Research and Development: Know Your Cure

During research on thermosets or other composite materials, it can be difficult to assess exact details about cure. What happens when the material is heated? When is the best time to apply pressure to squeeze out voids? How fast does the material react at different temperatures? How can R&D teams improve their processes and increase efficiencies? Dielectric cure monitoring, also known as dielectric analysis (DEA), provides crucial details on the cure of epoxies, polyurethanes, acrylics, and other thermosets used in the manufacture of composites. It complements more conventional thermal analysis techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to bridge the gap between laboratory and manufacturing environments. Dielectric cure monitoring can be used to easily evaluate preliminary formulations or processes, allowing rapid iterations to achieve desired results. With dielectric cure monitoring, R&D processes can be accelerated, allowing users to defer performing laborious DSC or DMA tests until the end of development.