Mettler Toledo releases guide for moisture determination in plastics

SWITZERLAND-The Mettler Toledo guide provides an overview of the most common methods for moisture and water determination in plastics and polymers, and a review of sample applications. The guide aims to assist those who work with plastics, both in the laboratory and along the production line, The 'Moisture Guide for Plastics' presents the different methods of moisture and water content determination: Loss of weight, chemical reaction, thermogravimetric, spectroscopic and other types of analysis. The guide reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the respective methods, offers tips and tricks to enhance the reliability and performance of measurements and shows solutions to common challenges.

Moisture content of resins, such as polyamides or polycarbonates, is an important factor in plastic processing, appearance and properties of the final plastic product. Injection molding of too moist of plastic pellets results in processing problems and loss in quality of the final product. Typical symptoms of too much moisture are: splaying, formation of flash and impaired mechanical properties such as reduced impact and tensile strength.

Therefore, the control of moisture content is crucial for the manufacturing of high quality products. Several principles and methods of moisture determination are known and used in practice. However, two well-known principles are widely used in laboratories and production floors: Loss of weight methods and Karl Fischer titration. The guide presents best practices for both methods.

To learn more, the guide is a comprehensive source of information about moisture and water content determination in plastics and can be downloaded for free at: www.mt.com/MPE-Moisture