In the last post we presented the basics of the flow test and how to use the aborted flow test to determine the flow number as a function of time for various heating rates (figure on the left).  In this post we will describe a method to measure flow continuously as a function of time.  The focus here was to understand the large scale flow during lamination of large laminates ... [Click to Continue...]

In this post we will introduce the concepts and methods to measure flow using the IPC flow test.  Complete details of the test method may be found in IPC-TM-650 (The Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits). The flow test measures the percent resin that flows out of a standardized stack of B-staged prepreg for a given lamination process.  The test is ... [Click to Continue...]

Last fall I posted a ten part series on the Rheology of Thermosets (staring August 11, 2014) and covered the basics of rheometry, isothermal and non-isothermal rheology measurements, and finished with a case study on composite lamination.  In the next series of posts, I will expand on the composite lamination case study and provide a more in-depth look at how the rheology and ... [Click to Continue...]

In order to be a successful innovator these days you have to be fast.  But how do you measure “fast?” Some of our readers may remember the Fram oil filter ads “you can pay me now or you can pay me later.”  In any case, you will have to pay up.  But how does that relate to innovation? Or a corollary with similar implications is “nobody has enough time to do it right the first ... [Click to Continue...]

Guest Post by Huan Lee, Lambient Technologies In this last post I want to pass on some tips for successful dielectric cure monitoring. Most seem obvious in retrospect, but I found that the simplicity of the method—place a sample on the sensor, heat and go away for lunch—sometimes caused me to forget how care and good practice go a long way to making good ... [Click to Continue...]