Which Sensors are Suitable for Temperature and Humidity Monitoring in Paper and Textile Workshops?

In traditional manufacturing industries such as papermaking and textiles, temperature and humidity are not "auxiliary parameters," but core process conditions that directly affect product quality, equipment operation, and production efficiency. With the improvement of automation and refined production levels, relying on experience to adjust the environment can no longer meet the needs of stable production. Deploying reliable temperature and humidity sensors to achieve real-time monitoring and closed-loop control has become an industry consensus.

This article will combine the process characteristics of paper and textile workshops to systematically sort out suitable types of temperature and humidity sensors, and focus on analyzing the technical value of Nexisense industrial-grade temperature and humidity sensors in practical applications.

Why Precise Monitoring of Temperature and Humidity is Essential for Paper and Textile Workshops

The Direct Impact of Temperature and Humidity on the Papermaking Process

The core raw material of papermaking is plant fiber, which is essentially a highly hygroscopic material. During key processes such as forming, pressing, and drying, fluctuations in environmental temperature and humidity will bring a series of chain reactions:

• Changes in temperature and humidity lead to changes in paper dimensions, affecting flatness.

• When humidity is high, the paper absorbs moisture and elongates, easily producing wrinkles and waves.

• When humidity is too low, the paper loses water and shrinks, resulting in edge curling and increased dust.

• Dry environments easily generate static electricity, leading to paper adhesion and equipment paper jams.

• Under low temperature and high humidity conditions, ink dries slowly, making it prone to ink bleeding and blurred printing.

According to TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry) recommendations, the ideal environmental conditions for a paper workshop are: temperature 23°C±1°C, relative humidity 50%RH±2%. To maintain this state stably over the long term, reliable temperature and humidity monitoring equipment is indispensable.

The Impact of Temperature and Humidity on Textile Production Quality

Most textile raw materials are hygroscopic or prone to static electricity, and their physical and mechanical properties are highly correlated with environmental temperature and humidity:

• Moisture regain, strength, and elongation change significantly with humidity.

• When relative humidity is 60%–70%RH, the strength of cotton fibers improves significantly.

• When humidity is too low, static electricity increases, leading to flying fibers, broken ends, and tangling.

• Fluctuations in temperature and humidity directly affect yarn evenness, end-breakage rate, and the number of yarn defects.

Practice has proven that by using a temperature and humidity monitoring system to control the textile workshop environment below 28°C and between 55%–65%RH, production stability and finished product consistency can be significantly improved.

Definition of Temperature and Humidity Sensors Suitable for Workshops

An industrial temperature and humidity sensor (or temperature and humidity transmitter) is a measuring device that converts environmental temperature and relative humidity into standard electrical signals or digital signals, providing continuous and stable data output for control system acquisition and analysis.

Unlike ordinary civilian sensors, temperature and humidity sensors used in paper and textile workshops need to possess:

• Long-term stability

• Resistance to dust and fiber fly/lint

• Anti-electromagnetic interference capabilities

• Adaptability to industrial communication protocols

Analysis of Temperature and Humidity Sensor Working Principles

Humidity Measurement Principle

Nexisense industrial temperature and humidity sensors adopt a high-precision capacitive humidity measurement principle. When environmental humidity changes, the dielectric constant of the moisture-sensitive material changes, causing a change in the capacitance value, which is converted into an accurate humidity signal by an internal circuit.

This method has the following characteristics:

• Fast response speed

• Strong stability in medium to high humidity environments

• Anti-condensation capability superior to traditional resistive solutions

Temperature Measurement Principle

The temperature part usually uses a high-stability thermistor element or a digital temperature chip. Through a linear compensation algorithm, it ensures good consistency remains even in industrial environments.

Structural Design Advantages of Nexisense Temperature and Humidity Sensors

Nexisense has focused on strengthening reliability and maintainability in structural design specifically for industrial workshop environments. Typical structures include:

• High-strength housing: Adapts to dust, vibration, and complex sites.

• High-precision measurement unit: Integrates temperature and humidity sensing with compensation circuits.

• Standard industrial interfaces: Supports 4–20mA or RS485 output.

• Protective design: Suitable for long-term wall-mounted or pillar installation.

Some models support intrinsically safe explosion-proof designs, which can build intrinsically safe loops through safety barriers, suitable for production areas with high safety requirements.

Core Advantages for Workshop Environments

Nexisense temperature and humidity sensors possess obvious advantages in the paper and textile industries:

• Stable measurement, suitable for long-term continuous operation.

• Resistant to dust and fiber fly pollution, reducing drift.

• Can be directly connected to PLC, DCS, or industrial control hosts.

• Supports multi-point deployment, convenient for regional comparative analysis.

• Simple maintenance and low operating costs.

These characteristics make them not only suitable for new production lines but also very suitable for the automation transformation of old workshops.

Typical Application Scenarios in Paper Workshops

• Environmental monitoring in the paper machine forming area.

• Air temperature and humidity control in the drying section workshop.

• Finished paper storage environmental monitoring.

• Paper moisture conditioning management before printing.

Through real-time data feedback, humidification, dehumidification, or ventilation systems can be linked to avoid quality fluctuations.

Typical Application Scenarios in Textile Workshops

• Temperature and humidity monitoring in spinning workshops.

• Static electricity control in weaving workshops.

• Environmental management in finished product warehouses.

• Centralized monitoring systems for multiple processes.

Combined with environmental monitoring hosts and cloud platforms, remote viewing, over-limit alarms, and intelligent linkage can be achieved.

Measurement Methods and System Integration

Common measurement methods include:

• Wall-mounted fixed-point monitoring

• Multi-point distributed acquisition

• RS485 bus centralized uploading

• 4–20mA analog direct control

Data can be uploaded to local monitoring systems or cloud platforms to achieve historical data storage, trend analysis, and report output.

Maintenance and Upkeep Suggestions

• Regularly clean dust from the probe surface.

• Avoid long-term condensation or direct water spraying.

• Perform calibration or comparison once a year.

• Check wiring and communication stability.

Reasonable maintenance can significantly extend the service life of the sensor.

Typical Technical Parameters Reference

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many monitoring points are needed for paper and textile workshops?
This needs to be determined based on the workshop area and airflow distribution. It is usually recommended to deploy multiple points to avoid local loss of control.

Do temperature and humidity sensors need frequent calibration?
Industrial-grade products have high stability, and once a year is generally sufficient.

Can they be linked with existing equipment?
They support standard industrial interfaces and can be directly connected to existing PLC or control systems.

Summary

In the paper and textile industries, temperature and humidity have been upgraded from "environmental parameters" to "key process variables." Choosing stable, reliable temperature and humidity sensors suitable for industrial sites is an important foundation for ensuring product quality, reducing loss, and improving efficiency.

Nexisense industrial temperature and humidity sensors, with their mature measurement technology, solid structural design, and good system compatibility, are helping more and more manufacturing enterprises achieve controllable environments and predictable production, providing solid support for the intelligent upgrading of traditional industries.