Technical guides

Hot compression mounting and castable cold mounting solve the same problem by opposite means. This page defines both families, compares them across the criteria that actually drive the decision, and explains when each one — and often both — belongs in a laboratory.

Hot mounting encapsulates a metallographic specimen in resin under simultaneous heat and pressure inside a mounting press. This article walks through the cycle phase by phase, explains what happens chemically in each, compares thermosetting and thermoplastic resins, and lists the practical habits that keep mounts consistent.

Mounting encases a sectioned specimen in a resin block so it can be ground, polished and examined reliably. This guide explains why specimens are mounted, how hot compression and castable mounting work, which parameters control mount quality, and how to translate a laboratory's workload into a sensible machine specification.

Hot compression mounting resins fall into four working families: phenolic for routine work, filled epoxy for edge retention, conductive for SEM and electrolytic work, and transparent acrylic when the specimen must stay visible. This page explains what each is, when to choose it, and what to watch for.

Mould diameter looks like a simple size decision, but it fixes your resin consumption, your cycle behaviour and — through the pressure–force relationship — the actuator your press needs. This guide works through the selection criteria and ends with a practical decision sequence.

A symptom-driven reference for hot compression mounting defects. Find your symptom in the master table, check the likely causes in order, and change one variable at a time. Deep-dive sections cover the five defects that cost laboratories the most time.

A single word — pressure — is used for four different quantities in hot mounting: plant supply pressure, hydraulic system pressure, actuator force and effective pressure at the mould face. This guide separates them, shows how they relate through the force-amplification chain, and explains how to read gauges and write specifications that cannot be misunderstood.

Temperature cures the resin; pressure consolidates it. This guide explains what each parameter does in hot compression mounting, how they interact with resin type, mould diameter and cooling, what goes wrong when either is off, and where to start.

Pneumatic and hydraulic mounting presses both produce excellent metallographic mounts; neither is universally better. They differ in how force is generated, what utilities they need, how they behave in service and where their limits sit. This guide compares them honestly and ends with a decision framework.

A mounting press with one cylinder produces mounts strictly one after another; a second cylinder lets the phases of two cycles overlap. This guide works through the throughput arithmetic, when each configuration is the right buy, and how cooling and automation shift the balance.