Gammadot
is establishing a new Centre for Cure. This has at its core, existing
instrumentation such as the refurbished Monsanto R100 Oscillating
Disc Rheometer and the Reologica ViscoTech Controlled Stress Rheometer
(with disposable sample plates), alongside the latest instrumentation
from Polymatrix Ltd – the PM340 Series Phase Shift Curemeter.
Gammadot was selected by Polymatrix to assist in the development
of this instrument and has become the first test house to have
a unit on site.
The
R100 ODR is, of course, the workhorse of rubber cure monitoring,
whilst the Gammadot-designed disposable plate / plate measurement
system for the Viscotech rheometer brings research-grade instrumentation
to cure-reaction studies. Together with the PM340 PSC, which
is especially suited to curing liquids, these three instruments
can provide cure monitoring for the full range of polymer types
– whether rubber or plastic, liquid or solid, flexible,
rigid or foamed.
The
PM340 PSC breaks new ground in cure monitoring in that it can
deliver state of cure in real time. There is no need to wait
until the cure is over to establish progress at an intermediate
stage. The approach also dispenses with the need to assume zero
cure at the start. Putting numbers to the initial state of cure
makes the determination of shelf life simple and routine. Indeed,
simplicity is at the heart of this new technique which seeks
to demystify cure assessment. We await your samples.
The
control of cure embraces a number of challenges – not
the least being processability in the early stages of cure.
Problems may manifest themselves in a variety of ways, and the
core instrumentation described is backed up by a host of other
characterisation techniques. These include: capillary &
rotational rheometry and Brookfield viscometry. The Centre for
Cure at Gammadot provides a comprehensive testing facility –
a true one-stop shop for problems of flow and cure.
