Extrusion Coatings & Moisture on Paper / Foil
Overview
Extrusion coating is widely used in packaging, converting, and industrial applications to apply protective layers of polyethylene, polypropylene, and other polymers onto paper, foil, and film substrates. Maintaining precise coating thickness and moisture levels throughout this process is essential to ensure strong adhesion, consistent barrier properties, reduced waste, and maximum production efficiency.
Because extrusion coating systems operate at high speeds, even small deviations in coat weight or moisture can quickly translate into large quantities of off-spec material. This directly affects seal strength, print quality, bonding characteristics, and barrier performance, making accurate, real-time measurement critical to success.
Why Measure Moisture
Accurate, real-time moisture monitoring delivers multiple process and product benefits.
Quality Assurance
Energy Efficiency
Reduce Waste
Process Stability
RECOMMENDED MEASUREMENT LOCATIONS
Moisture measurement should be implemented at key stages of the production process to ensure consistent product quality and process optimization:
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Post-Extrusion (Immediately After Coating)
Verifies coat weight immediately after extrusion to ensure proper application and early detection of variation. -
Before Chill Roll
Provides temperature-adjusted measurement before the cooling stage to improve accuracy and process control. -
Post-Cooling / Final Coating Verification
Validates final coating thickness after cooling to ensure product meets specification. - Pre-Extrusion (Web Moisture Measurement)
Measures moisture on paper or foil webs before extrusion to establish baseline conditions and improve coating adhesion.
Understand the Process
MoistTech’s near-infrared sensors have the ability to store up to 50 different product codes/recipes into the memory to easily switch to a new calibration when your product changes. Forget time consuming trips to the lab waiting for an oven, MoistTech’s online technology mounts directly to the production line and provides instant feedback to the user.