Test Equipment and Measurement Instrument Blog

What would you do with a compass that didn’t point toward true north? Or a watch that never told the correct time? Or a car speedometer that told you that you were driving faster or slower than you actually were?

No matter how high-caliber your moisture meter (or composition meter) is, an instrument is only as strong as its calibrations. There’s a lot riding on getting a correct reading: Concrete foundations can crumble, stored grain harvests can spoil, and pharmaceuticals can degrade or become toxic.

Paper and wood products are important parts of our everyday lives. We build our homes with wood, and gather around wooden tables.  We publish novels with paper and we even create lifelong memories at gatherings with easy clean-up, thanks to products like paper plates and napkins. 

Those in the concrete or construction industries know that if you start to research which tools and instruments might be needed on a build site, the list of what to bring grows seemingly longer and longer every year.

Moisture can do a number on concrete and any protective coatings it may have. Since the material is so porous, there can be issues when water gets trapped within the concrete. Moisture levels can have a big impact on concrete as it dries and hardens.

A truck that is hauling freshly felled logs, waiting to be dried and cut into lumber, is hauling almost as much water as it is wood and sometimes it's carrying even more water than wood!

Before it has been dried, approximately half the weight of lumber is made up entirely of its moisture content. Since wood expands and contracts with the amount of moisture it contains, it is vital to select and use wood that has been properly dried.

Do you have the tools at your factory to keep a dangerous disaster at bay? To stop fires before they start?

The factories that manufacture the materials and goods we rely on already know all too well about the supply chain issues that have only accelerated since 2020. But what some may not know is that 2024 saw even more disruptions than previous years. By one account, there was a 38% increase in supply chain disruption last year.

Great bakers know the importance of correct moisture content in each ingredient and how the moisture in a dough can alter the baking time, texture, and overall success of the baked good. With incorrect measurements, you can end up with a poor final result, leaving your customers wanting a better product, whether it be brownies, muffins, or bagels.

Your daily morning cup of coffee may get you up and moving. Still, it also symbolizes the end result of a long growing and processing operation from bean to brew—and a whole industry centered around delivering 1 billion people more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day. That calls for a whole lot of coffee beans, meaning coffee farmers stay busy balancing tight profit margins and keeping up with demand.  

It's that time of year to consider tax deductions, so why not give your business a holiday gift?

We attended the Institute of Food Technologists’ FIRST Conference in Chicago this year, and it was an opportunity to connect with those across the food and beverage industry to focus on what comes “FIRST”: That is, Food Improved by Research, Science, and Technology. 

It aimed to bring together thousands from across the food sector; all focused on bettering the global food system by showcasing the work and insights of the most qualified researchers, entrepreneurs, scientists–and engineers, like our team at Kett.

While Kett’s laboratory-quality instruments serve more than just those in the food industry, one question we repeatedly fielded during this conference was regarding our NIR moisture meters and composition meters and their instant results. The question? Compared to traditional, legacy methods of gauging moisture and composition like the loss-on drying method, just how “instant” is instant?