Features
 Rapid QA of plastics
Set-up is fast and most users are
measuring samples
within half an
hour
No complicated data to interpret,
just a single
numerical value
showing how close the new is to
the old
The high speed thermal analysis
principal behind this
technology
means that the tests are not
affected by strong
colours or fillers
such as carbon black that have
affected
results from other devices
in the past
Introduction
identipolQA represents a major new approach to assessing the quality of thermoplastic materials. Based upon hybridised thermal analysis, the assessment of materials is very rapid and exceptionally easy to use.
Typical tests take only a few minutes and require just a few milligrams of material (often just a single pellet). As the only data generated is the QIS (see below), no interpretation of complex thermal traces is required.
The evaluation and comparison of thermal traces are eliminated as the identipolQA effectively 'learns' the pattern of a known 'good' sample and compares the unknown against this standard. The thermo-mechanical measurement technique analyses the true polymeric properties, and therefore colourants will have little effect and different colour batches can be compared. Similarly, whilst fillers will largely be inert, they will not affect the plastics analysis. However, different filler contents can be detected.
A statistical probability figure results representing the closeness of the unknown to the learnt pattern.
All of the key material behaviour is assessed using this technology; glass transition, relaxations, softening points, crystallisation (if present) and melt. These are effectively reduced to a single probability score, the QIS, which may then be used to determine quickly and without the need for a skilled operator whether your raw material or product is within acceptable bounds. The QIS can be transferred either manually or automatically into production control charts where acceptable quality limits can be set by the users:
Specifications
| Sample Size |
20 to 30mg (one or two plastic granules) |
| Temperature Range |
Ambient to 350˚C |
| Heating Rate |
10 – 100°C/min |
| Standard Output |
Quality Index Score (QIS)
(DPID - Distribution of Pairwise Intersample
Distances)
|
| Optional outputs |
Complex thermo-mechanical property data, tan delta, stiffness and delta T |
| Connections |
110/240V AC universal power supply
USB Interface
|
| Conformance |
Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC BS EN6101-1:2001
BS EN 61010-2-010:2003, BS EN 61010-2-081:2002
EMC Directive 89/336/EEC BS EN61326:1997
Conformity Mark CE 2007 |
|
identipolQA Hybridised Thermal Analysis for Quality Control
QUALITY ASSURANCE OF THERMOPLASTICS
- Determine quality of any thermoplastic
- Ensure ' Fit for Purpose *
- Position to check material and process
- Reduce Risk of incorrect or poor material entering your factory **
- Reduce Risk of final product not performing as it should
- Reduce Wastage
- Reduce Costs
- Improve Efficiency
- Improve Competitiveness
- Compare Competitive product
- Check alternative materials
- Lower cost materials (without risking trial runs in the factory)
- Unique Product
Complete plastics testing in a box!
Notes:
* 'fit for purpose' in this context means that a tested material compares well thermo-mechanically with the original materials used to establish the reference set to which it is being compared.
** It is always recommended that a material or process should utilise more than one technique to aid confirmation of on-going quality. A good 'sister' technique to use alongside the identiPolQA is MFI. Other tests may also be useful.
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