HAAKE™ Rheomix QC Lab Mixers, designed for the HAAKE™ PolyLab QC torque rheometer platform, enable small-scale batch testing of highly viscous materials. This allows users to characterize substances like polymers, elastomers, additives, and fillers, proactively identifying and preventing potential production issues.
Mixers in the HAAKE PolyLab QC system perform mixing, kneading, compounding, and plasticizing. A standard test involves running the mixer at a set speed (shear rate) over time, measuring the material's torque response. While the mixing chamber maintains precise temperature control via independent heating and cooling zones, frictional heat generates a measurable change in the material's melt temperature. This resulting "Rheogram" (torque and melt temperature plotted against time at a constant speed) provides a unique "fingerprint" for different materials and blends, commonly used in quality control for incoming and outgoing product inspection. By analyzing the melting behavior, energy consumption, and melt viscosity (recorded torque), users can objectively measure and quantify the effects of various additives and their concentrations.
Typical applications include:
- Analyzing polymer melt melting and degradation.
- Quantifying viscosity changes due to nano-particles or other additives.
- Evaluating gelation and plasticizing of PVC dry-blends.
- Measuring flow and curing behavior of thermosetting plastics.
- Characterizing the impact of additives (e.g., carbon black, fillers, lubricants, accelerators, sulfur) in rubber mixtures.
- Recording mastication and vulcanization of elastomers.
- Measuring carbon black oil absorption.
- Quantifying DOP absorption in PVC dry-blends.
- Measuring stable torque under the influence of individual and combined fillers and additives (e.g., stabilizers, lubricants, color pigments).
- Assessing the processability of high-performance plastics.
- Performing electrical conductivity measurements on rubber mixtures.