Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) analyzer

South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) is purchasing an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) analyzer as part of the “Xamk - LUKE NOHEVA Forest Bioeconomy RI" project funded by the Academy of Finland during 1.1.2026 – 30.12.2028. Procurement background and objectives The procurement is part of the “Xamk - LUKE NOHEVA Forest Bioeconomy RI” project, which aims to strengthen Xamk’s forest bioeconomy research environment in Savonlinna Finland. Fiber-based packaging plays a key role in the forest bioeconomy by replacing fossil-based raw materials. Xamk is expanding its capabilities in the development of fiber-based packaging and forest-based bio-barrier materials. As part of this effort, Xamk is investing in permeation testing equipment that will enable the evaluation of the barrier properties of fiber-based packaging materials. The equipment will significantly complement and strengthen the research environment’s capabilities and collaboration opportunities with both academic and industrial partners. The purchased equipment will be located at the FiberLaboratory, which is a multidisciplinary research and testing environment operated by Xamk. The laboratory is an innovative, networked operating environment for developing future bioproduct processes, implementing new ideas, solving process technology problems and testing industrial maintenance. FiberLaboratory promotes the sustainable development of the forest and technology industry as well as the sensible use of resources. Materials to be tested The equipment offered is to be suited for testing OTR performance of diverse films and sheets. The tested materials are mostly (but not limited to) bio- and fiber-based multilayer and coated structures with varying barrier materials. Intended use is mostly research and material development in cooperation with academic and industrial partners. The primary application of the instrument is the permeation testing of coated and multilayer fibre-based materials, where edge leakage may lead to significant measurement errors and poor repeatability. The offered solution shall therefore effectively eliminate edge diffusion and ensure accurate, reproducible permeation measurements. Technical requirements for the tester OTR oxygen permeation tester, including the following features: • Sensor type: Coulometric • Compliance with ASTM D3985 (Declaration of Compliance required) • OTR testing range with a standard 50 cm² sample test area minimum 0.05–200 cm³·m-²·24h-¹ (unmasked) • Resolution minimum 0.0001 cm³·m-²·24h-¹ @ 50cm² • Repeatability minimum 0.02 cm³·m-²·24h-¹ or 1%, whichever is greater • Temperature range minimum 15-40 °C • Humidity range minimum 0- 90%RH • Automatic climate condition (testing temperature and humidity) control • Carrier gas automatically controlled • Edge-diffusion control system for coated fibre-based materials. The effective test area must remain 50 cm². Installation, commissioning and training Masks or masking tools for reducing the test area (as an option) Service agreement (as an option) The ceiling price for this procurement is EUR 80,000 (excluding VAT). Bids exceeding this amount will be rejected. The instrument shall include an integrated sealing mechanism that prevents edge diffusion without any user-applied tapes, films or other manual sealing materials. The sealing mechanism shall ensure a leak‑free and reproducible clamping or encapsulation of coated and multilayer fibre-based samples, such that edge diffusion is eliminated as a source of measurement error. The supplier assures that the integrated sealing solution achieves repeatable permeation measurements without edge leakage. The offered instrument must support future upgrades for OTR testing of finished packages. Suppliers may provide the price of the package testing upgrade as a separate option in their quotation.