The metallographic mounting knowledge centre
Metallographic Mounting — Explained, Optimised & Built
Learn how resin, pressure, heat, cooling and machine design shape a dependable mount — then configure a press that Multitek can build for your laboratory.
From knowledge to hardware
Built where the engineering happens
Mouldz is backed by the people who design, wire, assemble and test Multitek machines. The configurator translates your specimens, throughput and utilities into an engineering brief for that workshop.
In-house
Machine building
Application-led
Configuration
Single to multi
Station layouts
Typical hot mounting starting points
Common starting values for routine hot compression mounting. They vary by resin and specimen — follow your resin manufacturer's guidance where applicable, and read the full temperature & pressure guide for what happens outside these windows.
| Parameter | Typical starting region | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 150 – 180 °C | Set by resin family |
| Mounting pressure | ~250 bar | At the mould face — not line pressure |
| Heat / cure phase | 5 – 10 min | Rises with mount size |
| Mould diameter | 30 mm | Common routine configuration |
| Cooling | Under pressure | Commonly required for transparent resins; follow supplier data |
Line pressure is not mounting pressure
A suitably sized pneumatic actuator can theoretically turn 6 bar line pressure into around 250 bar at a 30 mm mould face — the press is a force amplifier. Run your own numbers, both directions, right here. More tools in the calculator collection.
Carry the calculated line pressure, mould diameter and target mould-face pressure into your machine configuration.
Use these values in my configurationMounting presses, configured — not picked from a shelf
Pneumatic or hydraulic. One cylinder or several. Bench-top or full workstation. Each RFQ is specified around your application, throughput and utilities — starting from these architectures:
Routine laboratory work
Single-station
One focused station, configured around your mould, utilities and workflow.
Overlapping cycles
Dual-station
Heat one mount while another cools — designed for busier laboratories.
High-throughput & custom
Multi-station
Three or more stations, special tooling and layouts engineered to the brief.
Built on workshop reality, not marketing copy
Mouldz content is written the way laboratory engineers work: formulas with their assumptions, typical values with their caveats, defects with their causes. Technical articles identify their engineering author and reviewer, cite supporting specimen-preparation references, and connect directly to real Multitek machine configurations.
Every recommendation carries its reason
The configurator explains why it suggests dual cylinders or water cooling — deterministic engineering rules, not a black box.
Theoretical values are labelled theoretical
Calculators disclose friction, seal losses and geometry effects instead of pretending ideal numbers are certified specs.
No invented specifications
Where a value depends on your configuration, Mouldz says so — instead of quoting catalogue numbers that may not apply.
Provenance
Mouldz by Multitek is the metallographic mounting knowledge centre and press configurator of Multitek Technologies. The mounting presses configured here are designed and manufactured by Multitek. Mouldz exists to make the engineering behind specimen mounting transparent — and to turn that understanding into correctly specified machines. About Mouldz & Multitek
Configure your mounting press
Ten guided engineering questions. Recommendations with reasons. A structured RFQ with a unique reference and PDF — contact details only at the end.
Configure Your Mounting Press