01 April 2011

PROCEQ Middle East, the leading supplier of the high-precision Swiss-made NDT (non-destructive testing) concrete instruments in the region, has introduced Hygropin, a new device that helps determine the moisture content in concrete.

Commenting on the function and benefits of the new instrument, Proceq Middle East’s general manager Ahmad Abdul Qadeer says: “Excess moisture in concrete can be disastrous for a floor covering installation and to prevent mildew and major damage, the flooring industry requires smart testing solutions to check surfaces for moisture prior to installing floor coverings or coatings. The in-situ technique has proven to be the most reliable method since it measures directly where the moisture hides, below the surface of the concrete.”

He says the relative humidity test outlined by ASTM F2170 requires placing a measuring sleeve at a specific, well-defined depth in the concrete. “This can be done either by drilling a hole or by pre-installing cast holes in fresh concrete. Proceq offers the best solution for both procedures.”

Hygropin provides the smallest available sensor on the market, minimising damage to the surface and reducing the installation efforts immensely. The Hygropin in-situ probe only requires an 8-mm-diameter hole at the test site. This is half the size required by many other moisture meters, he adds.

This is also said to be the only equipment that can gather simultaneous readings from both an in-situ probe and ambient probe on two independent channels which can be fitted in any combination.

Other features of the instrument include a trend indicator, which is claimed to be the only moisture meter that shows when stable measuring values are reached, preventing the user from taking false readings caused by insufficient equilibration time; a number of logs, as Hygropin is said to allow by far the most detailed data recording; and a state-of-the-art USB interface.

Furthermore, Proceq offers a two-year warranty on the electronic portion of the instrument (extendable for three more years at an additional cost), and six months on the mechanical portion of the instrument. It also has the Leap frogging feature, in which the Proceq in-situ probe reaches stable values within five minutes as against 45 minutes for some competitor products, according to Qadeer.

Proceq ME is a subsidiary of Zurich-based Proceq. Established in 1954, Proceq is committed to the manufacturing of quality nondestructive portable testing instruments for concrete properties and structural parameters, metal hardness and paper roll hardness. The company’s strong research and development team continues to create products that set standards in these industries. Since 1994, Proceq has been certified to the ISO 9001 standards that guarantee the quality of processes, products and services.

Since its inception, Proceq has been delivering ground-breaking solutions to the industry. In the 1950s, the company became the producer of the original Schmidt Hammer (known as the Swiss Hammer). This innovative tool utilises the world’s first patented non-destructive testing method for concrete properties, Qadeer points out.

Another Proceq classic was released in the 1970s with the Equotip metal hardness tester. The instrument is based on the Leeb rebound (one of the four most used methods for testing metal hardness) principle, which was invented by Proceq.
In subsequent years, the company continued to expand its portfolio of advanced products to include the Canin corrosion analysing instrument, the Profoscope rebar detector and covermeter, the SilverSchmidt concrete test hammer and the PaperSchmidt roll hardness tester. In order to offer its customers a broader range of products, Proceq acquired the UK-based company CNS Farnell, the producer of the world’s highly trusted instrument for ultrasonic concrete testing – the Pundit.

To provide its international customers with local support, Proceq continually increases its presence through subsidiaries in Asia (Singapore), China (Beijing and Shanghai), Europe (Berlin, London, and Zurich), the Middle East (Dubai), Russia (St Petersburg), South America (Sao Paulo), the US (Chicago and Pittsburgh) and through a global network of agents and partners.

“Our NDT concrete instruments are portable, handy and have been used for many construction projects across the Middle East region,” says Qadeer.

Some of its major customers include testing and inspection services companies such as Exova, Arab Centre for Engineering Studies and GeoLab; civil engineering and consultant companies; civil contractors; concrete repair companies; universities and research institutes like the American Universities of Sharjah and Dubai, University of Sharjah, King Saud University and King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia.

Proceq products have been used in a number of airport, dam, metro and other construction projects.

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