Computer Automation of Two Oxygen Permeation Instruments

Abstract

Oxygen permeation measurements are critical to the research and de velopment of food-packaging containers and films Such measurements must be ac curate, reliable, and fast to keep pace with rapidly changing markets and products This paper describes the construction and automated operation of a pair of OX- TRAN ¹ 10/50 oxygen permeation instruments using a personal computer and a CAMILE² data acquisition and control system. The new automated system requires less operator attention, performs monitored permeation measurements 24 hours per day, and permits two different permeation experiments to be performed simultane ously. For permeation measurements of films, the automated system has increased the testing productivity of the instruments by 2.5 times.