On-line basis measurement system for control of tobacco cast sheet

A real-time cast sheet weight monitoring and control system in which the weight of a cast base sheet of wet laid tobacco slurry as well as the weight of a composite tobacco cast sheet formed by applying dry granular tobacco to the wet laid cast sheet prior to drying is disclosed in which two beta gauge sheet weight sensing devices are used to provide input signals to a controller which alternately uses those signals to monitor and control the weight of the cast base sheet by means of controlling the servo drive motors of a casting blade in a head box which is casting the wet laid sheet onto a stainless steel belt and which also uses those same signals to control the variable speed drive of a top loader for controlling the amount of dry granular tobacco which is uniformally applied to the wet laid cast base sheet prior to the drying of the composite tobacco cast sheet material formed thereby. The controller primarily monitors and controls the total weight of the composite tobacco cast sheet but interrupts that monitoring and control function periodically to monitor and control the weight of the wet laid cast base sheet.