Testing Plastics
Physical Strength & Performance
13th May, 2008
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Successful series of technical seminars across India
Tinius Olsen and their Indian agents, Aimil Ltd., have just concluded a successful technology tour around India, with technical seminars given in Bangalore, Vadodara, Chennai, Pune and Delhi. Presentations were given by Mr. Harry Yohn, Senior Technologist with Tinius Olsen and also Vice Chairperson ASTM D20 Plastics, and part of eight other plastics related committees within ASTM. Primary topics included details on how to improve consistency of testing results and the measurement of uncertainty when it comes to evaluating key thermal and mechanical properties of plastic materials. As one attendee commented – "You’ve done the impossible…you’ve not only talked about melt index testing for more than 15 minutes, but you’ve also made it very interesting! I learned an awful lot today." see pictures >>
Impact testers are among the first instruments that plastics compounders, extruders, and molders consider when outfitting a lab. Historically, the choice between traditional falling-weight and pendulum impact testers seemed relatively simple. It was determined by the material, end-use application requirements, and the customer's preference for a particular type of test data. These traditional instruments remain popular due to their simplicity, affordability, and long history of use. That is particularly true of pendulum devices for notched-Izod impact, the test most often cited in the U.S.
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Differentiating the tests

What to use when

Choosing a pendulum unit

Impact testers such as Tinius Olsen’s model IT504 pendulum unit for Izod and Charpy tests are becoming more popular because they provide much more detailed information.

Among the first instruments plastics molders, extruders, and compounders are likely to consider when outfitting a new lab is a melt-flow indexer or "melt indexer." Known as an extrusion plastometer in more technical jargon, this apparatus has long been used to determine the melt-flow rate or mass-flow rate (MFR) of virgin and compounded thermoplastic resins. With the increased pressure on plastics processors to comply with ISO 9000 standards for quality management, more of them than ever are using these instruments to evaluate incoming material and test finished products.

The melt-flow test detailed in the ASTM D1238 and ISO 1133 standards quickly measures one point on the viscosity curve under standard conditions. While the relative simplicity of this test has remained the same, melt indexers have evolved considerably since they appeared in the 1950s. Computerization and automation have reduced operator-to-operator variables, yielding results with greater accuracy and repeatability.

Why measure melt index?

Which method to use?

More & better features