Cold embedding is actually the process of using a liquid resin at room temperature, adding a curing agent, and then pouring it into a plastic mold, followed by crosslinking and curing. The liquid resin mentioned here is the required inlay liquid for cold inlay. Cold embedding is often used for some heat sensitive or pressure sensitive samples.


For heat sensitive materials such as circuit boards, plastics, or organic matter, as well as pressure sensitive samples such as wire materials, porous materials, and coating materials, it is recommended to use the cold setting method for sample preparation. Add curing agent to the liquid resin; Pour in molds made of silicone or other plastic materials; After curing, demould and form. So when performing cold inlay, it can be done without equipment or a simple vacuum device. Here, Metalworking recommends the Air-Out vacuum system!

 The Air-Out vacuum system consists of a true cavity and a vacuum pump. The Air-Out vacuum system is designed specifically for samples embedded with pores and cracks, and also has sample storage function. Vacuum pumping can remove air from the sample and embedded resin, allowing the embedded resin to penetrate into the pores of the sample, supporting the structure of brittle and fragile samples, improving edge retention effect, and facilitating smooth subsequent grinding and polishing.


Unique feature: The coating, plating layer, and pores that have undergone edge protection can fully reproduce their microstructure


The curing time of cold embedding resin varies, with varying shrinkage and bubble volume. In addition, the hardness after curing also varies, so special attention should be paid when selecting cold embedding resin. Cold embedded resins can be roughly divided into the following two categories based on their curing characteristics:


1、 Epoxy resin


The curing of epoxy resin is relatively mild, achieving over 80% curing within a few hours. During the curing process, there are fewer bubbles generated, and the sample can achieve excellent transparency, making it particularly suitable for embedding circuit boards and other high visibility requirements. The curing shrinkage is small and the hardness is high, making it very suitable for samples with a focus on observing the surface or coating.


2、 Acrylic acids


Acrylic resin can cure within tens of minutes, making it particularly suitable for rapid sample preparation. Moreover, it is less affected by environmental temperature, and the sample has higher hardness, but lower transparency. Due to the strong smell of acrylic resin, metalworking recommends operating in Fume hood. For porous materials, it is necessary to assist vacuum negative pressure devices to achieve better penetration effects; Embedding in pressure vessels can also suppress bubbles and further improve sample transparency.


That's all for today's metalworking talk about inlaying fluids and their usage methods! If you have any other questions about metallographic equipment or metallographic sample preparation, please log in to the official website www.qmaxis.cn for direct technical exchange with our metalworking team, or visit the Kemai Testing Nanjing Laboratory for on-site testing.


Disclaimer: This article is only for technical discussion.