Polymer specimens - preperation for microscopy - polishing process and polishing machine

[assafwei]

Hi all,

I am a metallurgist / mechanical engineer by education and these days I am working with polymers.
I remember back in the days that in order to examine a metallic specimen in the microscope we sanded the specimen, then polished the specimen in a special rotary polisher.
I am examining a PEHD/PA6+GF10% Co-Injection specimen with very fine features (1mm height, 0.3mm width, and I need to examine a feature which is approx. 0.3mm in length), I have to put the parts in an acrylic resin, and sand and polish very carefully or else the PA is being smeard all over the PE and I cant see a thing (It seems that the generated heat from fast sanding melts the PA or PE and mixes them together)

I now need to examin a large number of parts under the microscope. I put the samples in an acrylic resin (versocit by Struers), cut them and then sand and polish by hand in order to get good surface finish for the examination. This is quite an ordeal...

I was wondering if someone uses such a process, and have some recommandations on the process or machines that make the sanding / polishing process less manual, faster and better.

Thanks,

Assaf Weiss.

 

[CoryPad]

You need to use wet grinding and polishing to avoid heat damage to your specimens. The Struers Tegramin system is excellent for this type of work:

http://www.struers.com/default.asp?top_id=3&main_id=10&sub_id=300&doc_id=1197

You can contact Struers and have a specialist help you with the proper techniques and materials needed to get optimum results from your specimens:

http://www.struers.com/default.asp?top_id=5&main_id=103&doc_id=1041&target=_self&admin_language=22

 

[assafwei]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

The Tegramin looks a bit overshoot for me, but I am now looking into other lower cost struers systems.

Thanks.