Anyone ever heard of Infrared Engineering (English company)? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 10:58:08 am
content: Hello,I realise this might be a shot in the dark but I thought some people in this forum might've worked in manufacturing and could've used it.Infrared Engineering was an English engineering company that specialised in the creation of Moisture thickness and other meters using infrared light. It was founded in 1969 ( I think) by two lecturers from Imperial college London (one of whom was my Grandfather) It was later sold in 1996 to "fairey group" now "spectris" and became "NDC Infrared Engineering" I think it has now been sold again to "Nordson Measurement Group" But it still maintains an office in maldon where it was founded.I was just wondering if anybody had any experience using the equipment and if so what applications was it used for (of course it is all pre-internet so there isn't much information)?(I've attached a picture below of the logo and also the MM55 which seems to be their most popular product and frequently comes up on Ebay)

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 08:40:10 am
content: I want to know what would happen if you made an adjustmentMoisture thickness with infrared light sounds like a dew point or humidity detector. You reflect light off a mirror and see when it gets messed up by droplets from condensation. Also might now be the tech they use to determine when to turn on your wipers in a carrin a closed system you can look for a reflux band (distillation control)

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 09:35:48 am
content: Apologies I meant to put a comma there as in moisture, thicknessBut It is very interesting stuff a lot of it in the days before any digital processing could be done I remember my Grandfather saying they waited years before they switched to digital and just put a digital display on the end of their already proven analogue circuits.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 10:15:28 am
content: You probably found this already:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0166497282900116Paywall of course

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 10:28:08 am
content: I hadn’t thank you. Annoying they are charging so much for something thats quite irrelevant now but I suppose that’s what academic publishers do…

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 01:20:09 pm
content: Quote from: PascalNE on April 30, 2025, 10:58:08 amAbsolutely no experience - but googling variations on "Infrared Engineering Ltd" or "NDC Infrared Engineering Ltd" produces a few hits. Interestingly according to Companies House "Infrared Engineering Ltd" was only dissolved in 2023As for applications - presumably this sort of thing:https://digicomst.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1996_07_18.pdf

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 02:02:01 pm
content: I think that may be a different Infrared engineering on companies house since it was merged with NDC in the 90s. I'd never seen that paper before pretty amazing that you can determine the fat protien and mositure content just with light.

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 02:12:42 pm
content: I did manage to find one of the instruments buried under some boxes in the corner of the coach house a "Moistrex 2000" IIRC. I thought I'd post it here becuase its a cool old instrument. From what my grandfather said it seemed to have been a microwave based moisture meter for lab use (mostly they did on-(production)line)As you can see its covered in dust but still turned on surprisingly no idea if it is working correctly its probably out of cal after 40-50 yearsFrom a sticker on the back it seemed to have worked in a paper factory. The display is pretty cool looks a bit like nixie tubes although I'm not exactly sure.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 03:58:27 pm
content: The display uses Nixie tubes.Note that the numbers are individually formed (no segments), and the subtle mesh electrode behind the front glass.The numbers are stacked out of order, to minimize interference from those in front.

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 04:31:10 pm
content: Yes I thought so also in the pictures its hard to tell what the numbers are but in person it was bright and clear. So pretty impressive longevity.

author: frank4t
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 28, 2025, 09:51:05 am
content: Great to see the name "Infrared Engineering" again. I worked with Roger Edgar on a government contract 1992-94 and the Moisturex that you have in your garage was refined. It is a very ingenious instrument as the lid and base plate make a "split" microwave waveguide when closed so power can pass from source to detector with no loss. When paper is placed on the base plate and the lid closed THEN microwave power is absorbed and the power loss is used to quantify the moisture content of the paper.Very best wishes to you (and to your Moisturex)Frank

author: frank4t
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 28, 2025, 04:29:21 pm
content: Just to add a picture from the new moisturex model

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 28, 2025, 05:28:11 pm
content: Quote from: PascalNE on May 01, 2025, 02:12:42 pmThat looks very much like a product from my apprenticeship days (1979-), made by Rank Precision Industries. Construction like the newer MX800 - the hinged lid and base are 2 halves of a waveguide fed by a 10GHz Gunn diode. Zero the meter with no paper then the meter shows the dB loss when the paper is inserted translated to a percentage value. Used in paper mills.

author: frank4t
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 29, 2025, 09:19:10 am
content: Rank Precision Industries is another good name to hear, thanks.So many good names and they all have disappeared into our history books.

author: PascalNE
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2025, 09:23:25 pm
content: Thanks for sharing that info I couldn't find much on it at all. Always great to uncover more.Maybe next time I'm there I'll see if I can get any meaningful results out of it.