There are many areas in production that can benefit from a rapid onsite measurement: determining which side is which on multilayer films to be laminated, checking rolls of film in the warehouse, measuring an individual layer within a film in the production area, raw material verification, and formulation discrimination are few examples.

A new concept portable infrared spectrometer enables the user to obtain infrared spectra on single layer or multiple layer films outside of the laboratory. Polymers such as nylon, EVOH, EVA, and polyethylene have characteristic absorbances in the mid infrared range that can be used for material identification or for quantitative measurements. This new spectrometer utilizes a detector array and a linear variable filter in order to produce spectral information much like an FTIR (fourier transform infrared spectrometer). Unlike the FTIR, the spectrometer is rugged, has no moving parts, fits in the palm of a hand, is a fraction of the cost and is easy to operate.