirements.
MA160 Infrared Moisture Analyser
MA 160 Moisture Analyzer is an essential tool in the EV industry, ensuring precision in measuring moisture content for critical materials like battery components and insulation materials. With rapid and reliable results, it supports quality assurance and optimizes material performance, contributing to the efficiency and longevity of electric vehicle systems.
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High-speed measurements
Both the high-performance AURI heating unit and the sample chamber’s geometry ensure rapid heating and fast uniform drying of your sample with up to 30% quicker analysis time.
Fast & precise development of methods
The MA160‘s Method Development Assistant function solves the time-consuming problem of having to determine and evaluate the right parameters
Display of the measurement status
The light indicates the current status of measurement in progress: “running | START,“ “analysis completed | STOP,“ “analyzer OFF” or “error.“
Effortless cleaning
The BetterClean design lets you easily and thoroughly clean the instrument parts. Additionally, the heating unit and the sample chamber plate is removable for cleaning in a laboratory washer
User-friendly operation
The MA160‘s intuitive user interface, including a touch screen and easy-to-understand menu prompts for guidance, enable you to easily operate the analyzer – without having to study the manual first.
High memory capacity
MA160 features a high memory capacity, letting you store up to 100 different methods and efficiently manage them in a library
Reliable performance testing
A ReproEasy Pad in combination with the built-in performance test lets you check the functionality of the entire MA160 moisture analyzer within just 5 minutes. This test guarantees reliable results, saving you from going to the trouble of performing extensive temperature adjustments.
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FAQ's
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Common questions from QC managers, procurement officers, and R&D teams.
What Moisture Analyzers does Flexitest supply for the plastic and polymer industry?
Flexitest supplies two Sartorius Moisture Analyzer models: the MA100 Infrared Moisture Analyzer for standard plastic resin QC, and the MA160 Moisture Analyzer with touchscreen, 100-method library, and ReproEasy Pad performance verification. Both use the loss-on-drying (LOD) thermogravimetric method – compliant with ASTM D6980 (Standard Test Method for Determination of Moisture in Plastics by Loss in Weight) and ISO 15512 (Plastics – Determination of Water Content).
Why is moisture testing critical before injection moulding or extrusion?
Hygroscopic resins – Nylon (PA6/PA66), PET, PBT, Polycarbonate (PC), ABS – absorb moisture from ambient air during storage. Even 0.02% excess moisture above the resin processor’s recommended limit (per resin supplier specifications and ASTM D6980 / ISO 15512 drying verification requirements) causes surface bubbles, silver streaks, splay marks, voids, and reduced tensile and flexural strength in the finished moulded part. The moisture analyzer confirms the resin is within specification before processing – preventing defective production runs before they start.
What is the difference between ASTM D1238 Procedure A and Procedure B?
ASTM D882 is a standard test method for determining the tensile properties of thin plastic films with a thickness of less than 1.0 mm and is of great importance in the film packaging industry, both for quality control and research and development. It measures tensile strength, elongation at break, and tensile modulus of flexible packaging films including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, and laminate films. The ISO equivalent is ISO 527-3. A Flexitest UTM with film grips performs ASTM D882 testing accurately.
What is MVR and when should it be measured instead of MFR?
Both the MA100 and MA160 test all common hygroscopic thermoplastic resins per ASTM D6980 and ISO 15512: Nylon PA6 and PA66, PET (tested per ASTM D6869 / ISO 15512), PBT, Polycarbonate PC, ABS, Acetal POM, PMMA, and engineering polymer blends. For ultra-low moisture below 50 ppm, ASTM D6869 (Karl Fischer Coulometric method) is the reference standard – the MA160 LOD results can be cross-validated against KF data. Flexitest configures validated drying methods per resin grade at installation.
What is the difference between the MA100 and MA160?
ASTM D6980 – Standard Test Method for Determination of Moisture in Plastics by Loss in Weight specifies the thermogravimetric LOD method using a moisture analyzer with minimum resolution of 0.1 mg, validated drying temperature, and endpoint criteria. It is the ASTM-recognised alternative to ASTM D6869 (Karl Fischer Titration) for routine production floor resin testing. The international equivalent is ISO 15512. Both the MA100 and MA160 meet ASTM D6980 instrument requirements – delivering accepted, traceable moisture test records for incoming resin QC, drying verification, and process moisture control documentation.
Do all Flexitest instruments come with calibration certificates?
The MA100 complies with ASTM D6980 / ISO 15512 for standard single-resin QC environments – infrared heating, fast results. The MA160 adds: touchscreen interface; up to 100 stored and validated resin-specific drying methods (each compliant with ASTM D6980 temperature and endpoint requirements); and the ReproEasy Pad – built-in 5-minute performance verification per ISO 8655 weighing verification principles, confirming full instrument functionality without external weights. The MA160 is the preferred model for multi-resin labs, IATF 16949 quality systems, and facilities requiring audit-ready instrument performance records.
Can the Moisture Analyzer replace Karl Fischer Titration?
For routine production floor QC – yes. ASTM D6980 explicitly recognises the loss-on-drying moisture analyzer as the accepted alternative to ASTM D6869 (Karl Fischer Coulometric) and ASTM D4672 (Karl Fischer Volumetric) for plastic resin moisture testing. The moisture analyzer requires no chemicals, no specialist training, delivers results in minutes, and can be used directly at the injection moulding or extrusion machine. Karl Fischer (ASTM D6869 / ISO 15512 Annex A) remains the reference method for very low moisture levels below 50 ppm – for R&D or high-precision engineering polymer validation where maximum accuracy is required.
What drying temperatures are recommended for common plastic resins per ASTM D6980?
Per ASTM D6980 and resin processor guidelines, validated drying temperatures are: Nylon PA6/PA66 – 160-180°C; PET – 150-160°C (per ASTM D6980 / ISO 15512); Polycarbonate PC – 120-130°C; ABS – 80-100°C; PBT – 150°C; Acetal POM – 120°C; PMMA – 80-90°C. Per ASTM D6980, drying temperatures must be validated against Karl Fischer reference values (ASTM D6869) for each specific resin grade and colour – darker pigments absorb more infrared energy and may require temperature adjustment. Flexitest configures and documents all validated methods per resin at installation.
