Leading Nordic injection molding firm improves their drying process through moisture measurement

As their customers demand ever greater precision, consistency and sustainability, injection molders look to more accurate humidity sensors to meet this growing need.

Based in Southwest Finland, Camteam Oy designs and produces high quality plastic products and molds that serve a range of industry and consumer needs around the globe. As one of the Nordic region’s leading multi-component plastic molding companies, Camteam credits much of its success to listening closely to their customers and consistently meeting their needs through selecting precisely the right materials and processing methods. 

As the pace of innovation in the plastic molding sector continues to increase, Camteam knows that meeting their customers’ needs is more challenging than ever. A leading example of this can be seen in the growing number of polymer combinations developed in response to customer demands for greater precision, consistency and sustainability. This increasingly calls for multi-component injection molding, which means combining different types of plastics in one part – with each production batch required to have the same high-quality standards with minimal variation.

Camteam’s experts know from experience that to get this right requires continuous and highly accurate measurement data. For example, hygroscopic materials require the right moisture level from the start, in some materials as low as under 0,02% RH, – and seasonal changes in humidity cannot be allowed to influence the moisture level of the molded material.

For example, polyamides and polycarbonate filled with glass fibers absorbs moisture easily. Too much moisture can break the molecular chains of the material. Of course, product quality variations are not always visible, which means that careful testing of the final products is also important. What’s even more useful is to carefully monitor moisture levels during the production process through continuous measuring, monitoring, and analysis. Especially in multicomponent molding, successful drying is very important to optimize bonding with components. For example, some elastomers which normally do not need to be dried, must be dried, with certain property modifications.

The problem is that not all drying equipment used by most plastic molding companies, including Camteam, is factory-fitted with proper moisture measurement technology. This means it’s up to each manufacturer to ensure that they do not use excess energy yet still maintain the right level of dryness. In addition, even drying units that include integrated moisture measurement sensors regularly require manual checking and calibration.

Closely related to customers’ ever higher quality requirements, the plastics industry is coping with increasing demands related to the green transition and sustainability issues. For example, the need for long-lasting products is increasing, and electric vehicles require more plastic parts than fossil fuel vehicles to operate efficiently. 

New generation of sensors deliver high-accuracy moisture measurements 

With many of their customers ordering products that require more accurate production monitoring and control, Camteam’s injection molding specialist Matti Majava was keen to investigate the best ways to optimize his drying processes.

Majava points out, “The way forward is mainly to optimize the plastics injection process and understand more about its material qualities. On top of this, the move away from oil-based materials requires growing our knowledge about new material bases and additives that have the right qualities.” 

As Majava already knew some technical experts at Vaisala, he contacted us in 2022 to learn more about his best options regarding high-accuracy moisture measurements. As it happened, we were just then completing pre-launch testing of our new portable moisture measuring instrument, and invited Camteam to play an important testing role in finalizing the development of the Vaisala Indigo80.  

As Majava reports, “The Indigo80 is designed to spot-check the dew point at different stages of the mold injection process, and we really liked how simple it is to use, and that it has all the features we need. It’s portable and easy to hold while measuring.”  Alternatively, Majava sometimes prefers logging data for a longer time and really appreciates the option of “hanging” the Indigo80 basically anywhere near the drying machines while taking the needed measurements. “I simply leave it next to my dryer and review the gathered data later on”, he explains. 

Typically, Majava checks various process conditions with the Indigo80 on a daily basis, then makes decisions based on the data. For example, certain drying processes can be shut down sooner when – thanks to the Indigo80’s accuracy – he knows that optimal dryness has been reached, which saves both time and energy.

During this pre-launch try-out, Majava suggested useful improvements to the product’s cable design as well as the possibility to save not only numerical data but also the device’s graphic visualizations.

Expert Matti Majava and his Camteam colleagues have been very pleased with their co-operation with Vaisala.

Majava comments that “We were especially pleased that Vaisala encouraged our opinions and really took our input seriously. We are very open to further co-operation and process development with Vaisala”. 

Because of customers’ increasing interest in both quality and sustainability issues, more and more knowledge about material choices is required, which influences the selection of raw materials for different products and processes. This can require new production methods and more knowledge about how the materials behave under different conditions, which in turn increases the need for advanced moisture measurement technology like the Vaisala Indigo80.