D1238 10 standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer, melt flow rate, melt index, volume flow rate, acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene abs, extrusion plastometer, flow and flow ratethermoplastics, fluoropolymers, polycarbonate pc, polymers, thermoplastics. It is recommended to reduce the moisture content before melt processing to a level less than 250 ppm and preferably less than 100 ppm, measured by e. Weigh the extrudate and multiply by the appropriate factor to obtain the standard gms10 minute meltflow value. It provides a means of measuring flow of a melted material which can be used to differentiate grades as with polyethylene, or. Melt flow indexer manual and motorized mp1200 from tinius. The basic principle employed in the melt flow index. Polyox watersoluble resins melt flow test procedure. The melt flow index obtaining accurate and relevant results. Mfr and the melt volume flow rate mvr of thermoplastics3 3. Both astm 1238 and iso 13 offer two variations of the standard melt flow test. It is designed to make melt flow rate testing faster, more accurate and flexible, and generate more rheological information. The demands placed on the extrusion plastometer vary according to which processing stage in. Plastic thermal analysis testing plastic thermal testing.
The volume is converted to a mass measurement by multiplying the result by the melt density value for the material see note 2. Astm d1238 standard test method for melt flow rates of. An extrusion plastometer, more commonly referred to as a melt indexer, is used to determine the mfi of virgin, compounded. While melt flowrate testing is not extremely difficult, and the equipment is not very costly, few. Predyring is in particular important prior to injection molding, film and sheet production. The result is expressed in grams per 10 minutes g10 min.
First of all, melt index or mi, or melt flow index, or mfi is a measure of melt viscosity, but its the inverse of real viscosity that is, a resin with. The melt flow index mfi, also known as the melt flow rate mfr, determines the melt flow properties measured in g10 min of a material at a specific shear stress related to applied load and temperature. Melt flow index mfi is defined as the measure of the ease of melt flow of thermoplastic material in gram over the course of 10 min at a certain standard temperature ie, 230c. Tinius olsens model mp600 shown in procedure a configuration. Advanced melt flow system the 6mpca is the most advanced digital model offered within the rayran range of melt flow index testers. Iso standard 131 governs the procedure for measurement of the melt flow rate. 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. The method is described in the standards astm d1238 and iso 13. Melt flow tests are a simple method of characterizing the flow properties of a plastic melted mass. The mfr test quantifies the mass of thermoplastic resin that is extruded by an extrusion plastometer over a fixed time period specified as the mass in grams that would be extruded in 10 minutes under.
Experimental procedure summary approximately 6 to10 grams. D 1238 04 standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer1 this standard is issued under the. Featuring a unique sled placement system to increase the repeatability of static friction results and control dwell time, it is the ideal choice for the measurement of flexible packaging materials including film, paper and board. Mp1200 tinius olsen is proud to introduce our latest evolution of melt indexer to meet almost every need. Understanding rheology of thermoplastic polymers keywords. Procedure b requires that the melt density either be known or calculated using the calculate option in the embedded software. Standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi test on.
Besides injection molding, extrusion and blow molding are the other two major processes. Tutorial on using instron melt flow tester to iso 13 and. Normally, the test conditions for measurement of melt flow rate are specified in the material standard with a reference to this part of iso 13. Melt flow index testing associated polymer labs, inc. Melt flow rate testing part 4 reprinted with permission materials know how by michael sepe from michael p. Astm d1238 standard test method for melt flow rates.
Both measure the same property, but slight procedural and equipment differences can yield different results. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer1 this standard is issued under the. Part i article pdf available in advances in polymer technology 61. It is generally used as an alternative to procedure b on samples having melt flow rates greater than 75 g10 min. 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. Use of melt flow rate test in reliability study of thermoplastic. Polymer processors usually correlate the value of mfi with the. Determination of the melt flow index of plasticized polymer material by using plastometer mflow zwickroell. More than just a quality control rheological parameter. Weigh the extrudate and multiply by the appropriate factor to obtain the standard gms10 minute melt flow value. Depending upon the resulting flow rate, a slightly shorter 30 second or longer cut 2 minute may be substituted for the normal 1 minute cut. Astmd1238 standard test method for melt flow rates of.
Rheograms for engineering thermoplastics from melt flow index. Tutorial on using instron melt flow tester to iso 13 and astm d1238. The dynisco polymer test systems series 4000 melt flow indexer incorporates the latest in microelectronic technology. The afrt automatically allows the flow rate to be measured and is suitable for flow rates between 0. Acrylic and polycarbonate sheets replacing glass windows in building. Melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer1 this standard is issued under the. From basic mfr calculation to flow rate ratio frr and basic rheologic. Melt flow testers are ideal for standard procedures ranging from a quick manual test to a multiweight characterization. Mp600 extrusion plastometer texas state university. Presto stantest understands the need for measuring mfi of polymer granules and offers a highquality melt flow index tester. It is often used in the plastic industry for quality control of.
It is often used in the plastic industry for quality control of thermoplastics. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Measurement procedure with the melt indexer mi4 youtube. This value is also commonly called the melt index, mi, or meltflow index, mfi. Melt flow rate testing part 2 to fully appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the melt flow rate mfr test it is important to know something about the way the test is performed. Service should only be done by a qualified dynisco service technician. Repeat the entire procedure 3 times and average the results. Because the viscosity of a polymer varies with flow rate, or shear rate, a complete characterization of viscosity must allow for measurements at multiple shear. Mfi 9 melt flow indexing machine mwd corresponds with a greater shear sensitivity, i.
The mfi is a determination of the flow ability of thermoplastic materials. While melt flow rate testing is not extremely difficult, and the equipment is not very costly, few. Aug 26, 20 melt flow rate testingpart 1 though often criticized, mfr is a very good gauge of the relative average molecular weight of the polymer. Melt flow index is a measure of the resistance to flow viscosity of the polymer melt at a given temperature under a given force. Investigation of melt flow index and impact strength of. Procedure c is an automatically timed measurement used to determine the melt flow rate mfr of polyolefin materials. Procedure b is generally used with materials having melt flow rates from 0. Injection molding fractional melt index, high density polyethylene materials laren d. The mfr test quantifies the mass of thermoplastic resin that is extruded by an extrusion plastometer over a fixed time period specified as the mass in grams that would be extruded in 10 minutes under prescribed temperature and mechanical load conditions.
The test is performed at a given temperature depending on the plastic. Melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer1. One should be aware that even though mfi is the dominate method used to characterize how plastic will flow in a mold, it does not actually provide a measure of viscosity. The afrt automatically allows the flow rate to be measured and. Polymer flow under pressure as an indirect measure of molecular weight melt flow rate mfr, also known as melt flow index mfi or melt index mi the melt flow rate mfr, originally called melt flow index or melt index, is a measure of the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic polymer. The melting property of thermoplastic material can be checked by equipment called a melt flow tester fig. 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. Melt flow test equipment for sale with extended warranty.
The melt flow index mfi or melt flow rate mfr is a measure for the ease of flow of melted plastics. Astm d1238 10 standard test method for melt flow rates. Determination of the melt massflow rate mfr and melt volumeflow rate mvr of thermoplastics. The melt flow index mfi is a measure of the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic.
The test measures the melt flow properties of resins in g10 min at a particular shear stress related to applied load and temperature. The melt flow indexer is an affordable tabletop instrument that tests the melt flow resistance mfr of a wide range of thermoplastics. This test method is widely used, especially in quality assurance and goods inwards testing. Mfr measurements made with procedure b are reported in g10 minutes. The advanced friction tester is our top the range instrument for measuring static and dynamic cof. The manually operated test procedure is very simple to undertake. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics. Both offer a manual means procedure a or method a and automatic timedflow measurement procedure b or method b. Moisture causes hydrolysis of the pla homopolymer during melt processing, resulting in reduced mechanical performance in the final part.
It is generally used as an alternative to procedure b on samples having melt. Pdf determining the melt flow index of polypropylene. The operating procedure is simple to undertake using its onboard advanced microprocessor. 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 heart of the system is a 32 bit microprocessor developed by dynisco polymer test systems.
Melt flow indexer qualifi 6000 series astm d1238, iso 13. Melt viscosity is a constant at low shear rates or frequencies. Shoup, chevron phillips chemical company lp abstract when injection molding high density polyethylene hdpe, typical melt index of the product used ranges from about 2. A useful measure of the shear stressshear rate relationship flow parameter can be made by measuring the mfr at standard load and at a. Use of melt flow rate test in reliability study of. Melt flow index, melt flow rate, astm d1238, iso 13.
Melt flow rate measures the rate of extrusion of thermoplastics through an orifice at a prescribed temperature and load. The temperature sensors shall be used with a potentiometer having a sensitivity of at least 0. Mvr measurements are reported in cubic centimetresten minutes cm 3 10 min. Hanatek instruments hanatek manufacturer of qc test. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by. Do not remove the housing or any part of its outer covers. Melt flow system advanced the 6mpca is the most advanced model offered within the rayran range of melt flow indexers. This unique melt indexer with automatic weight selection can carry out a single weight test according to iso 13 and astm d1238, procedures. Measuring mass flow rate mfr and other polymer properties. The operating procedure is simple to undertake using its onboard advanced microprocessor technology. Your dynisco lab melt flow indexer contains high voltage inside the housing. The mass of resin, in grams, that is extruded in 10 minutes equals the mfr, expressed in units of g10 min.
The demands placed on the extrusion plastometer vary according to which processing stage in the plastics industry is involved. The melt flow rate is a measure of the ease of flow of melted plastic and represents a typical index for quality control of thermoplastics. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion. The melt flow index mfi is a measure of the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic 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.
Melt flow system the 6mba is the basic model offered within the rayran range of melt flow indexers. Since molecular weight mw is the driving force behind performance in polymers, it turns out to be a very useful number. Mfr represents a typical index for characterizing thermoplastics. We buy materials, set conditions and sell our products all based on this number, which has been around for over 50 years. Standard test method for melt flow rates of thermoplastics by extrusion plastometer 1. With the addition of optional accessories, procedure b automatically timed flow rate measurement may be performed. Standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi test. 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. The basic plastometer melt indexer, as described, may be used for procedure a manual operation. Melt flow index is an assessment of average molecular mass and is an inverse measure of the melt viscosity.
A number in parentheses indicates the year of last. Standard test procedure and conditions to perform mfi. Astm d1238 10 standard test method for melt flow rates of. Qualifi 6000 melt flow indexer series can be used for testing mfr and mvr of polycarbonate, fluoroplastics, as well as polyethylene, polypropylene, abs, pom, etc and is related to the melted material viscosity. This is a report on the melt flow rate certification of standard reference material srm. This new model, the mp1200, meets, and surpasses, all the requirements of procedure a and procedures b, c and d of astm d1238. Of those that do, most dont understand why they are doing it or what they are measuring. Determination of melt mass flow rate mfr and melt volume.