Avraam i isayev, in rheology concepts, methods, and applications second edition, 2012. Similarly, the test conditions of mfi measurement is normally expressed in kilograms rather than any other units. Astm d1238 standard test method for melt flow rates of. We suupplies the mfi tester, semi melt flow indexer, auto melt flow indexer. Mfr measurements made with procedure b are reported in g10 minutes. The melt flow index mfi, also known as the melt flow rate mfr, of a resin is a materials property test used in the plastics industry. The demands placed on the extrusion plastometer vary according to which processing stage in the plastics industry is involved. It is designed to calculate accurate rate of extrusion of molten resin through an orifice of specified temperature and pressure. Instrons ceast melt flow testers are specifically designed for easy and accurate measuring of the melt flow rate mfr and the melt volume rate mvr. Polyhedron laboratories performs plastic thermal testing according to astm standards, such as brittleness temperature by impact testing. Testing procedures and requirements need to be closely followed by periodic testing of standard reference material srm or control materials.
Saumya technocrates manufacturering wide range of plastic testing equipments in india the melt flow index test measures the rate of extrusion of a thermoplastic material through orifice of specific length and diameter under prescribed conditions of temperature and pressure. The mfi of any polymer is calculated as the weight10 min through melt flow testing machine at standard. Jun 24, 20 melt flow rate testingpart 1 though often criticized, mfr is a very good gauge of the relative average molecular weight of the polymer. Values are taken at a certain temperature and with a certain mass applied, dependant on material. Plastic thermal analysis testing plastic thermal testing.
Both astm 1238 and iso 13 offer two variations of the standard meltflow test. The mfi of any polymer is calculated as the weight10 min through melt flow testing machine at standard temperature, i. Note 1roundrobin testing indicates this test method may be suitable at. The melt flow index mfi is a measure of the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic polymer. A melt flow test measures the melt flow rate mfr and melt volume rate mvr of a molten polymer. Using standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi test on plastic granules is the best way to determine the physical as well as chemical properties of the material.
Presto group is the manufacturer and supplier of melt flow index, melt flow index deluxe testing machines. Method a is a very simple and is focused on cutting the flowing extrudate with respect to time and recording the mass in order to. This presentation is designed to be an informative introduction and guide to melt flow test, and to assist with troubleshooting inconsistencies in results. Presto stantest understands the need for measuring mfi of polymer granules and offers a highquality melt flow index tester. Melt flow indexer the melt flow indexer is an affordable tabletop instrument that tests the melt flow resistance mfr of a wide range of thermoplastics. Use of melt flow rate test in reliability study of. Astm d1238 standard test method for melt flow rates. Tmi and rayran have been manufacturing melt flow index testers for plastics for decades. Tutorial on testing with a ceast melt flow system youtube. Melt flow index tester application procedure the melt flow index tester comprises of a piston assembly and a heated barrel to store the sample of the resins. On the other hand, procedure b testing requires an accurate value for the resin melt density at the test temperature. The melt flow index test is regularly used in the geosynthetics industry to.
Values are taken at a certain temperature and with a certain mass applied, dependant on. Polyox watersoluble resins melt flow test procedure. The model is used to determine melt flow index grams 10 minutes, melt volume rate cu. The melt flow index obtaining accurate and relevant results. In our experience method a is the most accepted procedure for most polymers used in geosynthetics. Melt flow rate testing part 4 reprinted with permission materials know how by michael sepe from michael p. Ceast melt flow testers range from systems that perform a simple manual test procedure to semiautomated testing systems performing multiple weight tests. Melt flow index tester is used to test the flowability of thermoplastic polymer under high temperature, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, pom, abs resin, polycarbonate, nylon fluorine and other plastic polymers. Standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi.
The test measures the melt flow properties of resins in g10 min at a particular shear stress related to applied load and temperature. The tester conforms to all national and international melt flow resistance standards, including bs en iso 13 and astm d1238. Four melt flow indexer models are offered in the advanced dynisco polymer test lmi 4000 series, each with features designed to meet specific application requirements. Melt flow indexers singapore malaysia indonesia, vietnam. Melt flow index mfi is the ability of a material to flow in limited interval of time so that that material can be used in any standard machine, which has certain limitations based on flowability of material used boparai et al. Melt flow index tester, manufacturers suppliers of melt. You can combine a procedure a and procedure b test to give both weight and volume data, which allow calculation of melt density. The melt flow index mi40 with automatic weight selection can carry out tests according to iso 13 and astm d 1238, procedures b, as well as iso 13 and astm d 1238 procedure c for the half height half diameter standard. Approximately 7 grams of the material is loaded into the barrel of the melt flow apparatus, which has been heated to a temperature specified for the material. If you are suspicious of the melt flow data you are obtaining, you have plenty of options for checking and updating equipment, examining procedures, and comparing results with those obtained by others. Of those that do, most dont understand why they are doing it or what they are measuring.
Since molecular weight mw is the driving force behind performance in polymers, it turns out to be a very useful number. Polymer processors usually correlate the value of mfi with the. Determination of melt mass flow rate mfr and melt volume. Kaiser technic is leading melt flow index tester manufacturer in india at wholesale prices. Astm 1238 and the iso 13 test methods are technically. The result is expressed in grams per 10 minutes g10 min. Direct factory of melt flow index for pp and pe rubber and. Thermal analysis is a field of materials science in which the properties of materials are examined as the material changes when the temperature changes. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by. This value is also commonly called the melt index, mi, or meltflow index, mfi. Aug 23, 2011 you can combine a procedure a and procedure b test to give both weight and volume data, which allow calculation of melt density. Customers benefit from the companys applications expertise with services such as custom designed tests and material evaluation for process troubleshooting.
Procedure b needs a melt density value and is ideal for organizations that test the same material several times over and want to reduce the. For oxygen and nitrogen measurement in addition to rotameter, direct oxygen percentage can be indicated digitally in the oxygen and nitrogen mixture, with the help of oxygen meter. Melt flow tests are a simple method of characterizing the flow properties of a plastic melted mass. Tutorial on using instron melt flow tester to iso 13 and astm.
Melt flow system the 6mba is the basic model offered within the rayran range of melt flow indexers. Hence, melt flow index tester is the need for every polymer industry in order to assure highquality production. Melt flow rate measures the rate of extrusion of thermoplastics through an. Fundamentals of melt flow testing linkedin slideshare. Melt flow index mfi specialist testing instruments aml.
It is defined as the mass of polymer, in grams, flowing in ten minutes through a capillary of a specific diameter and length by a pressure applied via prescribed alternative gravimetric weights for alternative prescribed temperatures. Procedure a is typically most useful for companies that test. Note 2this test method and iso 131991 are technically equivalent. Melt viscosity 2 melt volume rate 2 melt flow index. Melt flow index, melt flow rate, astm d1238, iso 13. Melt flow index testing associated polymer labs, inc. It is generally used as an alternative to procedure b on samples having melt flow rates greater than 75 g10 min. The meltflow test detailed in the astm d1238 and iso 13 standards quickly. In addition, it runs tests according to procedure d for the frr test flow rate ratio and astm d 3364.
The basic melt flow indexer, often abbreviated as mfi, is an affordableprice tabletop instrument used to test the melt flow resistance mfr of a wide range of thermoplastic materials. Standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi test. While melt flowrate testing is not extremely difficult, and the equipment is not very costly, few. Procedure b requires that the melt density either be known or calculated using the calculate option in the embedded software.
Oxygen index apparatus, oxygen index tester, temperature. Experimental procedure summary approximately 6 to10 grams of polyethylene is loaded into the barrel of the melt flow plastometer. The afrt automatically allows the flow rate to be measured and is suitable for flow rates between 0. Iso 13 melt massflow rate and melt volumeflow rate. Melt flow index is a measure of the resistance to flow viscosity of the. Melt flow index is a measure of the resistance to flow viscosity of the polymer melt. Since the polyox watersoluble resins wsr are provided as a powder, it is critical that the sample be homogeneous. The manually operated test procedure is very simple to undertake. Measuring mass flow rate mfr and other polymer properties. Determination of melt mass flow rate mfr and melt volume flow rate mvr iso 131, 2 and astm d1238 extrusion plastometers provide standard values for the melt index mfr and volume index mvr of filled and unfilled thermoplastics to iso 131 and 2, astm d1238. A howto video on using a melt flow testing system takes you step by step. It is generally used for materials having melt flow rates that fall between 0. Both melt flow and rheology tests can be very helpful tools for qc monitoring and development of polymers. Procedure a is a manual massmeasurement method, in which timed segments of the extrudate are weighed with a balance after the test to determine the melt mass flow rate mfr.
Approximately 7 grams of the material is loaded into the barrel of the melt flow apparatus, which has been heated to a temperature specified for. Amls range of melt flow index mfi measuring instruments and test equipment. The mfr test may be used to assess creep observed in the field because mfr is inversely proportional to the zeroshear viscosity. The melt flow index mfi, also known as the melt flow rate mfr, determines the. Iso standard 131 governs the procedure for measurement of the melt flow rate. It is generally used as an alternative to procedure b on samples having melt. This test method is widely used, especially in quality assurance and goods inwards testing. Astm d1238 10 standard test method for melt flow rates of.