Instrument System

This instrument system monitors plastics and chemicals processing online in real-time. Its central platform incorporates multiple sensors that can simultaneously measure electrical, optical, and rheological material properties. It can use dielectric, optical, fluorescence spectroscopy, pressure, ultrasonic, or temperature sensors that are positioned in ports along a slit die. As processed material flows through the slit, sensors monitor variations in properties caused by changes in process parameters. Sensor data provide a continual stream of real-time information that is analyzed by the system software and placed into spreadsheets that are archived and can be used to develop process models. Using multiple sensors to measure a range of physical properties during processing can preclude the need for additional offline, post-manufacturing quality-control measurements.