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Gypsum Board Moisture Sensor

Increasing Efficiency With Intelligent Moisture Sensing in Gypsum Boards

Gypsum is a soft natural mineral that’s mined in quarries and transported to the gypsum board manufacturing facility. It’s chemistry is calcium sulfate and it’s sometimes called plaster of paris.

Finished gypsum board can be subject to moisture pickup during manufacturing, delivery, handling and installation. This applies even to moisture-resistant board and fire-resistant board. This exposure can come from a variety of sources including improper storage, construction or design defects, water leaks from floods, pipes, rain or cleanup activities.

Prevent Mold Growth

Should the installed board experience water intrusion, mold can quickly grow on the board surface or throughout the board. If mold growth occurs, it must be handled swiftly – within 24-48 hours after exposure to prevent growth that would require entire board replacement. Moisture sensors are so critical in this process because mold growth can occur even if the board looks and feels dry to the touch.

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Know the Moisture Content

Once mined, gypsum is then moved on a conveyor that helps to break the large chunks into smaller pieces for transport to a long rotary drum dryer where 5-10% of the water in the gypsum is removed. It’s necessary to know the moisture content of the incoming rock in order to properly control the gas fired rotary dryer’s temperature. Finna Sensors OMNIR is essential for this operation as it detects and reports the incoming rock moisture and provides a control output signal for proper dryer temperature adjustment without the need for constant monitoring and hands-on adjustments. Learn More About Measuring Raw/Synthetic Gypsum>>

End-to-End Moisture Sensing Solutions That Work

After being further processed, the gypsum board enters one of the final stages of its manufacturing process where it enters a forming station to be cut to the proper length and fed into a long drying kiln that offers several zones of temperature. As it moves through this stage of the process, it is once again critical that the moisture levels be measured accurately and efficiently throughout. Proper moisture levels prevents warp, shrinkage, paper delamination, soft edges, brittleness, and more. By utilizing an RF moisture meter like our Smart III RF moisture sensor, the boards are measured in the last zone or two of the drying kiln and after the kiln on the finished board. This method of measuring assures that the boards are properly dried with less than 1% moisture and will provide the needed quality characteristics for premium construction.

RF for Gypsum Board

The SMART III RF Moisture Sensor delivers accurate data instantaneously and non-destructively. Click the button to see how Finna Sensors can assist in augmenting your gypsum board process.

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