Massive industrial manufacturing failures caused by water vapour

Although there is no perfect cure, prevention can be both simple and very effective, it involves testing the vapour permeability of both the materials and any suspect component or enclosure. Some manufacturing processes can increase the flow of vapour through a material by a factor of four, and changing material can make many thousands of times difference.

Versaperm's latest permeability measuring instrumentation offers a quick and easy way to determine the vapour permeability for virtually any system, component, product or material. It allows you to quantify the problem very accurately and check for practical solutions. It is suited to both development and QC roles.

The equipment allows designers and manufacturers to examine different materials and manufacturing processes. Results can, sometimes, be counter-intuitive. For example, materials like cellulose are a good barriers against liquid water but allow water vapour to pass through virtually unhindered.

The Versaperm system is usually accurate in the parts per million (PPM) range however, with some vapours and materials can be accurate to parts per billion range. In some cases testing takes just 30 minutes.

Versaperm's latest instrument and specialised sensor range can measure permeability not just for water vapour, but for virtually any gas or vapour used by industry, including oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, helium and nitrogen. The system can measure several material samples, seals, enclosures or products at a time.

The company also runs consultancy and laboratory services that advise on permeability in complex cases or where the volume or logistics does not mandate a dedicated instrument.