Application and efficiency of thermal analysis in a production laboratory

The application of thermoanalytical methods to technical products in a production laboratory is characterised by a close connection with the specific production process and therefore it is frequently confronted with a large variety of samples. Contrary to research laboratories there are almost no pure material systems to be tested. This means that in harsh environments thermoanalytical methods must provide results with high sensitivity and reproducibility in order to detect reacting components. The example of technical plastics shows not only the efficiency but also the problems of Thermal Analysis for materials testing. Discussed are polyethylene for cable insulation and for pipes, and epoxy resins for injection moulded parts in the electrical engineering field. Demonstrated is the routine application of DSC to determine the crystallinity, curing, and oxydation stability. TG to determine the temperature stability and TMA to measure the degree of curing. A comparison is made between results obtained from different Thermal Analysis methods.