Guill Tool Offers Rheology Lab Testing Services

In March of last year, extrusion tooling supplier Guill Tool announced the opening of a state-of-the-art rheology lab at its facility in West Warwick, RI, for internal use. It is now offering rheology services for a fee to customers and non-customers alike.

Measuring flow characteristics of plastics and rubber is predictive of how material will flow through extrusion dies prior to production. In addition, tooling geometry is virtually optimized, and the project can be viewed in 3D CAD, said Guill. Machines in the lab include a rotational rheometer, scanning calorimeter, thermal conductivity meter, and new CT scanner.  

The rotational rheometer quickly generates visco-elastic data for polymer melts and precisely captures their properties. The test temperature ranges between ambient and 300°C.

The lab’s scanning calorimeter characterizes the thermal properties of a polymer sample, including crystallization temperature, glass transition temperature, and head capacity of the sample. Knowing these thermal properties permits the simulation of shear heating and hot and cold spots in the flow area, said Guill.

The thermal conductivity meter determines thermal conductivity of a polymer sample across a range of temperatures.

The IM-8000 Series Image Dimension Measurement System provides improved simulation accuracy. Image courtesy of Guill Tool.

The newly purchased IM-8000 Series Image Dimension Measurement System features a 20-megapixel CMOS sensor and new algorithm for stable edge detection. Improved simulation accuracy reduces the number of physical reworks needed.

Guill Tool added that the in-house lab provides fast turnaround on test results, reducing delays during the design process and offering better control across the testing parameters.