Download - Rheology Solutions

• rheotalk biennial 

Overview 

Welcome to the second edition 

of our cumulative Biennial 

RheoTalk. This has been 

complied to provide our 

Australian customers and 

readers of RheoTalk with an 

easy reference and source 

of the product information, 

application articles and news 

from 2007 - 2008. 

The newsletter has been cross indexed and 

referenced by industry, so that each key area 

can identify the specific information that 

relates to their industry. There classifications 

that we have used are listed and are also 

colour coded: 

• Mining Industries 

• Polymer Industries 

• Food Industries 

• Surface Coatings Industries 

• Chemical & General Manufacturing 

Industries 

• Construction & Building Industries 

• Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Allied 

Industries 

• All Industries 

Additionally, the indexes have been divided 

into three sections covering Application 

Notes, News & Views, and Product News 

& Industry Applications. There is an index 

at the beginning of each of these sections, 

listing the contents within that section with 

a cross reference to the industry that it 

applies to. 


In This Issue... 


Information 

Request 

Form 

At the end of the cumulative issue of 

RheoTalk we have provided an Information 

Request Form for those that wish further 

information. The form can be printed and 

filled out and then either faxed or posted. 

Alternatively, you can send an email direct 

with details of the information you are 

seeking to info@rheologysolutions.com 

We trust that the Biennial RheoTalk will be 

beneficial to all that read and search through 

the issue. Any enquiries from the Biennial 

RheoTalk not within Australia will be 

forwarded to our overseas partner for their 

action. Happy reading 

biennial 07-08 


Search 

Facility 

This file has been created as a PDF which 

therefore provides full search function. This 

means that searching can be conducted by 

any word, phrase, industry type, brand name, 

application or product model. 

Application Notes & Laboratory Reports Product News & Industry Applications 

Application Notes ............................ 2-31 Product Focus ........................... 56-105 

Laboratory Reports............................ 2-31 Product Reviews ........................ 56-105 

News & Views Product News ........................... 56-105 

Industry Solutions ............................ 32-55 Information Request Form... 106-110 

Company News ................................ 32-55 

info@rheologysolutions.com 1 

www.rheologysolutions.com

Application Notes 

& Laboratory Reports 


• Experimental Influences on the Casson-Viscosity. The Casson Yield 

Point for Chocolate Tests ........................................................................ 6 • 

• How to Select the Most Suitable Sensor for Your Application ........................ 7 • 

• Rheological Analysis of Powder Coatings........................................................ 4 • 

• Rheological Characterisation of Tooth Paste ................................................ 5 • 

• Rheological Investigation of Three Rubbers with Different Shore Factors 

With Respect to their Shape Stability before Curing ........................................ 5 • 

• Rheological Properties of Fresh Building Materials ........................................ 6 • 

• Breaking Strength of Chocolate ................................................................ 8 • 

• A New Approach to Rheological Modelling of an Electrostatic 

Ash & Water Mixture – Quadratic Law ........................................................ 11 • 

• A New Definition in Reactor Temperature Control with the Highly Dynamic 

HAAKE DynaMax System ........................................................................ 10 • 

• A Numerical Study of Temperature & shear Flow in a Transiently 

Loaded Lubricant Film ................................................................................ 10 • 

• Characterisation of the Thixotropic Behaviour of Semi-Solid Foodstuffs ........ 13 • 

• Dynamic Master Curves of Polymer Modified Asphalt 

From Three Different Geometries ................................................................ 13 • 

• Online Quality Control of Polymers & Extruded Films ................................ 11 • 

• Rheological & Microstructural Analysis of a Model Rennet 

Casein Gel as Influenced by Cooling Rate ................................................ 12 • 

• Rheology as a Tool for Immiscible Polymer Blends 

Characterisation: Interfacial Tension & Compatibilisation ................................ 12 • 

• Thickening of Electrostatically Stabilised Latices by Ethyl 

Acrylate-Methacrylic Acid Copolymers with Various Molecular Weights ........ 13 • 

• Rheological Analysis of Powder Coatings- Paint & Resin Article ................ 30 • 

• Rheological Characterisation of Asphalt Binders ........................................ 16 • 

• Rheological Characterisation of Tooth Paste – COSSMA Article 9/2007 ........ 14 • 

• What Happens When Rheological Properties Change? Looking into 

Rheological Properties with Simultaneous Collection of Microscopic Images 16 • • • • • 

• New Measuring Cell for UV Assisted Thermal Curing 

at Elevated Temperatures ........................................................................ 19 • • • • • 

• QC Measurements for Liquid Food Products and Packaging ........................ 17 • • 

• Rheological Behaviour of Automotive Paint Systems........................................ 18 • 

• Rheological Methods for Determining Molecular Weight & 

Molecular Weight Distribution ........................................................................ 20 • • • • • 

• Solvent Trap & Double Cone System for Reproducible Results in 

Rheological Measurements of Low Viscous Volatile Fluids ........................ 9 • 

• The Rheological Properties of a Copper Concentrate Slurry: From 

Surface Chemistry to Pipeline Transport ........................................................ 17 • 

• Wet-Shotcrete of Refractory Castables ........................................................ 18 • • 

• Cellulosic Derivatives in Capillary Break-up. Influence of the 

MWD & Gel Particles ................................................................................ 24 • 


2 www.rheologysolutions.com 

ALL INDUSTRIES 

POLYMER 

FOOD 

SURFACE COATINGS 

MINERAL 

CHEMICAL 

PHARMACEUTICAL 

BUILDING


& Laboratory Reports 


• Correlation of Misting During Printing with Extensional 

Rheological Investigation on Offset Printing Inks ........................................ 24 • 

• Improved Torque Sensitivity & Normal Force 

Resolutions for Routine Measurements ........................................................ 23 • 

• Overview of Rheology-Based Process Challenges 

for the Mineral Processing Industries ........................................................ 23 • 

• Slurry Rheology & Pipeline Transport Properties, an Overview ........................ 22 • • 

• The Influence of Thickeners on the Application Method of Automotive 

Coatings and Paper Coatings – Rheological Investigation ................................ 22 • 

• Continuous On-Line Rheometry for Industrial Slurries ................................ 29 • 

• Measuring Coatings ................................................................................ 29 • 

• Rheological Measurements in the Coatings Industries – The Last 60 Years 27 • 

• Rheological Properties of Bitumen Modified with 

Polyethylene and Polyethylene Based Blends ................................................ 28 • 

• Small Scale Compounders for Pharmaceutical Research ................................ 30 • 

• Measurement of the Irganox Content in Polypropylene Polymers 

During Extrusion ........................................................................................ 28 • 

Laboratory Reports 

• Test Methods for Characterisation and Optimisation of Recycling Polymers 4 • 

• Correlation Between Mixer Tests & The Extrusion Behaviour of PVC Dry Blends 14 • 

• Evaluating the Plasticisation Process of Different Soft-PVC Samples ................ 15 • 

• NanoComposites – Examples on Compounding of Nanoclay 

Blends in Twin Screw Extruders. ................................................................ 21 • 

• Pharma MiniLab – Small Scale Compounder for Pharmaceutical Research 21 • 

• Small Scale Catheter Production ................................................................ 21 • 

• A Collaborative Study of the Structure and Rheological Properties 

of EVOH/SMA Blends Produced by Reactive Extrusion ................................ 27 • 

• New Die Design for the Characterisation of the Extensional 

and Shear Properties of Polymers for Laboratory and On-Line Use ................ 28 • 

• Recent Developments in Bench-Top Twin-Screw Compounders ................ 25 • 

info@rheologysolutions.com 


POLYMER 

FOOD 


MINERAL 


CHEMICAL 

3 


BUILDING

application notes & technical articles 

Test Methods for Characterisation 

and Optimisation of Recycling 

Polymers 

Polymers are used daily in thousands of tons. 

Recycling of the used polymers is essential to 

reduce the amount of waste. One of the key 

problems in polymer recycling is the separation of 

the polymers to defined sorts of polymers such as 

PE, PP, PVC and Polyesters etc. 

Even sorted materials show a wide variation of 


polymer industries 

Powder coatings are a cost effective and 

environmentally friendly alternative to liquid 

coatings. Traditional coatings systems network 

via a thermally activated process. This usually 

involves placing a powder coated surface into an 

oven between 160°C to 200°C in temperature. 

The powder melts at around 80°C to 120°C and 

becomes an even film. At temperatures of 

between 110°C to 140°C the network reaction 

begins. The curing time typically lasts between 

15 and 30 minutes, depending on the 

temperature and reactivity of the system. New to 

the market place are U.V. curing powder coating 

systems, where the curing process takes place in 

a shorter amount of time, even at temperatures of 

below 100°C. A further advantage of the U.V. 

induced networking is that it works virtually 

independently of temperature. This opens up new 

flow behaviour, which eventually precents a 

smooth processing of the recycled polymers. 

The report describes various test methods to 

analyse the flow and processing behaviour of 

polymers. 

The test were mainly operated with a recycling 

granulate, made of HDPE – cosmetic bottles. The 

bottles were sorted, grinded and washed to clean 

the material and to remove the paper sticking on 

the polymer. After drying, the material was 

application possibilities for coating heat sensitive 

surfaces like wood or synthetics. 

When powder coating different substrates it is not 

only smooth, tough surfaces that are desired but 

also adhesive strength, corrosion protection and 

durability. 

The melting and curing relationship of powder 

coatings can be rheologically analysed using 

oscillation tests with an air bearing rheometer. 

The advantage of this method is that the 

structural change of the coating as a function of 

time or temperature can be demonstrated without 

disturbing the process ie. at very small oscillation 

amplitudes. 

The rheological measurements that are usually of 

interest are complex viscosity h*, complex 

modulus G*, the loss factor tan d as well as the 

phase displacement angle d. As many powder 

coatings become very hard after the complete 

packed in drums for further processing. 

The laboratory report includes an overview of the 

following test methods: Testing of Melt Flow Rate 

(MFR); Capillary Rheology; Laboratory Extruder 

Tests; and Laboratory Mixer Tests. 

A full copy of “Test Methods for 

Characterisation and Optimisation of 

Recycling Polymers” is available by quoting 

reference no: LR-45 


Rheological Analysis of Powder 

Coatings 

surface coatings 

industries 

curing process, parallel measurements using 

plate plate geometry PP20 with 20 mm plate 

diameter are recommended for the rheological 

tests. 

Rheological analysis of powder coatings takes 

place at temperatures of somewhere between 

80°C and 250°C. This range can easily be 

covered using the electric temperature unit 

TC501 with cone heating. The following outlines 

some recommendations of practical examples 

and typical measurement definitions. All 

measurements have been carried out using the 

air bearing rheometer Haake RheoStress, with the 

high temperature measuring unit TC501 with 

cone heating and the parallel plate geometry 

PP20 (20mm plate diameter). As a standard 

measurement the gap was set at 0.5 mm. 

A full copy of “Rheological Analysis of 

Powder Coatings” is available by quoting 

reference no: V-157 

4 www.rheologysolutions.com


Rheological Investigation of 

Three Rubbers with Different Shore 

Factors with Respect to their 

Shape Stability before Curing 


A great variety of rubber parts is produced for the 

automotive industry. To minimise problems during 

the assembly of the cars and to ensure best 

performance, the parts have to be manufactured 

with the smallest possible variation in size and 

shape. The size can be controlled by the extrusion 

and injection parameters – the shrinking of the 

material can often be well estimated. But what 

What is actually in the tooth paste? 

Tooth pastes are viscoelastic products well known 

in every day life. Its main components are 

abrasives, moisture agents, binding agents, 

surfactants, sweeteners, preservatives, artificial 

coloring, flavors and special active ingredients. 

As abrasives often hydroxides, carbonates, 

phosphates or silicates are used which are to 

support the mechanical cleaning effect of the 

tooth brush. Moisture agents like glycerin, sorbit, 

lignite or polyethylenglycols prevent a drying out 

of the tooth paste; at the same time they increase 

the low temperature stability and have a texture 

building effect. 


about the shape? The problem is not only the 

relaxation of the rubber after leaving the mold – 

this can be controlled by an appropriate design of 

the injection process. There can also be variation 

of the shape before entering the oven for 

vulcanisation, which takes typically half an hour. 

Due to gravitational force there can be significant 

changes in shape of an injected part depending 

on the rubber formulation used. To avoid such 

effects and to improve production performance, it 

would be highly advantageous to predict the 

Binding and thickening agents give the tooth 

paste its desired texture and prevent a phase 

separation between fluid and solid. Hydrocolloids 

like Alginate, Carrageenan, Methylcellulose or 

Xanthan are mainly used as binding agents. A 

frequently used thickening agent is high-disperse 

silicium dioxide or Bentonite. 

Surfactants decrease the surface tension thus 

improving the even distribution of the tooth paste 

in the mouth. In dental care only tasteless, nontoxic 

anion surfactants are suitable like e.g. 

sodium lauryl sulfate, or coconut aliphatic 

monoglyceride sulfonate. 

Sweeteners as well as the flavors serve as taste 

correctives. Preservatives are necessary as 

protection from microbial decomposition. 

Colors and pigments are finally used for the 

respective properties of the sample. The 

presentation will show, that prediction of shape 

stability is possible with appropriate rheological 

investigations. 

A full copy of "Rheological Investigation of 

Three Rubbers with Different Shore Factors 

with Respect to their Shape Stability before 

Curing" is available be quoting reference 

no: V-169 


Rheological Characterisation of 

Tooth Paste 

pharmaceutical, cosmetic 

& allied industries 

coloring of striped tooth pastes. Besides this, 

there may be active ingredients as protection 

from caries or for the care of the gums or 

painsensitive teeth. 

How is tooth paste produced? 

The production of tooth paste is either done 

batch-wise in a vacuum mixer or in continuous 

production processes. In the continuous 

production 5 different process steps can be 

differentiated: gel production, metering of liquid 

components, metering of solids, mixing process 

as well as homogenization and ventilation. 

A full copy of “Rheological Characterisation 

of Tooth Paste” is available by quoting 

reference no: V-142 


5


Rheological Properties of Fresh 

Building Materials 

After the introduction of the OICCC standard 

recently, rheological tests are a must in the 

industry for quality assurance of the chocolate. 

They include measurements at different shear 

rates up to 60s -1 to be performed after a defined 

pre-treatment of the chocolate. With the 

computerised rheometers available today the 

measuring conditions and procedures can be 

preset so that most of them can be carried out 

automatically by the push of a button. This will 

reduce the time effort for routine tests drastically 

and the saved work capacity can be used 

otherwise. However, even when working 

accurately and, on the first glance, with identical 

pre-treatment of the samples the results can 

differ considerably especially in comparison with 

tests performed by someone else and with 

different instruments. Some of these 

measurement-related aspects should be 


construction & 

building industries 

The rheological behavior of building material 

suspensions plays a central role in the 

processability of cement bonded building 

materials and thus also in the rheological 

behavior of their properties in hardened state. On 

account of the widely spread application of very 

different admixtures and materials, the empirical 

test methods at disposal are, up to date, 

inadequate in their validity for assessing the 

rheological properties of these materials in fresh 

state. Investigations with the rotational rheometer 

– HAAKE RheoStress 600 – however, enable a 

comprehensive description of the rheological 

behavior of these materials. 

Different problems with the description of the 

rheological behavior of fresh building material 

suspensions will be briefly explained in this 

article. Finally, individual measuring methods for 


Experimental Influences on the 

Casson-Viscosity. The Casson 

Yield Point for Chocolate Testing 

food industries 

introduced and explained. However, the 

dependence of the flow properties of chocolate 

on their composition will not be discussed here. 

History 

From the rheological point of view chocolate is 

not an easy fluid: it is a suspension of cocoa, 

sugar and solid milk particles in a continuous fat 

phase. The mix of the substances and their 

interactions are strongly dependent on production 

and pre-treatment. The yield point of chocolate 

e.g. increases with longer tempering time since 

the cocoa butter is already partly crystallising (i.e. 

physical networks are forming which have to be 

broken off before a possible shearing). In order to 

obtain comparable results special attention has to 

be paid to the correct reproducibility of the pretreatment 

of the sample (there are tolerances 

even within the OICCC standard which can have 

their effects on the results, e.g. the cooldown/tempering 

times when filling the chocolate 

determining these properties, as well as the 

results that were won in the scope of an 

investigation program for the development of 

pumping-capable self-compacting light-weight 

concrete will be introduced. 

A full copy of “Rheological Properties of 

Fresh Building Materials” is available by 

quoting reference no: V-217 

into the rheometer). The differences occurring for 

thixotropic chocolate are especially dramatic: 

Here, the viscosity depends on the stirring time 

(shearing time). 

However, allowing sufficient time for preshearing 

can eliminate errors (the necessary time can be 

determined by test with a constant shear rate). 

Two successively recorded flow curves of a 

sample of a nougat cream available on the 

market (measuring time 3 min each) which also 

had a different history is shown. A slight decrease 

of the viscosity can be detected which can be the 

result of the small thixotropy but also of 

sedimentation or homogenizing effects by 

shearing. 

A full copy of “Experimental Influences on 

the Casson-Viscosity...” is available by 

quoting reference no: V-129 



How to Select the Most Suitable 

Sensor for your Application 

all industries 

The objective of this tech-note is to provide the 

information that will be very helpful in selecting 

which sensor is most useful for a particular 

material, deformation, or temperature range. 

Comparisons between different sensor systems 

give confidence to operators that they are really 

seeing material behavior and not some 

instrument artifact. 

Basically, three different sensor systems are 

compared, those sensors are: concentric cylinders 

(Couette system), cone and plate, and parallel 

plates. 

The utilities for a concentric cylinder sensor are: 

• Best for lower viscosities, η0 0.95 Good for 

suspension settling 

clean N1 impractical 

Cone and plate Best N1 High η: edge failure, loading difficult 

Best for G(τ, γ) Homogeneous Low η: inertia Evaporation 

β < 0.1 rad Need good alignment 

Parallel plates Easy to load viscous samples Nonhomogeneous: not good for 

Best for G’ and G” of melts, G(τ, γ) OK for G(τ) and η(γ) Edge 

curing Vary γ by η and Ω failure Evaporation 

(N 1-N 2)(γ) 


7


Breaking Strength of Chocolate 



Chocolate appeals to all of 

our senses. We see the 

colour and the glossy 

surface of the bar, we smell 

the elusive flavours, we 

weigh it in our hands and 

feel how it melts, we hear it 

break and sense its 

resistance, and savour the 

taste. With so much 

“sensuality“, it is easy to 

forget how quickly the 

pleasure can be destroyed, 

if even just one of these 

properties is not as we 

expect it or are 

accustomed to. 

Even unconsciously, the breaking behaviour of 

chocolate plays an important role in influencing 

the consumer's impression. Chocolate experts 

can even evaluate the quality of a sample by 

breaking off a piece. 

Rheology plays an important role in several steps 

of chocolate production. The liquid chocolate 

formulation and the fats used can be 

characterised by their viscosities, yield stresses 

and solidification behaviours. These parameters 

are important for quality control and processing, 

and can be determined using rotational or 

oscillation measurements. 

Sensory properties as experienced during the 

melting process, or “mouth feeling“, can be 

described with the viscosity curves and the yield 

stress. However, these rheological parameters 

contain no information about the breaking 

strength of the final chocolate bar - and therefore 

a new method and new equipment are necessary 

to assess the resistance to break. 

The HAAKE MARS rheometer, manufactured by 

Thermo Scientific, features a highly sensitive 

normal force sensor and a very precise lift motor 

which allows the customer to apply controlled 

axial forces to the sample, pushing or pulling it, 

and to analyse its axial deformation. 

For example, with a new measuring geometry 

(figure 1), chocolate bars can be positioned on 

the rheometer and submitted to an increasing 

axial force until they break. The new measuring 

geometry consists of two parallel support bars 

which can be mounted onto a base plate in a 

variable distance from 1 to 7 cm. The sample lies 

on these bars and a user-defined piston can be 

lowered onto the sample, making possible 

bending, breaking and penetration tests. 

The new bending geometry was used to 

investigate the breaking behaviour of small bars 

of milk and dark chocolate. The distance of the 

support bars was fixed at 5 cm. The piston was 

cylindrical with a diameter of 6 mm. The piston 

was lowered at a rate of 1.3 mm/min. 

The comparison of the results in figure 2 shows a 

much greater deformation prior to breakage for 

the dark chocolate - it is more elastic than the 

milk chocolate. The normal force increases 

quickly and then falls to zero almost immediately 

(blue curve). This behaviour is typical for hard and 

brittle samples. 

Figure 1. Breaking test on a chocolate bar on the 

HAAKE MARS using the new bending geometry 

The milk chocolate is much “softer“, which can 

be seen in the moderate increase in the normal 

force (red curve). Only a third of the normal force 

required for the dark chocolate is needed to 

break the milk chocolate bar. The bar breaks in 

two steps: first it cracks to about the middle of its 

thickness before breaking completely. 

Using the new bending geometry for the HAAKE 

MARS rheometer, it was possible to characterise 

two types of chocolate with respect to their 

breaking behaviour. The axial deformation, the 

necessary normal force for breakage and the 

shape of the force/deformation curves can be 

used as evaluation parameters. With the same 

method, different formulations of a certain 

chocolate type may be analysed for an efficient 

product development, or the quality of different 

production lots can be controlled. 

Unlike subjective sensory tests which depend on 

the test person, the new method provides 

objective and reproducible results, independent of 

the analyst. 

Continued on page 9 


Figure 2. Breakage curves of half bitter (blue) and a mild (red) chocolate bars 


Continued from page 8 

This new accessory significantly broadens the 

application range of the HAAKE MARS rheometer. 

The determination of additional relevant product 

properties can be performed on the same 

instrument used for the analysis of flow and 

visco-elastic behaviour of the samples - which is 

much more cost efficient than the purchase of a 

second specific instrument. The new geometry for 

bending and breaking tests is just one example of 

the wide range of application specific accessories 

available for the HAAKE MARS. 

A copy of this application note is available 

by quoting V-222. 

• application notes 

Solvent Trap & Double Cone System for 

Reproducible Results in Rheological 

Measurements of Low Viscous Volatile Fluids 


Abstract 

Rheological measurements of low viscous volatile 

fluids require the control of the surrounding 

atmosphere of the measuring gap. The solvent 

trap creates a defined atmosphere around the 

measuring gap and the unique HAAKE double 

cone system provides a sealed system for low 

viscous samples. 

Introduction 

Low viscous water-based glues are a good 

example for volatile low viscous fluids. In order 

to get good measuring results in the low shear 

regime a controlled stress (CS) rheometer (HAAKE 

RheoStress 600) was used. To show the 

advantage of the solvent trap (Fig. 1) and the 

unique HAAKE double cone system (Fig. 2), 

measurements were performed with and without 

solvent trap and double cone system. 

A complete copy of this application note is 

available by requesting V-229 


9


A New Definition in Reactor 

Temperature Control with the Highly 

Dynamic HAAKE DynaMax System 

The new DynaMax platform 

is designed to control the 

temperature in jacketed 

reactors more efficiently 

than other types of 

temperature control 

systems. 

DynaMax systems' “time to temperature” is the 

fastest in the industry. Temperature deviation 

control is accomplished with the help of Dynamic 

Heat Load Suppression (DHLS) technology. Most 

importantly, DynaMax systems are designed not 

only to increase yields, but also to safeguard 

equipment and the operator. 

Abstract 




A numerical study was undertaken to provide an 

understanding of the influence of thermal 

conditions on friction build-up for a paraffinic 

mineral oil (PAM). Matlab 6.5 was used to 

perform computations for two lubricated infinite 

and rigid plates in relative motion, subjected to a 

Jacketed reactor vessels and temperature control 

units have been used for years to respond to and 

to maintain the temperatures of exothermic and 

endothermic reactions. These partially or fully 

automated systems can be found in such markets 

as Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, and 

Food and Beverage. The typical uses for the 

jacketed reactors are: 

• product development 

• process development 

• process optimisation 

• safety investigations 

• scale up applications 

Maintaining precise temperature control is 

desirable to ensure the process is kept in control 

for repeatability and reproducibility. Both low and 

high pressure options are available to control 

double-jacketed reactor vessels. Correct selection 

of a temperature control unit can be difficult, 

transient load pulse. Two different rheological 

models, one nonlinear viscous and one nonlinear 

viscoelastic (Ree-Eyring), were used. 

From the friction coefficients calculated it is 

concluded that viscosity effects do not account 

for the phenomenon of decreasing friction 

coefficient with increasing maximum pressure of 

the loading pulse. It appears that an explanation 

for this phenomenon must be sought in the 

friction properties of the interface of the ruptured 

however, because there are many parameters 

that determine the heating/cooling requirements 

inside the reaction vessel. Here are some 

examples: 

• heat transfer efficiency of the jacketed vessel 

(glass, stainless steel etc) 

• flow rate of the heat transfer fluid through 

the jacketed vessel 

• flow state of the medium inside the reactor 

boiler (stirrer speed, flow resistance, etc) 

• temperature difference between medium 

inside the reaction boiler and heat transfer 

liquid 

• viscosity and thermal capacity of the heat 

transfer fluid 

Written by: Toni Kölbli, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 

Temperature Control, Karlsruhe, Germany 

A full copy of this application note is 

available by quoting TC06-01 


A Numerical Study of Temperature 

and Shear Flow in a Transiently 

Loaded Lubricant Film 

chemical & allied industries 

solidified lubricant. It is also concluded that the 

thermal properties of the lubricated medium 

present in the contact affect friction and the 

formation of shear bands. 

Keywords: EHD, TEHL, transient, viscoelastic, 

nonlinear, rheology, lubricant, friction, 

thermodynamic, heat, equation. 

A full copy of the paper is available by 

quoting reference no. RF: 180902-se-01 



A New Approach to Rheological 

Modeling of an Electrostatic Ash 

and Water Mixture - Quadratic Law 

Abstract 

mining industries 

In the paper a new rheological model for an 

electrostatic ash and water mixture flow is 

proposed. Fundamental equation of the 

rheological model was used to determine the 

relationship between the shear stress and the 

Abstract 

Today in modern polymer plants online quality 

control is done automatically and alarming the 

operators immediately so that the operators can 

react and avoid more damage to the final 

product. This “close loop”-concept also allows a 

grading of the pellet lot. 

The Film producers, the customers of the polymer 

plants, also use web inspection systems to 

control their final product quality, the quality of 

the raw materials and also their process 

parameters. 

Between both control concepts exist some 

interrelationships and also problems, because the 

environment parameters are different. This 

relative correlation and the impact for the polymer 

and film producers will be discussed with 

practical examples. 


shear rate as well as the equation of a velocity 

profile for a flow through a straight pipe. 

Experimental results obtained from a capillary 

viscometer were used as the basis to determine 

the parameters for the proposed model by the 

nonlinear regression analysis. 

With the Quadratic law a numerical analysis of a 

mixture flow through a capillary pipe with the 

This paper was written and presented at the 

TAPPI European PLACE Conference 2007 in 

Athens on May 14 - 16 by: 

Oliver Hissmann - Dipl.-Oec., MBA (USA) , 

Sales Manager 

OCS Optical Control Systems GmbH 

Email: hissmann@ocsgmbh.com 

A full copy of the paper is available on 

request by quoting OCS004 

finite volume method was performed. Derived 

equations for the velocity profile, shear stress and 

shear rate were validated through comparison of 

numerically obtained and theoretical results. 

Finally the comparison between the Quadratic law 

and Power law is presented. 


quoting reference no. RF- 030902-SI-01 


Online Quality Control of Polymers 

and Extruded Films 


High Speed Pellet Scanning System PS200C from 

OCS. The online pellet scan systems inspect the 

transparent or opaque granules on a vibrating 

channel or moving belt and detect discolouration 

and foreign particles. After inspection these 

defects can be sorted out into a separate 

container. The good material can be fed back into 

the process. These systems reach throughputs up 

to 250 kg/hr 


11


Rheology as a Tool for Immiscible 

Polymer Blends Characterisation: 

Interfacial Tension and 

Compatibilisation 

Polymer blends have gained an increasing 

popularity in the field of polymer science and 

industry during the last thirty years. The growth in 

the use of polymer blends is mainly due to their 

ability to combine the properties of their phases 

in a unique product, making polymer blends 

broadly employed in automobile, aerospace, 

packing, and general goods industries. Currently, 

about 40% of the world polymer market is 

involved with the production of polymer blends, 

representing trades of billions of US$ a year. The 

final properties of polymer blends are directly 

related to the quality of their morphology, which in 

turn depends on the rheological properties of the 

phases of the blend, on the composition of the 

blend, on the processing conditions of the blend, 

and on the interfacial tension between the 

polymers forming the blend. However, most 

polymer blends are incompatible, resulting in 

materials with coarse morphology, weak adhesion 

among phases and poor mechanical properties. In 

fact, the future of polymer blends is based on 



methods to achieve stable morphologies, so that 

the enhanced and optimized properties of 

polymer blends do not change during the product 

processing due to phenomena such as 

coalescence and breakup. This matter still 

remains an industrial challenge and is the object 

of intense research. 

Interfacial tension between molten polymers has 

received considerable experimental and 

theoretical attention due to its implication in 

several industrial applications such as coating, 

composites and especially in polymer blends. 

Interfacial tension is the single most accessible 

parameter that describes the thermodynamic 

state and structure of an interface in polymer 

blends, therefore directly related to compatibility 

and hence morphology of polymer blends. Also, 

interfacial tension can be considered as a key 

parameter that measures the state of miscibility 

between incompatible polymers. The compatibility 

between the phases of a blend can be improved 

by the addition of compatibilisers which result in 

a finer and more stable morphology, better 

adhesion between the phases of the blends and 

consequently better properties of the final 

product. The exact definition of the optimum 

concentration of compatibiliser to be added is 

associated with the costs minimisation, since 

most compatibilisers are much more expensive 

than ordinary polymers. 

In this work, rheological measurements are 

shown to be a useful technique to study polymer 

blends. In particular, they can be used to 

determine the interfacial tension between 

immiscible polymers and define the optimum 

concentration of compatibiliser to be added to the 

blend. This study is based on the execution of 

small amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) tests in 

the linear viscoelasticity region of the materials. 

The determination of interfacial tension is related 

to the study of relaxation spectrum of a polymer 

blend, which is a result of the contribution of the 

phases and the interface. The definition of the 

concentration of compatibiliser is determined 

studying the applicability of time-temperature 

superposition (TTS) for the blend as a function of 

compatibiliser concentration. 


quoting reference no. RF- 110902-br-01 


Rheological and Microstructural 

Analysis of a Model Rennet Casein 

Gel as Influenced by Cooling Rate 


Cooling is a final process during process cheese 

production and is therefore critical when 

determining the texture and functional properties 

of the product. It is well established that a slower 

cooling yields a firmer cheese. However, there is a 

lack of quantitative description of this operation, 

and the mechanism behind the observation is 

needed to better control the cooling process. The 

rheological data for process cheese cooled at 

different rates was quantified and was consistent 

with the industrial observation. To illustrate 

physical changes during cooling, rennet casein 

gels were studied as our first step in 

understanding the cooling effects on process 

cheese texture and microstructure. A similar trend 

in storage modulus to process cheese was 

observed when the casein gels were cooled at 

different rates. To explain this behavior, a 

schematic illustration was used as the physical 

bases for microstructure of colloidal gels that can 

result in different rheological properties. Fractal 

dimension, floc size, and floc order in the protein 

network were treated as three possible variables. 

The theory developed by Shih et al. (1990) was 

used to determine the floc fractal dimension, and 

a confocal laser scanning microscope observed 

the floc size and order. The results showed that 

the floc fractal dimension and size were not 

significantly different when casein gels were 

cooled at different rates. However, the cooling did 

impact floc arrangement in the protein network. A 

higher order at a slower cooling rate resulted in a 

higher storage modulus, a smaller limit of linear 

viscoelastic range, and an increase in gelation 

temperature. The rheological data were consistent 

with the microscopic images, and the 

hypothesised variables sufficiently explained the 

physical changes in casein gels during cooling at 

different rates. 


quoting reference no. RF- 200902-US-01 



Thickening of Electrostatically 

Stabilised Latices by Ethyl Acrylate- 

Methacrylic Acid Copolymers with 

Various Molecular Weights 

surface coatings industries 

Electrostatically stabilised lattices having various 

sizes were used to study the thickening of alkalissolutable 

ethyl acrylate-methacrylic acide 

copolymer (50 wt. % of the acid; MW = 0.78 x 

105, 4.36 x 105 and 11.6 x105). It was found 

that the effect increases with the molecular 


Dynamic Master Curves of Polymer 

Modified Asphalt from Three 

Different Geometries 

Abstract 



Polymer modified asphalt is highly temperature 

sensitive material. To obtain the master curves of 

dynamic material functions, for this material, one 

has to perform the testing over the temperature 

interval from -30ºC to at least 90ºC. Since the 


weight of the copolymers and with the decreasing 

size of the latex particles. The pronounced 

tendency towards non-dredging flocculation and 

phase separation suggest that the thickening 

effect of the materials results from depletion 

(volume restriction) flocculation rather that 

depletion stabilisation. The role of the effective 

volume fraction of the dissolved copolymer as a 

variable which controls the rheological properties 

polymer modified asphalt undergoes the transition 

from a glass-like to the Newtonian-like material, 

in this temperature range, the benefit of using the 

three testing geometries is studied, here. The 

geometries used were: plate-plate (for the mid 

range temperatures); torsion bar (for the low 

temperatures) and bob and cup (for the high 

temperatures). The advantage of the combination 

of these three geometries is discussed. Stress 

and strain controlled rheometers were used to 

of the thickened lattices was tested 

experimentally. 

Keywords: Electrostatically stabilized lattices, Ethyl 

acrylate-methacrylic acid copolymers, 

Flocculation, Rheological properties, Thickening 


quoting reference no. V-26 

conduct all dynamic experiments. Master curves 

obtained by these geometries cover up to 20 

decades of the reduced frequency. 

Keywords: Polymer modified asphalt, dynamic 

material functions, time temperature 

superposition, different geometries. 


quoting reference no. RF- 110902-JO-01 


Characterisation of the Thixotropic 

Behavior of Semi-Solid Foodstuffs 

Abstract 


Many food products exhibited the thixotropic 

behavior, in which, the apparent viscosity of 

material decreases with time of shearing at 

constant shear rate. 

The structural kinetic model (SKM) was used to 

characterise the thixotropic behavior of three 

different kinds of food products. Foods selected 

for analysis represent the fluid and semisolid food 

materials. They include milled sesame, 

concentrated yogurt and mayonnaise. The 

structural kinetic model postulates that the 

change in the rheological behavior is associated 

with shear-induced breakdown of the internal 

structure of the food product. This model for the 

structure decay with time at constant shear rate 

assumes nth order kinetics for the decay of the 

material structure with a rate constant, k. The 

dependence of the degree and the extent of 

thixotropy of the materials on the temperature, 

composition and shear history of the food product 

was determined. 

Key words: structural kinetic model, milled 

sesame, concentrated yogurt, mayonnaise, 

thixotropy. 


quoting reference no. RF -110902-JO-01 


13


Correlation Between Mixer Tests 

and the Extrusion Behaviour of 

PVC Dry Blends 

Abstract 

This report describes the correlation between 

measurements done on a laboratory mixer with 

PVC Dry Blends and their processing behaviour 

on a counter-rotating twin screw extruder. 

Introduction 

On July 1st, 2006, the EU Directive 2002/95/EG 

(RoHS-Directive, Restriction of Hazardous 

Substances“) was put into force. It restricts 

producing and trading of products containing i.e. 

lead, mercury and cadmium. 

Because a lot of PVC compounds still contain 

lead as stabilising media, there is urgency for the 

PVC industry to replace these stabilisers by less 

dangerous materials like CaZn stabilisers. 

Changing the formulation of a PVC compound by 

using a new stabiliser, always takes the risk that 

also the production behaviour will change. The 

reason behind this is the fact that stabilisers also 

work as a lubricant. So the change of stabilisers 

will influence the fusion behaviour of the PVC 

compound. To make sure that the PVC compound 

keeps its processing properties it is necessary to 

adapt the whole compound formulation. 



The most common tool to check the fusion 

behaviour of PVC compounds is the laboratory 

mixer test. It is an easy and reliable method to 

characterise the fusion and degradation behaviour 

of PVC compounds. 

The samples used for this investigation were 

three PVC Dry Blends with new lead free 

formulations. 

Materials and Methods Polymer: 

Three samples of a PVC Dry Blend with different 

CaZn-Stabilisers 

Test arrangements Mixer Test: 

• Torque-rheometer: RheoDrive 4 

• Double range torque CAN sensor 

• Analysis software PolySoft OS 

• Mixer Rheomix600 OS 

• Roller Rotors 

• Pneumatic feeding ram 

Extruder Test: 

• Laboratory twin screw extruder:Rheomex 

CTW100 OS 

• Extruder screws: Standard screws 

• Sheet die 50 x 1.0 mm 

• Hopper with vibrator 

• Melt-pressure sensors 

HAAKE Laboratory Mixer 

application articles 

Rheological Characteristics 

of Toothpaste 



Certain product properties 

of toothpastes can be 

successfully quantified 

using rheology tests. 

In many cases it is possible to make appropriate 

adjustments to the rheology during the 

development of new products. This eliminates the 

need for expensive storage tests and saves costs. 

COSSMA is published by Health & Beauty 

Business Media GmbH, and in their September 

2009 issue the article “Rheological 

Characteristics of Toothpaste” written by Dr. Han- 

Michale Petri et al. Thermo Fisher Scientific, 

HAAKE Laboratory Extruder 


available by requesting LR-60 

Process Instruments, Karlsruhe, Germany will be 

published. 

Details on COSSMA can be viewed on their 

website www.cossma.com 

A copy of the full paper as a PDF can be 

obtained from Rheology Solutions as 

a PDF by quoting HA042. 



Evaluating the Plasticisation Process 

of Different Soft-PVC Samples 


Abstract 

A HAAKE PolyLab OS torque rheometer, equipped 

with a Mixer was used to test four different soft 

PVC samples. The type and amount of plasticizer 

was varied. The corresponding torque curves 

helped to differentiate the formulas. The PolySoft 

Mixer data evaluation is explained in detail in this 

application note, and valuable hints are given for 

substituting PVC blend ingredients, e.g. 

plasticisers, stabilisers. 

Introduction 

PVC blends are complex mixtures of PVC 

particles, fillers, lubricants,stabilisers and 

plasticizers. They are used to provide unique 

properties to a wide range of end products. 

However, manufacturers are often forced to 

modify these complex recipes due to 

technological advances, cost pressures or 

regulatory requirements. For example, two EU 

directives came into force, 2002/95/EG (RoHS) 

restricting hazardous lead stabilizers in the waste. 

CaZn systems now are well investigated, also in 

Mixers tests. Another example is the 

precautionary EU regulation on phthalate 

plasticizers in children’s toys which was widely 

discussed in the press. 

Plasticisers are used in the PVC industry to soften 

the product. 

Approximately 100 different plasticizers are in 

use, which represents an estimated 7 billion EUR 

market. The type and amount of plasticizer have a 

major influence on the melt and processing 

behaviour when investigating alternate blends. In 

addition to tests on the final product, small-scale 

tests in a mixer are advisable before starting 

production. The mixer test is used for quality 

control during production. 

The HAAKE Rheomix system offers a quick 

method to characterize the influence of 

plasticizers on the plasticization and flow process 

of PVC dry blends. Using HAAKE Polysoft OS 

Software for mixer tests, the evaluation 

and comparison of different samples is quite 

quick and easy. Different routines are available, 

and it is also possible to create customised 

evaluation methods. Maxima, minima, points of 

inflection, thresholds and slopes can easily be 

calculated from all measurement data curves. 


HAAKE PolyLab OS Torque Rheometer 

A complete copy of this application note is available by requesting LR-59 


15


What Happens When Rheological 

Properties Change? 

Looking into rheological properties with simultaneous 

collection of microscopic images 

To gain information about the 

reasons for certain changes in 

rheological properties, a new 

special module for the HAAKE 

MARS has been developed. 








It combines a temperature control unit for 

cone/plate- and plate/plategeometries 

with a state-of the- art microscope. The 

RheoScope module is presented and example 

data from different applications is shown. 

Rheology is a”macroscopic“method, which tells 

us how a material behaves under given conditions 

but never tells us why. For an understanding 

about the reasons why a certain behaviour 

occurs, we need to combine rheology with a 

“microscopic method“ able to look into the 

structure of the material. 

Examples for such techniques complementing 

rheological measurements are GPC, thermal 

analysis, (FT)IR or microscopy. Running two 

independent measurements on different 

instruments, however, doubles instrument time 


Rheological Characterisation 

of Asphalt Binders 



The bitumen binders used in 

asphalt are playing a crucial 

role for the performance of the 

asphalt. 

Today, 25% of the binders are polymer modified 

bitumen (PmB), providing a more sophisticated 

performance and a wider temperature range than 

pure bitumen does. The future share of PmB is 

likely to grow due to environmental regulations, 

due to a higher quote of recycling asphalt and 

due to requests for lower temperature processing 

e.g. for air port run ways. 

A first world-wide applied standard for asphalt 

binders was determined in the US Strategic 

Highway Research Program (SHRP) which was 

started in 1987. The results were published in 

1993, standardizing for rheological testing a 

Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) to investigate 

and predict the fatigue behaviour (4°C and 40°C) 

and the behaviour at elevated temperatures 

(46°C and 82°C) with a steady state stepped 

temperature profile with steps of 6 degrees – 

corresponding to the performance grades. 

Moreover, the processability of the binders is 

tested at 135°C with a rotational viscometer or 

rheometer. 

In order to achieve the standard compliant 

temperature accuracy of ± 0.1 deg 

or better, particular SHRP temperature control 

and measuring time and often leaves a bit of a 

doubt whether the sample and its treatment 

before measuring have been exactly the same. 

The double effort of time and resources can be 

avoided by running two different methods on the 

same sample simultaneously, testing its 

macroscopic and its microscopic properties. The 

two resulting data sets can easily be correlated 

since they have been collected at the same time 

on the same sample. 



units were designed in the 1990s (Fig.2). Today, 

more and more measurements are made with 

Peltier temperature control units, e.g. for the 

screening of differently modified PmBs. The 

Peltier temperature control units provide a wider 

temperature range – also facilitating the relevant 

sub ambient temperatures. 

When bitumen or PmB is subjected to cooling, it 

shows exceptionally strong shrinkage leading to 

higher forces than the already high forces that 

are brought about by shrinking thermoplastics. 

The shrinkage of asphalt binders may lead to 

quality issues and it is therefore of interest to 

determine the occurring normal force and the 

shrinkage in micrometers. 




• application notes & technical articles 

QC Measurements for Liquid Food 

Products and Packaging 



Abstract 

Production quality and uniformity in food 

processing and its subsequent packaging is 

closely related to good quality control (QC) during 

the manufacturing process. In order to achieve 

high quality merchandise with minimal production 

losses, good process control and monitoring is 

critical. This is true for production of both the food 

product itself, the packaging, and of course for 

putting the former inside the latter efficiently. 

Laboratory and on-line systems are capable of 

delivering solutions for QC monitoring, and in 

cases where extra information (related sometimes 

to product development, and not to QC) about the 

flow properties are unnecessary, an online option 

can be the most useful. 

On-line systems often provide streamlined data, 

showing changes in more limited criteria for the 

product during the process. In this way corrective 

action can be quickly taken, minimising potential 

for waste and reprocessing. Laboratory 

instruments, designed for quick data collection 

(only a few seconds or minutes) and intuitive 

understanding of the data can also be useful in 

this respect where no proven online alternative 

exists. On-line monitoring of shear viscosity is 

widely accepted for many kinds of materials 

including for liquid foods, and molten polymer 

packaging. In pipe or in-tank probes can closely 

monitor the shear viscosity of the material in-situ, 

allowing operators and engineers to take 

appropriate action to maintain the specifications of 

the food product. These probes can also be 

mounted at the die end of an extruder, to monitor 

the viscosity of molten polymer before the 

moulding of packaging. Post-extrusion, the quality 

of the packaging material can be monitored 

optically to detect, catalogue and notify when user 

defined flaws exist in the packaging material (eg 

fish eyes, pinholes, dark/light spots etc). For filling 

a liquid food into a package (by pouring, squirting, 

spraying etc), extensional viscosity often 

dominates the process. Unfortunately, there is no 

proven on-line method for monitoring the 

extensional viscosity of foods as they are 

dispensed from above into their packaging. 

Fortunately a novel, simple and quick laboratory 

technique has been developed for exactly this 

purpose – measuring the relative impact of the 

extensional properties of a liquid. In this way the 

product and the packaging can be monitored 

on-line right through the process, until the product 

has safely been deposited in its packaging 

Introduction 

Several products exist today for testing in the 

laboratory, both for QA and for product development. 

Laboratory testing for product quality in the 

food industry can include rheometers and 

viscometers, to measure liquid flow properties 

such as yield stress, viscosity and elasticity under 

different shear flow conditions. These instruments 

can also measure the flow properties of packaging 

materials, eg molten plastics etc, to ensure that 

they can be properly moulded etc. Testing of solid 

like properties in the laboratory is possible for both 

foods and their packaging with uniaxial testing. 

Miniature uniaxial testers – texture analysers – 

can be used to objectively quantify textural 

properties of a food, while units with larger 

capacities can also be used to investigate the 

tearing, stretching, crushing etc of the finished 

packaging product. Often, during filling, a liquid is 

poured, squirted, sprayed or otherwise dispensed 

into the package. 

For some materials ‘stringy’ strands hang from the 

nozzle and soil the packaging, necessitating an 

extra process step to clean the packaging. This 

stranding is related to the extensional viscosity of 

the material (completely different to the shear 

viscosity measured by rotational viscometers). 

Recently developed techniques now enable these 

extensional properties to be properly measured in 

the laboratory using extensional rheometers. 

Laboratory analyses are good solutions for 

material characterisation and in many cases can 

not be otherwise replicated online. However, 

during production it is sometimes preferable to 

have an on-line system for QC, so that any 

deficiencies in the product or its packaging can be 

detected as quickly as possible. This technical 

note seeks to explore and to explain on-line 

viscosity monitoring, online quality control for 

packaging film and ingredients and a novel 

laboratory technique for monitoring the extensional 

properties of liquids to diagnose excessive 

stranding. 

A complete copy of this article is available on 

request by quoting Rheo051. 


The Rheological Properties of a Copper 

Concentrate Slurry: From Surface Chemistry 

to Pipeline Transport 


The rheological properties of a copper concentrate 

slurry produced from a real mining operation have 

been investigated. In particular, the yield stress 

and viscosity of the slurry was measured after 

various chemical treatments were used to alter the 

surface chemistry and thus, interactions between 


the particles within the slurry. These chemical 

treatments are: (1) the addition of acid and (2) the 

addition of polyphosphate or naphthalene 

suffocate formaldehyde condensate (dispersants). 

The changes in surface chemistry of the slurry 

under the various chemical treatments were 

investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy 

(XPS) and used to describe the changes in the 

observed rheological properties. The rheological 

data collected was then utilised to calculate the 

energy required to pump the slurry down a 

pipeline under the various different chemical 

regimes. Finally, a simple analysis of the reagent 

cost against energy price was used to compare 

the financial viability of each scheme. 


request by quoting RF-3000702-AU-01. 


17


Wet-Shotcrete of Refractory Castables 

construction & building 

industries 


In recent years, the refractory 

industry has focused much 

effort on discovering novel 

techniques for castable 

installation that combine 

high placing rate and low cost 

while maintaining final material 

properties. 

The use of versatile and automated placing 

methods such as pumping of self-flowing 

castables and shotcrete has been encouraged to 

replace the traditional vibration moulding 

technique. 

Based on these aspects, wet shotcrete is highly 

interesting from a technological standpoint, 

particularly for the lining of large areas and/or for 

the repair of damaged surfaces. 

The technique consists of pumping the castable 

from the miser to the pipeline nozzle, where 

high-pressure compressed air is injected so as to 

project the pumped castable onto the surface to 


Rheological Behaviour of Automotive 

Paint Systems 


Modern Characterisation 

Methods Show Good 

Correlations to Observable 

Effects 


be covered. This promotes a spray flow that 

ensures a high installation rate and the formation 

of a thick layer. 

The difficulties involved in the shotcrete technique 

relate mainly to the bonding of the material on the 

area to be lined. The primary condition for a 

successful operation is that the projected material 

does not flow over the back lining refractory 

surface, and this requires a sudden loss of the 

castable’s fluidity. Traditionally, this effect is 

achieved by the controlled use of cement settling 

accelerators, which are also injected into the 

nozzle. 

Although they ensure the material’s cohesion, 

conventional accelerators such as sodium silicate 

and aluminium sulfate usually deteriorate the 

mechanical properties of castables at high 

temperatures. Therefore, proposals have been 

made for novel additives based on distinct 

concepts to promote the rapid reduction of 

castable fluidity. 

In most bases, material waste is generated during 

shotcrete application due to the so-called rebound 

effect. This wastage occurs when a portion of the 

sprayed castables, which may amount to as much 

as 30%, fails to adhere to the applied surface. The 

rebound effect, which is also enhanced by the use 

of accelerators, can be minimised by selecting 

additives that simultaneously impart adhesive and 

In this paper the most important measuring 

methods for studying the rheological behaviour of 

modern paint systems (oscillation tests, 

determination of low yield points) are described. 

These methods were at first used to describe the 

rheological/physical properties of model 

polyurethane micro gels. The measured values for 

storage modulus, phase shift and yield point in 

waterborne Pearle scent/coloured pigment 

systems were compared with flop-index values. 

The results show good correlations between the 

plastic characteristics to the castable, resulting in 

homogeneous and cohesive linings, even when 

successive layers are applied 

In addition to the intrinsically complex pumping 

operation, wet-shotcrete applications must also 

take into account: (a) an abrupt increase in the 

castable shearing rate and the injection of 

additives, controlled by the air rate supplied in the 

nozzle, and (b) the material’s adhesion and 

consolidation on the surface. 

The conventional testing techniques, however do 

not properly evaluate shotcrete castables, given 

the rheological behaviour of these castables under 

similar shearing conditions during their installation 

is not analysed. The traditional approaches focus 

mainly on the influence of additives on the 

castable’s consistency (fluidity measurements) and 

on post-setting properties. 

The main objective of the present study was to 

develop a novel shotcrete characterisation 

technique based on castable rheometry that 

simulates the material’s application. Commercial 

wet-shotcrete additives and other compounds with 

a high potential for this application were also 

evaluated using the new testing procedure. 


request by quoting Rf-290802-BR-02. 

observable effect and the rheological parameters 

of the liquid paint. 

Also measurements of powder and electrode 

position coatings and clear coats with the 

oscillation technique to determine the viscositytemperature 

behaviour correlate well with 

technical properties of the final films. 


request by quoting Rheo008TP. 



New Measuring Cell for UV Assisted 

Thermal Curing at Elevated Temperatures 







Introduction 

In industry thermal curing is used in a wide range 

of applications like powder coating, adhesives, 

sealants, soldering materials, inks, etc. Recently 

there is an increased interest in replacing thermal 

curing by UV assisted thermal curing in an effort to 

improve product properties, increase productivity 

and reduce production costs, for example by 

reducing the amount of energy needed for 

initiating the curing reaction, at the same time. 

For the development of, and measurements on, 

such kind of samples a new high temperature UV 

curing tool was developed for the HAAKE MARS 

rheometer. 

The new UV curing tool for the CTC oven as well 

as selected results of measurements on different 

adhesives are presented. 



Instrumentation 

Rheometer 

Rheological properties (G’, G” etc.) were measured 

using the HAAKE MARS rheometer in combination 

with CTC environmental test chamber for the 

temperature control. 

UV curing tool 

The new UV curing tool is a modular extension for 

the existing CTC test chamber (temperature range 

-150°C up 600°C.) 

The UV curing tool consists of a hollow lower shaft 

with a removable light guide. The light guide can 

be connected to any suitable commercially 

available light source. Mounted on top of the light 

guide a removable and disposable quartz glass 

plate forms the lower part of the measuring 

geometry. The upper plate consists of a disposable 

aluminium plate mounted on a special shaft. 

Figure 3a: UV Curing cell integrated 

UV curing tool 

UV light 


Rheometer 

drive shaft 

CTC shell 

19 

Disposable upper 

aluminium 

Sample 

Disposable lower 

quartz glass plate 

Hollow lower shaft 

UV light guide 

Figure 2: Schematic drawing of UV curing cell 

The UV light source can switched on/off by means 

of a trigger signal from the rheometer which is 

controlled by the rheometer software. By 

programming an automatic measuring routine the 

sample can first be pre-cured by the UV light and 

then thermally cured using the CTC oven. 

continued on page 20


Rheological Methods for Determining 

Molecular Weight & Molecular Weight 

Distribution 







Figure 4a: Detailed view of the in CTC new UV 

curing cell 

New Measuring Cell 

for UV Assisted Curing 

continued from page 19 

Results 

Curing behaviour of an 

acrylic resin adhesive 

Figure 4 shows the UV curing process of an acrylic 

resin adhesive, which is used in the production flat 

panel displays, at a temperature of 20°C. UV light 

with a wave length of 360 nm and a light intensity 

of 500 mJ/cm 2 was applied to the sample for a 

duration of 4 min. The measurements were 

performed using a 10 mm diameter parallel plate 

measuring geometry. For this application no post 

heat treatment was necessary. 


Abstract 

The molecular weight and molecular weight 

distribution (MWD) of linear polymers can be 

derived by using rheological methods. The 

mechanical excitation of polymers leads to a 

characteristic response of the material depending 

on its macromolecular structure. Using the HAAKE 

RheoWin software with optional tools like TTS 

(Time Temperature Superposition), Spectra and 

MWD (Molecular Weight Distribution) master 

curves, relaxation time spectra and molecular 

weight distributions can be easily generated out of 

dynamic tests (Oscillation frequency sweeps). 

Practical results are presented and discussed in 

this application report. 

A complete copy of this application note is available by requesting V-230 

Figure 4: UV curing behaviour of an acrylic resin 

adhesive without thermal curing 

After a waiting time of 15 min (in which the 

temperature was increased to 35°C) the glass 

transition temperature Tg of the cured sample 

was determined by gradually increasing the 

temperature from 35°C to 95°C. The Tg was 

found to be 74.5°C. 

Curing behaviour of an epoxy 

resin adhesive 

Figure 5 shows the UV and thermal curing 

behaviour of an epoxy resin adhesive which is also 

used in the production of flat panel displays. In this 

case UV light with a wave length of 360 nm and a 

light intensity of 500 mJ/cm 2 was applied to the 

sample for a duration of 7 min. A post heat 

treatment was used to improve the product 

properties in respect of adhesion and stiffness. 

Introduction 

A well-established method to measure the 

molecular weight distribution is the gel permeation 

chromatography. This conventional method 

however has some disadvantages, which are e.g. 

solubility of the polymer, expensive instruments, 

time-consuming procedure and less sensitivity for 

high molecular components. Accordingly 

rheological methods are an interesting alternative. 

The theoretical relationships between the 

molecular weight distribution and material 

functions that can be determined through rheology 

are well investigated. Powerful numerical methods 

have been developed, which together with PC 

technology provide a means to determine MWD 

from rheological measurements. 

Figure 5: UV curing behaviour of an epoxy resin 

adhesive with post thermal curing 

The measured normal force signal (up to 50 N 

with a 10 mm diameter plate!) shows that this 

sample under goes a rather large volume 

expansion with increasing temperature. This is 

something that should be accounted for during 

the production process. 

Conclusions 

The measurement result shows that modern 

rheometry is a versatile tool for analysing the 

properties of materials during UV curing and 

subsequent thermal curing. The curing behaviour 

of the sample and the mechanical properties of 

the final cured product could be determined in 

one continuous measuring job. 


available by requesting HA-047 



Small Scale Catheter Production 


Abstract 

Catheters were produced of Polystyrene (PS) and 

Polycaprolactone (PCL). A PolyDrive extruder 

system, as stand alone extruder was used with the 

catheter die. For stable extrusion it was necessary 

to use a water bath and the take off system. By 

Pharma MiniLab – Small Scale 

Compounder for Pharmaceutical Research 



Abstract 

Hot melt extrusion and continuous process leads 

to cost efficient production. 

In development of new drug/ excipients small 

scale extrusion systems reduce time to market 

and use comparable processes to production. 

Applications and products for development with 

the HAAKE Pharma MiniLab are described. 

Nanocomposities – Examples on 

Compounding of Nanoclay Blends 

in Twin Screw Extruders 


Abstract 

This report describes practical examples of 

nanoclay – polymer compounds processed 

successful in the Karlsruhe PI Demo centre 

during 2006. Nanoclay was compounded with 

commercially available resins such as PP, PA 


varying take off speed and output different sizes of 

the catheter were obtained.. 

Introduction 

Catheters are widely used for medical applications, 

new developments focus on biodegradable 

materials and compounding of contrast media for 

x-ray depiction. Though the commercial products 

are highly sophisticated and produced on 

Introduction 

The pharmaceutical industry involves numerous 

batch processes. Recently a trend to continuous 

processes is visible as continuous processing has 

a couple of advantages. Especially the hot melt 

extrusion can produce more efficiently and with 

higher output. Furthermore allows the extrusion 

process the monitoring of processing parameter. 

As compounding takes place directly in the molten 

stage, aqueous solutions are avoided. Reduced or 

removed drying steps help to save energy. 

Extrusion is a predominant technique in polymer 

and ABS. Test setup and instrument parameters 

are given as a guide line. 

Introduction 

Nanomaterials enter the consumer market. The 

focus shifts from science to standard applications. 

For polymer based Nanocomposites the research 

is often driven by the automotive industry 

searching alternatives to bulk materials. Especially 

nanoclaypolymer blends are known to improve 

“pharma“ extrusion lines, proof of concept studies 

and first developments can be run on a standard 

PolyDrive single screw extruder. Obviously, in the 

same way a Poly-Lab OS with single screw 

extruder 19/25 OS can run the same application. 



processing. Profiles, sheets and bags are 

produced as end products, compounds as 

intermediate products. Even in the huge 

installation of a petrochemical plant we see 

extruders producing LDPE, PP resins with an 

output of 40 t per hour. In pharmaceutical 

technology the extrusion is known for more than 

35 years. Developed in industries for products far 

less expensive on a kilogram basis the extrusion 

gives a key to survival under growing cost 

constraints. 



nanoclaypolymer blends are known to improve 

material characteristics such as flame resistance, 

barrier properties or toughness. Decreasing prices, 

high availability, readymade Masterbatch, vast 

research work, make nanoclay compounds perfect 

systems to start development or assess a 

machines performance. 




21


The influence of thickeners on the application 

method of automotive coatings and paper 

coatings – rheological investigations 


Spraying automotive coatings 

and the application of paper 

coatings are industrial 

processes, in which 

elongational flows play an 

important role. 

As a result, the application behaviour of these 

fluids often cannot be sufficiently characterised 

with traditional shear experiments. Products with 

similar shear viscosities can have very different 

elongation properties. 

With the Thermo Scientific HAAKE CaBER 1 

extensional rheometer, a liquid filament is created 

that is stretched under the influence of surface 

tension. Using the decrease in the filament 

diameter as a function of time and the life of the 

filament, it is possible to characterise the 

elongational behaviour of low viscosity to pasty 

liquids in a simple way. The rheological properties 

of typical water-based automotive coatings and 

paper coatings are determined by the thickeners 

used and their interactions with the other recipe 

components. In the CaBER 1 experiment, different 

types of thickener display a characteristic 

decrease in the filament diameter as a function 

of time. Different break-up times are desirable, 

depending on the application. 

When automotive coatings are sprayed, short 

break-up times are advantageous in order to 

obtain the finest possible drop distribution. 

When paper coatings are applied with rollers, 

spraying and „misting“ should be prevented as 

much as possible, which means that formulations 

with long break-up times are advantageous. 

A full copy of the application note is available on 

request by quoting V-206. 


Slurry rheology and pipeline transport 

properties, an overview 


Slurry transport in the mining 

industry is a commonly used 

technique for moving partially 

and fully processed materials, 

and waste. 

Often this type of treatment is more economical 

and rapid than other transportation methods, such 

as those involving conveyor systems or haulage. 

Additionally, the materials on a mine-site are often 

slurried for processing, and pipeline transport is 

necessary. 

However frequently utilised, efficient slurry 

transport still poses serious engineering problems 

through the properties of the slurry. These 

include, but are not limited to, particle settling, 

attrition, pipe/fitting/impeller wear, degradation of 

flocculated or friable solids, and the pumpability of 

the slurry. In addition, the effects of these 

challenges can be exacerbated, or reduced by 


process or environmental variables, such as 

temperature, pH or solids loading. 

In-transit particle settling leads to stratified flow, 

which in turn can cause uneven and excessive 

wear in the transport system, and in extreme 

cases, pipeline blockage due to solids build-up 

around fittings or inclined sections. Particle 

attrition has several drawbacks. Firstly, the 

product before the pump and pipe is not identical 

to that afterwards if the particles are friable, this 

may be a QC matter both for disposal and 

in-process. Secondly, changes in particle size 

distribution may affect the ability of the particles to 

remain suspended in the carrier fluid. Problems 

with the pumpability of slurries potentially include 

the fact that they often behave as a solid, e.g. 

when at rest, making it expensive to initiate 

pumping. Many fluids, including slurries have flow 

properties which depend on the ‘rate of deformation’ 

(analogous to their flow-rate). 

Rheological techniques can help the engineer or 

technician to design for and manipulate 

processes. A range of instruments is available 

which measure the effects of solids loading, 

carrier fluid, particle size distribution and viscosity 

or pH modifiers on the propensity of particulate 

matter to flocculate, be suspended, settle etc. 

through a knowledge of the characteristic flow 

properties of the slurry. These rheometers and 

viscometers allow the engineer to directly measure 

and assess the causes and effects listed above. 

Physical quantities such as yield stress (the 

minimum force required for a slurry to flow), 

plastic viscosity (how ‘runny’ a slurry will be at a 

given laminar flow-rate), hysteresis (the changes 

in plastic viscosity and/or yield stress which are 

due, usually, to particle attrition or settling) can be 

better predicted with the appropriate equipment. 

Sensitive, high precision versatile equipment is 

available for repeatable and reliable measurement 

of all flow properties in the laboratory, and durable, 

precise, robust units for in the field use are also 

commercially available. These units have been 

shown to be of value for both QC and product 

development. 


request by quoting Rheo013 



Overview of rheology-based process 

challenges for the mineral processing 

industries 


Mineral processing involves the 

transportation and processing 

of large quantities of materials. 

Mineral processing involves the transportation and 

processing of large quantities of materials. 

Combining solid materials with a carrier fluid 

(usually water) to create a slurry has long been 

popular in the industry, principally due to the 

increased efficiency and alacrity of mineral 

processing steps through use of a slurry, since the 

finely ground particles afford greater surface area 

exposure to the extracting medium. Also, the ease 

with which the particulate matter can be 

processed in this form is important for unit 

processes including grinding, classification, 

separation processes (settling, thickening, 

screening, filtration) and transport processes like 

pump/gravity flow through pipes and launders, 

mixing, etc. 

Slurry characteristics pose many engineering 

challenges. These characteristics include particle 

settling, pH, bulk/carrier fluid viscosity, particulate 

flocculation or dispersion, attrition, 

pipe/fitting/impeller wear, degradation of 

flocculated or friable solids and the pumpability of 

the slurry. The effects of these challenges can be 

further altered by process or environmental 

variables such as temperature or solids loading. 

Wet communition and classification can be 

effected by viscosity, particle size distribution, fines 

concentration etc. For example, hydrocyclone 

classification is effected by the presence of a yield 

stress (the minimum force required for a slurry to 

flow). Often, cut point increases and efficiency 

decreases with increasing yield stress. Separation 

processes are influenced by inter-particle 

attraction and viscosity (how easily the fluid flows 

once it is in motion). These variables may be 

manipulated through the addition of modifying 

agents to the slurry. The key effects of these 

additions should be monitored through changes in 

the rheological parameters of the slurry, which are 

directly related to process performance. In-transit 

particle settling causes uneven and excessive 

wear or complete blockage in the transport 

system. Particle attrition may be a QC matter both 

for disposal and in-process and, changes in 

particle size distribution may affect the ability of 

the particles to remain suspended. Problems with 

the pumpability of slurries include the high cost of 

initiating and continuing pumping of fluids with 

high yield stresses or viscosities. 

Rheological techniques can help assess process 

design and manipulation processes. A range of 

instruments is available to measure the rheological 

effects, through knowledge of the characteristic 

flow properties of the slurry. These rheometers 

allow the engineer to directly measure and assess 

the causes and effects listed above. Physical 

quantities such as yield stress, plastic viscosity 

and hysteresis (the changes in plastic viscosity 

and/or yield stress which are due, usually, to 

particle attrition or settling) can be quantified and 

predicted with the appropriate equipment. 

Sensitive, precise equipment is available for 

repeatable and reliable measurement of flow 

properties in the laboratory, and durable, robust 

units for in-the-field use are also available. These 

units are of value for both QC and product 

development. 


request by quoting Rheo014 


Improved torque sensitivity and normal 

force resolutions for routine measurements 


The new HAAKE RheoStress 

6000 benefits from the latest 

MARS technology 

developments. 

The improved specifications are regarding two 

components, improved air bearing specifications 

and the change of the normal force sensor 

technology. 

The normal force sensor of the HAAKE RheoStress 

6000 is based on temperature-compensated 


strain gauge technology and enables normal force 

measurements in the range of 0.01 to 50 N in 

both positive and negative direction. 

This technology offers the possibility to perform 

sensitive normal force measurements even on 

samples with low viscoelasticity. 

In addition the new sensor enables to control the 

normal force in the sample to compensate for 

sample shrinkage and expansion when measuring 

semisolids. 

The patented 4th generation air bearing in the 

HAAKE RheoStress 6000 is the result of more then 

25 years of experience with the design and 

manufacturing of porous carbon air bearings. 

The air bearing consists of three individual air 

bearings: 

• One axial air bearing that supports the motor 

shaft in the vertical (axial) direction and is 

responsible for excellent axial stiffness. 

• Two widely spaced radial air bearings that 

support the motor shaft in the radial direction 

and prevent the shaft from tilting. 




23


Correlation of misting during printing with 

extensional rheological investigations on 

offset printing inks 


The tendency for misting 

on offset printing inks was 

examined on two samples 

using the rotational rheometer 

Thermo Scientific HAAKE 

RheoStress 600 and the 

extensional rheometer Thermo 

Scientific HAAKE CaBER 1. 

The results for the amplitude and frequency curve, 

the creep and recovery test and the flow curve 

measurement with the rotational rheometer do not 

correlate with misting during printing. 

With the rotational rheometer, it was possible with 

the aid of the filament break-up time to easily and 

quickly draw distinctions between different 

tendencies for misting with offset printing inks. 




Cellulosic derivatives in capillary break-up. 

Influence of the MWD and gel particles 


CaBER 1 extensional rheometer 

is able to detect slight differences 

in the MWD (molecular 

weight distribution) of blended 

polystyrene standards. 



However, the question remains if these results 

obtained on a standard system can be transferred 

to more complex polymers in solution like 

cellulosic derivatives? 

In order to control the adaptability of this method, 

commercially available, blended methylhydroxy 

ethyl celluloses (MHEC, e.g. used as thickener 

agent in construction materials) were 

characterised by uniaxial elongation in capillary 

break-up experiments with the CaBER 1 

extensional rheometer. The determined break-up 

and relaxation times t resp. τ were then 

correlated with the blending composition of the 

methylhydroxyethyl celluloses and hence with the 

high molar mass fraction of the sample. 




• feature article 

Recent developments in bench-top 

twin-screw compounders 


Abstract 

Twin-screw compounders are widely used for 

dispersion of pigments and additives in the 

manufacture of masterbatch. This paper describes 

the availability small-scale twin-screw extruders 

together with a range of ancillary equipment, to 

assist the masterbatch producer in sample 

preparation, and testing of the product. It also 

describes the key element of heat transfer in 

scale-up from laboratory extruders to production 

plant. 

Introduction 

There are many new materials available for the 

formulator of Masterbatches, but how can these 

be investigated and new products developed in 

readiness for the eventual up-turn in the market? 

Before putting a new material into full-scale 

production, different formulations need to be 

tested and sample quantities made for customer 

evaluation. 

The presentation will describe some of these test 

methods, and in particular a new technique using 

an Optical System to evaluate dispersion in 

polymer films. It will also outline other test and 

sample preparation equipment that can be used 

directly on the end of the extruder. 

These include a simple blown film system; 

extrusion dies for sheet and ribbon, a screen life 

pressure filter test, and alternative pelletising 

methods. 

A simple PLC based data logging will be described 

that can be used to monitor results, and with links 

to a PC can be used for analysis and archiving of 

sample data. 

Finally, operation of small laboratory extruders, 

and what are the critical factors for a reliable 

scale-up to production plant will be discussed. 

Twin-Screw Mixing 

The melting and mixing process in a twin-screw 

compounder is a rapid process. The polymer is 

melted by the mechanical shear energy of the 

intermeshing screws. The narrow distribution of 

residence time in a twin screw means that all the 

material is subjected to a similar thermal history, 

giving very uniform product. 


Filter Test 

The Thermo Scientific PRISM twin-screw Filter test 

system was described at Masterbatch 2002. The 

filter test technique will soon become a recognised 

standard in quality control. To apply this to the 

twin-screw compounder, a simple screen changer 

is bolted onto the extruder, and through the plc 

control and data logging, pressure increase over 

time is monitored, and using a computer can be 

matched to standards for evaluation. 

Film Equipment 

For the film producer, a blown film die with cooling 

tower and wind-up can be fitted to the extruder 

allowing direct preparation of blown film samples. 

A recent application of this equipment has been 

particularly useful in evaluating the film blowing 

properties of a biodegradable polymer, manufactured 

from renewable, natural raw materials. 

If the laboratory needs a thicker sheet of rigid or 

flexible film, different sheet dies can be fitted onto 

the EUROLAB to extrude sheets up to 170mm 

wide with thickness from 0.5 to 2.0mm. 

Dedicated cooling rolls are used to calibrate and 

cool the sheet with either a cutting table for rigid 

sheets or a wind-up spool for flexible films. 

Optical Quality Testing 

The Optical Quality Testing System measures the 

transparency of a film or sheet, and counts the 

number of embedded inhomogeneous particles 

continued on page 26 


25


and other impurities. By measuring the transmitted 

light through a polymer film, the CCD camera 

processes the image and identifies discontinuities 

in the film. 

The camera scans an area of 400 mm2 at a rate 

of 4 pictures per second, with a resolution to 60 μ 

m. There are options for higher resolution on a 

smaller area or scanning a larger area at a lower 

resolution. 

The results can be displayed and analysed on 

different formats. This first display logs the counts 

of different particle sizes over time. 

This analysis gives the distribution of particle sizes 

over the test. 

Finally this analysis shows the distribution of 

particles by size and frequency. 

Other applications of the twin-screw use the 

dedicated ancillary equipment that designed to 

make up the EUROLAB System. 


Pelletising 

When samples are required in pellet form, then a 

strand die and traditional cooling bath and 

pelletiser are used. This system includes a variable 

length pelletiser, where the pellet length can be 

selected from 1mm to 3mm in 0.5mm steps. If 

mini-pellets are needed for micro-moulding, them 

a combination of high draw-down with high cutter 

rotation will give 1mm X 1mm pellets. 

When working with highly filled compounds, or 

water sensitive products, an air quench, face cut 

system is available. Here the product is cut on the 

face of the die, propelled into an air stream and 

conveyed to a cyclone for collection. This method 

is also very useful for new water sensitive, 

biodegradable polymers being studied today. 

Data Logging 

When many different materials need sampling, it is 

very useful to be able to record operating 

conditions so that reproducible samples can be 

prepared. This can be even more reliable if the key 

operating conditions can be recorded and stored 

as a recipe for future use. The touch screen 

interface and PLC control allow this to be done 

simply, with added security of password 

protection. 

Scale-up 

In any laboratory system, the operator is always 

concerned with scale-up to larger production scale 

equipment. Form our experience the most critical 

element in this scale-up, is heat transfer capability. 

Most twin-screw extruders are variable speed, and 

so shear rates can be matched between laboratory 

and production extruders. Residence time in the 

extruder depends on a combination of product 

feed rate and screw speeds. Because generally 

output is determined by the motor power installed, 

and that is usually scaled to the volume of the 

extruder, which again gives a good scale up. 

However, heat transfer in dependent on the 

surface area to volume ratio. This means that the 

ratio of surface area to volume is inversely 

proportional to the barrel diameter. i.e. if you 

double the diameter of the screws, then volume 

(and hence output) will increase by 8 times while 

surface area, and (hence heat transfer capability) 

will increase only 4 times. 

Surface Area, Free Volume 

relationships 

Conclusion 

In a modern masterbatch plant, quality control and 

product sampling are key factors in the efficient 

operation. By using small-scale extruders, fitted 

with suitable ancillaries, and with reliability in 

scale-up, the operator can have confidence in 

developing new materials and formulations. This 

paper has shown availability of such equipment. 

A copy of this article is available on request by 

quoting LR-51 



Rheological measurements in the coatings 

industries – the last 60 years 


Abstract. 

Rheology is the science of studying and predicting 

flow and deformation of matter. It has long been 

an important technique for verification of design, 

manufacture, storage, application and cure of 

coatings. As coatings formulations have increased 

in complexity, meeting diverse customer needs, so 

discriminatory testing techniques allowing different 

materials to be compared for all conditions has 

become crucial. 

For sixty years the industry has gradually moved 

from reliance on qualitative ‘guesstimates’ based 

on operator experience, to quantitative measurements. 

These quantitative techniques have 

included Ford and Zahn cups, still used in the field 

Published in Pure & Applied 

Chemistry. Vol. 68, No. 8, pp. 

1665-1682, 1996. 

© 1996 IUPAC 

Synopsis 

Blends of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) 

and styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer (SMA) 

have been produced by reactive extrusion and 

characterised in terms of their rheology, phase 

morphology and the degree of covalent bonding 

interaction (ester linkages) between phases, as 

determined by FTIR. 

today, but which have been shown to be little more 

than rough estimates for the performance of 

rheologically complex materials, though they may 

still work well for Newtonian or near-Newtonian 

coatings. Simple Hoeppler (falling ball) or 

mechanically driven rotational devices such as the 

Krebbs or Stormer viscometers, and later 

Brookfield viscometers emerged, reducing much 

of the inaccuracy associated with cup-type 

measurements. They have proven themselves 

useful but there remains the problem that, if the 

material is non-Newtonian the measurements are 

not absolute, and data from the different 

instruments cannot be compared (the units of 

measurement are Krebbs Units, Brookfield Units, 

HAAKE Units etc). 

The ICI or “Cone & Plate” viscometers were the 

first to utilise a finite gap and viscometric 

geometry to measure absolute viscosity, but had 

the limitation of rotating at a fixed rpm, restricting 

the output of the viscometer to high shear 

applications only. Now that the science is maturing 

and high speed computing, combined with 

inexpensive electronics and manufacturing costs, 

have made low-cost rheometers and viscometers 

available. They are capable of providing reproducible 

data for all aspects of manufacture, use and 

performance of coatings (including cure), in 

absolute (SI) units, allowing direct comparison of 

different materials and processing conditions. The 

current state of the art includes measurement of 

materials in extension, quantifying the likelihood of 

spatter, stranding and misting. 

A full copy of this paper is available on request by 

quoting Rheo-050 


A collaborative study of the structure and 

rheological properties of EVOH/SMA* blends 

produced by reactive extrusion (Technical Report) 



Strongly synergistic behaviour in terms of viscosity 

and melt elasticity was seen in all blends, for low 

frequency dynamic and low shear rate capillary 

tests, the largest increases occurring in blends 

containing 50-60% EVOH. Finely dispersed droplet 

phase morphologies were seen in most of the 

blends, the minor phase forming the dispersed 

phase. However the blends containing 50-60% 

EVOH were co-continuous or partly co-continuous; 

it was also notable that the blends containing 60% 

EVOH exhibited a surprisingly low value of Melt 

Index. Evidence of covalent bonding was apparent 

in all blends, the highest interaction levels again 

being seen for the 50-60% EVOH blends, despite 

a very low anhydride/alcohol molar ratio (only 

0.05). Increased mixer speed and vacuum venting 

during processing also improved reaction levels. 

These findings suggest that the availability of 

reactive groups is restricted by the phase 

morphology of the blend during production. 

As a result, more reaction occurs at or near 

co-continuous phase compositions, where the 

surface area is maximised. The synergistic 

behaviour in viscosity and elasticity can be seen 

as consistent with the observed increased 

bonding levels, which causes more efficient 

stress transfer into the dispersed phase. 

*EVOH = ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer; SMA = 

styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer 

A full copy of this technical report is available by 

requesting LR-42 


27


Rheological properties of bitumen modified with 

polyethylene and polyethylene based blends 

Introduction. 



Nowadays a very large majority of the roads are 

constructed using a mixture of bitumen (5 wt. %) 

and mineral aggregates. Notwithstanding this low 

bitumen content, the performance of the road 

pavement is determined by the properties of the 

bitumen, as bitumen is the continuous phase and 

the only deformable component. On the other 

hand, from a technological point of view, the 

The rheological properties of 

polymers in shear as well as in 

extensional flow are essential 

for their processing. 

continuously increasing traffic load on road 

pavements has resulted in tightening of binder 

specifications in order to obtain higher mechanical 

stability of asphalt roads. However, the limit of 

increasing pavement performance with conventional 

pure bitumen seems to have been reached. 

To achieve this improvement, it is necessary the 

addition of natural or synthetic polymers to the 

bitumen. The aim of this project is to obtain 

modified bitumens, using several synthetic 

polymers, like polyolefins or rubbers. The 

optimisation of composition and processing 

conditions will be carried out by taking into 

account the stability and rheological properties of 

bitumens for road paving under extreme 

conditions, which should be processed with 

conventional or slightly modified machinery. 

Keywords. 

EPDM/PE blends; Polyolefin modified bitumens; 

Bitumen rheology; Polymer/bitumen blends 


quoting RF-190902-ES-01 


Measurement of the Irganox content in 

polypropylene polymers during extrusion 

Abstract. 

Near infrared spectroscopy was used as an in-line 

control system for the measurement of polypropylene 

filled with different amounts of Irganox 

additives. For this purpose transmission probes 

were installed in an extruder. The probes can 


New die design for the characterisation of the 

extensional and shear properties of polymers 

for laboratory and on-line use 




withstand temperatures up to 300oC and 

pressures up to 60 MPa. Transmission spectra of 

polypropylene mixed with Irganox with a coefficient 

of models were generated with partial least square 

regression which resulted in a model which 

estimated Irganox with a coefficient of determination 

of 0.984 and root square error of prediction of 

0.098%. Furthermore the possibilities for 

controlling process conditions by measuring 

transmission at a specific wavelength were shown. 

Unfortunately their complete characterisation in 

the laboratory requires the complementary use 

of sophisticated techniques which are time 

consuming and need great expertise. 

Therefore quality control is mainly limited to 

the measurement of a melt flow index, a shear 

viscosity and eventually a melt strength test to 

assess extensional properties. The on-line 

monitoring of material parameters would be very 

helpful but is today mostly restricted, whenever 

performed, to MFI or a capillary shear viscosity 

measurement. 

Keywords. 

polymer, irganox, extrusion, in-/on-line 

Reference: W. Becker and N. Eisenreich, J. Near 

Infrared Spectroscopy. 13, 147 – 154 (2005). 

© NIR Publications. www.impublications.com 

The HAAKE X-die has been developed to cover 

the need for a quick characterization in shear 

and extension, with little or even no operator 

intervention. It can be mounted on a traditional 

capillary rheometer or directly on-line with a melt 

pump feeding it. Data obtained by this die with a 

standard LDPE already tested in round robin tests, 

are presented and confirm the validity of this new 

approach. 

A full copy of the laboratory report is available on 

request by quoting LR-39 



Measuring coatings 


Published in Polymers Paint 

Colour Journal, May 2006, 

pp: 50 – 53. 

www.coatingsgroup.com 

A wide range of measurements with viscometers 

and rheometers is used to characterise the 

rheological properties of coatings such as inks, 

varnishes, dip coatings, paints, dispersions, 

paper coatings, printing ink, security printing 

pastes and powder coatings. 

This paper is intended to give a brief overview 

of which properties can be measured with which 

tests and which instrumentation is required. 

Besides the well-established shear flow testing 

in rotation, creep and oscillation, the benefits of 

extensional testing are discussed for viscoelastic 

fluids. 


Continuous online rheometry 

for industrial slurries 

Abstract 


Mineral solids are usually processed, produced 

or handled in the form of two-phase slurries. 

Accurate and reliable measurements of the 

rheological properties of settling slurries using 

conventional viscometric instruments can be 

difficult, if not impossible, since the solid particles 

settle rapidly under the influence of gravity. In this 

paper we report on the development of an on-line 

flow rheometer specially designed and constructed 

for characterising the rheological behaviour of 


In order to keep the quality of coatings on a high 

level, continuous quality control is required as well 

as sound knowledge of raw materials, processing 

steps, storage conditions and application 

procedures. 

Rheology plays a crucial role in each of the steps 

which a coating undergoes: After development of 

the formulation, production starts with quality 

control of raw materials like binders, solvents, 

pigments, fillers and additives. For processing, 

the components require the ability of mixing, 

dispersing, pumping, stirring, homogenising and 

stabilising. A good coating shows stability during 

shelf life and transportation without sedimentation, 

flocculation, agglomeration and coagulation. 

Rheological measurements help to select proper 

dimensions of pipelines, pumps and stirring 

vessels as well as filling machines. 

A variety of application processes uses high shear 

rates or high extensional rates – eg painting, 

settling slurries. The instrument design is based 

on the principles of helical flow, which is the 

combination of tangential Couette and axial 

Poiseuille flows. The data reduction procedure 

developed is firmly based on the theory of helical 

flow and has been extensively tested and validated 

with fluids of different rheological behaviour. Good 

results have been obtained using the rheometer 

for various Newtonian liquids, pseudoplastic 

polymeric solutions and mineral slurries. 

Keywords 

Flow rheometer, on-line viscometer, mineral slurry, 

rheological characterisation, helical flow 

spraying, printing, dipping which is followed 

usually by gravity-driven steps – for example by 

levelling in order to obtain a homogeneous film 

with good properties in texture, appearance and 

protection of the coated substrate. 

While stability during shelf like and properties like 

levelling or sagging are best characterised by a 

controlled stress (CS) measurement, the various 

shear rates of stirring, pumping, filling, painting 

are well represented in controlled rate (CR) 

measurements. Creep testing is performed in 

CS mode. Gelation, cross linking and curing are 

best recorded with oscillatory measurements in 

controlled deformation (CD) mode while amplitude 

sweeps as well as frequency or time sweeps can 

be performed in CS as well as CD oscillatory 

mode. 

In order to understand the extensional processes 

in printing and roll coating as well as in dies for 

filling, spraying or spray dying, the extensional 

properties require experimental determination. 

A full copy of this paper is available on request 

by quoting HA-030 

Introduction 

The control of the rheology of settling suspension 

is of great importance to the mineral industry as it 

is a critical factor in optimising plant life cycle 

costs. Many processes involve handling particles 

of diverse sizes, usually in the form of rapid 

settling (unstable) slurries and it is the slurry 

viscosity not the solids concentration that effects 

the energy consumption and many of the design 

factors of mineral processing units. It is therefore 

essential that the rheological properties of these 

slurries be determined accurately under conditions 

that resemble closely those found in the actual 

processes. 

A full copy of the paper is available on request by 

quoting RF-200902-AU-01. 


29


Small scale compounders 

for pharmaceutical research 

pharmaceutical, cosmetics 


Abstract 

Hot melt extrusion and continuous granulation 

provide for rapid product and process design, 

flexible manufacturing, a well controlled process 

and cost-efficient pharmaceutical production. In 

the development of new drugs/excipients, small 

scale continuous extrusion systems reduce time 

to market, reduce consumption of expensive 

ingredients, and use processes comparable to 

production. Applications and products for 

development with small scale twin-screw 

compounders are discussed. 

Introduction 

Manufacturing of clinical and commercial scale 

pharmaceuticals is traditionally accomplished 

using batch processes. Recently, because of its 

many advantages, a trend toward continuous 

processing is becoming more prevalent. For 

example, hot melt extrusion can deliver increased 

efficiency and higher throughput, when compared 

with a classical batch process. Continuous 

processing also allows for the real-time monitoring 

news & views 

Rheological Analysis of 

Powder Coatings 


Powder coatings are a 

cost effective and an 

environmentally friendly 

alternative to liquid coatings. 

Traditional coating systems form networks via a 

thermally activated process. This usually involves 

placing a powder coated surface into an oven at 

temperatures between 160°C and 200°C. The 

powder melts at around 80°C to 120°C and 

becomes an even film. At temperatures 

between 110°C and 140°C the cross linking 

reaction starts. The curing time typically lasts 

between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the 

temperature and reactivity of the system. 

UV curing powder coating systems have been 

established, where the curing process takes place 


in a shorter amount of time, even at temperatures 

below 100°C. A further advantage of the UV 

induced network formation is that it works virtually 

independently of temperature. This opens up new 

application possibilities for coating of heat 

sensitive surfaces like wood or synthetics. 

The melting and curing relationship of powder 

coatings can be rheologically analysed via 

oscillatory tests with an air-bearing rheometer. 

The advantage of this method is that the 

structural change of the coating as a function of 

time or temperature can be monitored without 

disturbing the process i.e. at very small oscillation 

amplitudes. The rheological measurements that 

are usually of interest are complex viscosity η)*, 

complex modulus G*, the loss factor tan δ 

as well as the phase displacement angle δ. 

As many powder coatings become very rigid after 

the complete curing process, parallel 


of processing parameters and in-process material 

properties. Extrusion is an established technique in 

polymer processing, and is particularly important 

for PAT. With real-time monitoring and process 

understanding, a continuous process can more 

easily be controlled to yield the highest quality 

product in the most efficient way. In addition, as 

compounding takes place directly in the molten 

stage, aqueous solutions are avoided, reducing or 

removing drying steps which helps to save energy. 

In pharmaceutical technology, extrusion has been 

studied and deployed for more than 35 years [1] . 

gives a The following article is discussing the 

smallest scale of extrusion with an output of 

several grams to 150 grams per hour leading to 

development and production scale extruders with 

outputs in the 10 to 20 kilogram per hour range. 


quoting PRISM 004 



measurements using a plate/plate geometry PP20 

with 20 mm plate diameter are recommended for 

these rheological tests. Rheological analysis of 

powder coatings take place at temperatures of 

somewhere between 80°C and 250°C. Below are 

experimental results which can be measured with 

an air-bearing rheometer such as the HAAKE 

Mars (see photo). The temperature range can be 

easily covered using an electric temperature 

control unit consisting of a lower and an upper 

heating system. 

The following outlines some recommendations of 

practical examples and typical measurement 

methods. A disposable plate/plate measuring 

geometry made of aluminium with a diameter of 

20 mm and a measuring gap of 1 or 0.5mm is 

recommended. 

1. Analysis of the curing process of powder 

coatings at a constant temperature 

The change in complex viscosity η* was analysed 

as a function of time at a constant oscillatory 

frequency. As the sample cures while measuring, 

the oscillatory amplitude τ had to be gradually 

increased in order to maintain a constant sample 

deformation γ. 

A desired deformation γ is assigned to the sample 

(typically γ=0.5% ), the rheometer then controls 

the recommended amplitude τ. 

It is important for the reproducibility of the 

measurement results to maintain the same 

conditions for powder filling and for setting the 

start of the test. In Fig. 1 an oscillation time curve 

of a powder coating is illustrated. The 

measurement was carried out at 200°C with a 

frequency of 1 Hz. A deformation of 0.5% was 

chosen. 200 data points per segment were taken. 

Fig. 1: Curing of a powder coating at 200°C 

(f=1 Hz, γ = 0.5 %) 

Each oscillation was only carried out once 

(number of repeats 1, no waiting time) so that the 

time dependent changes of the sample could be 


monitored. The complex viscosity η* and the 

phase shift angle b are shown as a function 

of time in the diagram. Analysis of the same 

powder coating at two different temperatures 

under the same conditions, establishes that the 

curing process is clearly slower at 150°C than at 

200°C (Fig. 2). At lower temperatures the curing 

process is slower and therefore the complex 

viscosity of the sample has a lower value. While 

the plateau value of the complex viscosity is 

reached after around 10 minutes of measuring 

time at 200°C, η* still increases at 150°C after 

16 minutes measuring time. For the latter 

measurement, no plateau value was reached after 

a measuring time of 16 minutes. A prediction 

as to whether the same end value would be 

achieved as at 200°C and after what time, is not 

possible from the available results. 

Fig. 2: Oszillation time curves at two temperatures 

(f=1 Hz, γ = 0.5 %, 150 and 200°C) 

2. Analysis of the melting and curing 

process as a function of temperature 

The examination of changes in complex viscosity 

as a function of temperature is interesting given 

that two influences, namely temperature and time 

are tracked simultaneously. 

Firstly the powder is melted and the complex 

viscosity drops to a minimum and then increases 

for the curing process. The position of the 

minimum and also the value of viscosity at the 

minimum are dependent on the substance 

itself as well as on the chosen heating rate. 

Fig. 3 shows η* in relation to temperature at a 

heating rate of 6 K/min for two different powder 

coatings. Powder A reaches a minimum viscosity 

at around 180°C, while the minimum viscosity of 

sample B is reached at 160°C. 

Examination of the minimum viscosity values in 

the curves however, yield a much lower value for 

sample A than for sample B (120 Pas compared 

to 400Pas). 

For processing purposes coating A should result 

in a more even coating as the lower viscosity 

Fig. 3: Comparison of two powder coatings 

(f=1 Hz, γ = 0.5 %, heating rate 6 K/min) 

should give a better development (film formation) 

on the surface. In Fig. 4 a powder coating sample 

analysis at three different heating rates is shown. 

At a lower heating rate (1 K/min) the complex 

viscosity runs at a minimum at 110°C after 

around 30 minutes. Afterwards it increases again 

and reaches a plateau value after around 80 

minutes. After this the networking formation is 

virtually complete. At higher heating rates the 

viscosity minimum shifts to a higher temperature. 

The effects of the two influences can be seen: the 

viscosity decreases with increasing temperature, 

the system simultaneously cross-links and the 

viscosity rises again. At higher heating rates the 

decrease of the viscosity predominates 

momentarily because the curing process develops 

more slowly. 

Therefore at the highest heating rate (10K/min) 

the viscosity at the curve minimum is somewhere 

around 10 times lower than at the lowest heating 

rate (1 K/min). The minimum viscosity at the 

highest heating rate is achieved after around 7 

minutes, at the mid-rate (5 K/min), after around 

11 minutes. In Fig. 4 the three curves are shown 

only as a function of temperature, not as a 

function of time. This explains why the complete 

cross-linking process is only recognisable at one 

point on the graph. 

This report was published in Paint & Resin, 

Issue 3 - 2007 

Fig. 4: Influence of the heating rate on the 

Process η* (f=1 Hz, γ = 0.5 %) 


31

News & Views 

Industry Solutions 

• Feature Story- Qenos Install A Pellet Size & Shape Distribution (PSSD) System 33 • 

• CoolTech Application Story – Rehau Pty Ltd ................................................ 42 • 

• Feature Story – Uncompromising Eyes ........................................................ 43 • • • • 

• Sensor System to Measure Viscosity of Tailings from Marimex ........................ 41 • 

• Customer Installation - Plantic Technologies Ltd in Altona Victoria recently 

purchased a HAAKE PolyLab with Rheology Dies ........................................ 47 • 

• High Quality Pharmaceutical Film – 

Customer Story Klockner Pentaplast, Germany ........................................ 48 • • 

• Industry Overview – Material Characterisation Solutions ................................ 49 • • • • • 

• Feature Article - OnLine Close-Loop Monitors Four Cast Film Extruders 

During Production ........................................................................................ 51 • 

• Food Industry Feature & Product Focus ........................................................ 54 • 

• How to Measure Series for Mining Slurries ................................................ 43 • 

Company News 

• A Brand New Year – A Brand New Look! ........................................................ 35 • 

• Australian Food Engineering Association 

– Technical Meeting – September 2006 ........................................................ 38 • 

• Conferences & Exhibitions in 2007 – 29th Australian 

Polymer Society Conference & Exhibition........................................................ 36 • 

• Conferences & Exhibitions in 2007 – 8th Joint Conference of Australian 

Society of Cosmetic Chemists........................................................................ 36 • 

• Conferences & Exhibitions in 2007- Paste & Thickened Tailings- A Guide 2007 36 • 

• How to Series of Workshops– Calls for Expressions of Interest ........................ 39 • 

• New Addition to our Rheology Team ........................................................ 35 • 

• New Website Additions – Biennial Rheotalk ................................................ 40 • 

• New Website Additions – Interactive Dictionary ........................................ 40 • 

• Polymers Extrusion & Compounding Workshops 

– Calls for Expressions of Interest ................................................................ 33 • 

• New Website Now Online! – www.TemperatureControlBaths.com ................ 37 • 

• Staff Update ................................................................................................ 38 • 

• Update on Paste & Thickened Tailings Conference ........................................ 42 • 

• Workshop – High Temperature Micro-Rheology ........................................ 41 • • • • 

• Staff Update ................................................................................................ 46 • 

• Staffing Changes - Administration Manager ................................................ 35 • 

• The Mayonnaise Jar & Two Cups of Coffee ................................................ 48 • 

• Service Department Update ........................................................................ 50 • 

• Rheology Solutions – 10th Anniversary ........................................................ 39 • 

• Staff Update ................................................................................................ 50 • 

• Company News – Home of a New High Technology Facility ........................ 55 • 

• Exhibitions - 30 APS Australian Polymer Symposium ................................ 36 • 

• Exhibitions - Ausplas 2008 ........................................................................ 43 • 

• Exhibitions - FoodPro 2008 ........................................................................ 66 • 




POLYMER 

FOOD 


MINERAL 

CHEMICAL 


BUILDING

feature story – customer installation 

Qenos install a Pellet Size Shape 

& Distribution (PSSD) System 


Qenos in Altona has taken 

delivery of an Optical 

Control Systems (OCS), 

Pellet Size, Shape and 

Distribution (PSSD) System 

in December 2006. 


During 2005, Rheology Solutions in conjunction 

with Thermo Electron Stone ran a series of 

workshops using the PRISM EuroLab 16 mm Twin 

Screw Extruder. The inaugural workshop was well 

attended by over 75 people during a 7 day 

timeframe. Based on the success and interest in 

the 2005 workshop, Rheology Solutions is 

planning on running the series in 2007. 

Equipment planned for the workshop includes: 


The decision to purchase the PSSD system was 

based on a rigorous process of evaluation, 

testing, trials and discussions between the Qenos 

Technical Centre personnel, Rheology Solutions 

and Optical Control Systems. The process of 

discussion and trials commenced prior to Ausplas 

in 2005 and resulted in Qenos bringing samples 

(natural and pigmented polyethylene pellets) to 

the exhibition to run them on the OCS PSSD 

system to obtain bench mark results on pellet 

geometry. Further samples were then sent to OCS 

in Witten in Germany for geometry testing. The 

objective was to compare and correlate the 

current manual testing conducted at Qenos with 

optical inspection results from the PSSD. 

In early July, Rheology Solutions in conjunction 

• PRISM EuroLab 16 mm Twin Screw Extruder 

• Water Bath & Palletiser 

• Extrusion Dies, Chill roll system and filter test 

equipment. 

The workshop will be half day in duration and run 

as either private or public sessions where 

attendees can run their own samples. 

The workshop is of interest to all those in the 

polymer industry including: 

• Previous attendees at the 2005 workshop 

• R&D personnel • Universities 

• Raw material & end product manufacturers 

with OCS conducted a workshop for the polymer 

industry where customers could bring their pellet 

and powder samples for testing. Qenos attended 

a private workshop session and discussed their 

final system requirements. These requirements 

and specifications were then taken back to OCS 

where their program development team 

incorporated these additional requirements into 

their software and tailored the software to report 

and show the specific results in the format that 

they needed to allow them to determine the 

quality and consistency of their pellet geometry. 

The software configuration was modified to meet 

all the Qenos reporting requirements and further 

samples were run at OCS to compare the results 


news & views - call for expressions of interest... 

Polymer Extrusion & Compounding 

Workshops 

Interested? Contact Rheology Solutions 

to register your interest in the series. 

Each workshop will be limited to 6 – 9 attendees 

to ensure that each attendee will have maximum 

opportunity for hands on training and operation of 

the PRISM EuroLab 16mm Twin Screw Extruder 

and ancillary equipment and adequate discussion 

with Dr Tim Kealy during the workshop. 

Further information on the PRISM range of 

Twin Screw Extruders can be obtained from 

http://www.rheologysolutions.com/prodtwin. 

html 


33

Tracey Boseley replacing the lid for sample feed 

to the PSD. 


Qenos install a Pellet Size Shape 

& Distribution (PSSD) System 

of the sample from the PSSD to their manual 

testing results. The results from the comparison 

on the same sample were positive and an order 

for the PSSD unit was placed with Rheology 

Solutions in November 2006. 

The PSSD will be used at Qenos as a quality 

management tool for pellet geometry. The system 

has been installed in the Physical Laboratory 

within the Technical Centre. The unit will be used 

for rapid and reliable characterisation of Qenos 

polyethylene’s, replacing the intensive manual and 

time consuming techniques that had been 

previously employed within the Technical Centre. 

The use of the PSSD will be complementary to but 

not replace the in-plant quality control pellet 

geometry tests. 


Tim Kealy setting up the OCS software before 

running a sample on the PSSD. 

Qenos use Australian oil and gas feedstocks from 

Bass Strait and the Moomba Basin. Qenos employ 

approximately 800 people and their plants 

produce olefins and a full range of polyethylene 

products, including high density polyethylene 

(HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low 

density polyethylene (LLDPE) and medium density 

polyethylene (MDPE). This makes Qenos a vital 

link in the Australian manufacturing chain, 

supplying industries that employ hundreds of 

people. Polyethylene is manufactured at Qenos 

plants in Botany and Altona with the capacity in 

the order of 200,000 tonnes HDPE, 90,000 

tonnes LDPE and 125,000 tonnes of LLDPE. 

The Australian market for virgin polyethylene is 

approximately 450 kt and of this, nearly 65% is 

used in the packaging industry. The rigids market 

is made up predominantly of bottles and 

containers for milk, juice, household and industrial 

chemicals, plus caps and closures. The flexibles 

market is made up primarily of films for food 

packaging including frozen foods, bread and fresh 

produce; shopping bags; sling and shrink wraps; 

industrial films and extrusion coating applications 

such as liquid paper board. 

In addition to its use in the packaging market, 

some of Qenos’ end products are used for water 

management activities such as polyethylene 

piping and rotational moulded water tanks. 

Polyethylene is used for pipes and fitting; in wire 

and cable applications; in the automotive 

components sector for tanks and storage; in 

household goods and in construction. 

The breadth and depth of the applications and 

uses for the polyethylene is immense. The 

addition of the OCS PSSD system will further 

ensure that Qenos continues to provide products 

of consistent quality. 

Full training and commissioning of the PSSD 

system will be undertaken in January 2007 for 

the Technical Centre staff at Qenos. The training 

will be provided by OCS and will include an 

intensive two days of hands on training for all 

staff. The training will also be supported by Dr Tim 

Kealy – Technical Manager and Mr Richard 

Donaldson – Service Engineer from Rheology 

Solutions. 


note from the editor 

A Brand New Year 

- A Brand New Look! 


Rheology Solutions is 

pleased to provide you with 

a new look RheoTalk for 

their first issue in 2007. 

RheoTalk will continue to be published three 

times per year and be available as a printed full 

colour newsletter or electronically as a PDF. 

The newsletter has been expanded to reference 

each article in the newsletter to specific industry 

Rheology Solutions is 

pleased to introduce Evie, 

the newest team member. 

Evie joined Rheology Solutions on Thursday, 23 

November 2006 at the young age of 5 weeks 

and 4 days. Evie, is a Border Collie and was born 

on 15 October, 2006 to Maggie and Sam. 


classifications. An industry quick reference guide 

can also be found on page 1. This will guide you 

to the contents that may be of most interest to 

you. The cross referencing by industry 

classification was also introduced in the electronic 

version of the Biennial RheoTalk for 2005 – 2006 

which is available on our website. 

We welcome your comments, feedback and 

suggestions on what you would like to see 

included in future issues of RheoTalk. We trust 

that 2007 is a successful year for each of you 

and we look forward to working with you during 

the coming year. Cheers and happy reading. 

rheology solutions news 

New Addition to our 

Rheology Team 

Evie comes to work every day along with her 

older canine friend, Mal who is an Alaskan 

Malamute of 101 /2 years old. Mal has been 

coming to work for over 81 /2 years and has 

welcomed the newest team member to assist 

him in his day to day activities. 

Mal and Evie look forward to greeting you when 

you next visit Rheology Solutions. 

Mal and Evie relaxing before they get 

back into their days work. 

news & views 

Staffing 

Changes – 

Administration 

Manager 

Administration Manager Jackie Wrigglesworth 


For the past four years, Jackie Wrigglesworth has 

been employed as the Marketing Assistant. From 

1 July, 2007 her position in the company has 

expanded to incorporate office administration as 

well as her marketing support role on a full time 

basis in the position of Administration Manager. 

This now places Jackie as the first point of contact 

for all enquiries across; general information; 

product information; updating contact information; 

status of delivery for current orders; scheduling of 

service, repairs and calibrations (either on site or 

off site); accounts receivable and payable. 

Please assist us in welcoming Jackie into her 

expanded role with Rheology Solutions. 


35

news & views 

Conferences & Exhibitions in 2007 

During 2007, Rheology 

Solutions will be attending 

the following national 

conferences and exhibitions. 

• 29th Australian Polymer Society 

Conference & Exhibition 

11-15 February, 2007, Hobart, Tasmania 

www.29aps.org 

Rheology Solutions will be exhibiting a range of 

materials characterisation products from Thermo 

Fisher Scientific specifically to meet the 

requirements of the polymer industry in R&D, 

QA/QC and production applications. The products 

will include: 

• HAAKE MARS – Modular High 

Temperature/High Pressure R&D Rheometer 

available with interchangeable temperature 

control units, and application oriented 

measuring systems. 

• HAAKE MiniLab – Co- and counter-rotating 

twin screw extruder with integrated viscosity 

measurement for compounding sample 

volumes up to 7 ml. 

• HAAKE MiniJet – Injection moulding machine 

for sample preparation system to produce test 

specimens from 5 gm of material from 

powders, pellets or melts. 



• PRISM Twin Screw Extruder – Segmented 

barrel with lift off top half for easy access to 

screws. Available with ancillary equipment 

including pre-mixers, screen changers, chill 

rolls, strand pelletising lines, air-cooled facecut 

system and cast sheet or blown film lines. 

The conference will be attended by Dr Tim Kealy 

and Mr Patrick Griffin and both will be available 

on the Rheology Solutions stand number 5 to 

discuss your materials characterisation and 

rheology requirements. 


• Paste and Thickened Tailings 

– A Guide 07 

13-15 March 2007, Perth, WA 

www.acg.uwa.edu.au 

Rheology Solutions will be exhibiting during the 

Paste 2007 Seminar. On display at the exhibition 

will be the HAAKE ViscoTester 550 which is 

widely accepted and used within the mining 

industry. 

The HAAKE ViscoTester 550 will be fully 

operational and demonstrated during the 

exhibition. In addition, Rheology Solutions will 

have a range of information kits specifically 

developed and produced for the mining industry. 

These kits will be made available on request and 

cover: Contract Testing Capabilities for Mining 

• exhibitions 

Australian Polymer Symposium 


The Australian Polymer Symposium, is being held 

in Melbourne from 30 November – 4 December, 

2008 and Rheology Solutions will be participating 

in the exhibition on stand number 13. 

The stand will be showcasing the HAAKE PolyLab 

QC with Rheomix 600 - from Thermo Scientific. 

The HAAKE PolyLab QC with Rheomix 600 is a 

modular torque rheometer with measuring mixer. 

Matthias Jährling, Senior Application Specialist, 

Manager MC Application Laboratories, Process 

Instruments from Thermo Fisher Scientific in 

Germany will be joining Rheology Solutions on 

the stand.= 

Slurries; Solutions for Mining Slurries; Tim's Top 

Tips - How to Measure Thixotropy, How to 

Measure Yield Stress, How to Measure Flow & 

Viscosity Curves. The series of Tim's Top Tips 

have been specifically written for the HAAKE 

ViscoTester 550 which has been established over 

the last 10 years as the mining slurries industry 

standard and choice for viscosity & flow curves, 

yield stress and thixotropy testing. 

For further information on the HAAKE ViscoTester 

VT550 visit www.rheologysolutions.com/ 

viscotester550_techs.html 



• 8th Joint Conference of Australian 

Society of Cosmetic Chemists 

22-25 March 2007, Wollongong, NSW 

www.ascc.com.au/news/conferences 

Dr Tim Kealy from Rheology Solutions will be 

presenting a paper titled “Measurements of the 

viscoelastic properties of cosmetic foam products 

using a vane sensor“. The paper was co-authored 

by Alby Abram and Richard Buchta from 

Connectics Australia and Dr Tim Kealy from 

Rheology Solutions. Tim will be available for 

questions regarding application, contract testing 

facilities, instrument evaluation for materials 

characterisation and rheology applications.• 


news & views 

NEW Website - Now Online! 


temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

offers the best selection of 

temperature control 

products within Australia 

Our range covers solutions for heating and 

cooling applications for industries including: 

• biological • environmental 

• laboratories • manufacturing 

• packaging • printing 

• process • raw materials 

• research • universities 

Some 100 products are itemised on this website 

across 12 category types (Accessories/Options, 

Baths, Cryostats, Fogging Tester, Heating Bath 

Circulators, Immersion Circulators, Laboratory 

BUY ONLINE 

CoolTech 320 

Refrigerated circulator 

Temperature range 

-28ºC to +100ºC 

AUS $3,999 

excluding GST 

& local delivery 

>> more information 


Chillers, Open Bath Circulators, Process Chillers, 

Refrigerated Bath Circulators, Shaking Water 

Baths, Temperature Control Systems) and each 

product has full technical specifications. 

The range and diversity of the temperature 

control baths available has been established to 

meet the control requirements across the depth 

and breadth of temperature control applications. 

Currently, there are two products which can be 

purchased on-line (CoolTech 320 and HeatTech 

26L) and this will expand to meet the needs and 

requirements of the customer enquiries over the 

coming months. 

Buy on-line with delivery ex-stock ready to 

despatch within 48 hours (or two full working 

days) from receipt of official company purchase 

order. 

TemperatureControlBaths.com is owned and 

operated by Rheology Solutions Pty Ltd and is a 

privately owned company based in Victoria. 

The diversity of applications, industries and extent 

of the product range instigated the creation of 

this dedicated website for 

TemperatureControlBaths.com 

Rheology Solutions was established in April 1998 

to service the requirements of the materials 

science market in Australia by providing the 

world's leading products and supporting sales 

and distribution with service, technical support 

BUY ONLINE 

HeatTech 26L 

Heating circulator 

Temperature range 

ambient to +100ºC 

AUS $2,399 

excluding GST 

& local delivery 

>> more information 

and education. The vision is to recognise the 

importance of specialisation and dedication to a 

specific science and provide full technical support 

and service throughout Australia. The Company 

goal is to integrate industry experience and 

materials characterisation techniques to provide 

practical solutions for customers. 

Building on the underlying vision that dedication 

and specialisation is key to providing customers 

with the right solution through knowledge, 

experience and support, 

TemperatureControlBaths.com was created. 

The goal of the TemperatureControlBaths.com 

website is to provide service, support and meet 

the needs and application requirements within the 

area of temperature control and offer the best 

selection of products from recognised world 

leading manufacturers. 

We look forward to working with you and to 

providing you with the best products, service and 

support for temperature control products. 

We welcome your feedback and will actively work 

to provide the highest level of efficiency, customer 

support and service. 

for more information visit: 

temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

all email enquiries welcome: 

info@temperaturecontrolbaths.com 


37

news & views 

Staff 

Update 

Mal takes a break with a bit of shut eye outside 



Another day at the office for Evie which comprises 

sleeping, greeting delivery people, a run and game 

in the car park outside the office or a game with 

some of the toys at work. 

Mal, however prefers to spend the day outside 

resting and relaxing – just visiting from time to 

time to have a drink of water or join us for lunch. 

He knows when it is lunch time and always is on 

hand to assist us with our food. 

It is tough at work and often a break from sitting 

under the desk and sleeping away the hours is 

needed – a game of fetch and catch is a favourite 

pastime – then, it’s back to sleep under the desk 

for the next while. 

Sometimes however, Evie likes to serenade us all 

– by squeaking her purple and pink football in her 

mouth and howling at the top of her voice – most 

entertaining except when you are on the phone to 

a customer – which has happened on a few 

occasions. 

Evie with her favourite purple and pink football 

news & views 

Australian Food 

Engineering Association 

Technical Meeting - 

September 2006 


Rheology Solutions and 

The Australian Food 

Engineering Association, 

(AFEA) present a seminar 

for the food industry in 

Melbourne. 

The paper was presented by Dr Tim Kealy - 

Technical Manager, Rheology Solutions Pty Ltd. 

“Some theory and techniques for 

rheological measurements for food 

and beverages” 

Rheological characterisation for product design 

and process control is becoming increasingly 

common in the food industry, as understanding of 

the power of these measurement techniques and 

instruments improves amongst professional food 

engineers and scientists. In September 2006, 

Rheology Solutions and the AFEA collaborated to 

bring the AFEA members a brief introductory 

seminar on rheology and rheological techniques 

applied to the food industry as the first part of a 

two-part series of seminars. 

The seminar was held at the Institute of Engineers 

Australia buildings in Parkville, Melbourne, with 

about thirty or so Food Professionals – Engineers, 

Chemists and Food Scientists – in attendance. 

Obtaining a good understanding of the rheology of 

a food product is critical for situations as diverse 

as lifecycle assessment, QC and customer 

satisfaction. It is the rheology of the product 

which, in large part, dictates its processability, its 

structural stability and its texture. Rheological 

measurements can therefore provide a valuable 

insight into how a material will behave during 

processing, during storage, and when the 

customer finally consumes it. 

New applications for foods – usually improved 

products with increased functionality – are being 

developed and marketed almost weekly. These 

new functionalities usually result from a small 

change in the ingredients making up the food 

recipe. These small changes in formulation can 

often have a startling impact on the food as it is 

processed, filled into containers, stored and 

eaten. Rheological analyses can evaluate the 

extent of these impacts and help predict their 

effect. 

So, intelligent food design must involve some 

rheological measurements and understanding to 

ensure success. Without understanding the 

consequences of changes in the process, 

ingredients, storage conditions and so on, we 

cannot hope to reliably manufacture a food 

product to meet with the full approval of the 

consumer. 

The seminar consisted of explanations and 

examples of how some of the most common 

rheological measurement techniques including 

extensional properties, yield stress, flow curves 

and viscosity curves can be conducted, and what 

the data can tell us. Along the way, introductions 

to and explanations of the technical jargon and 

concepts encountered in rheology were made, 

and the measurement principles of different 

rheometers, viscometers and measurement 

geometries were introduced, in particular 

rotational and extensional instruments for liquids 

and uniaxial testers (“texture analysers”) for solids 

and semi-solids. The concepts were illustrated 

using real examples and data from the food 

industries. The seminar was interactive with an 

excellent question and answer session at the 

close when the attendees had an opportunity to 

discuss their specific queries. 


news & views - call for expressions of interest... 

How to Series of Workshops 


Rheology Solutions is planning to run a series of 

workshops based on the Tim’s Top Tips series 

covering rheology across: 

• How to Measure Thixotropy 

• How to Measure Yield Stress 

• How to Measure Flow Viscosity Curves 

The workshops will be half day in duration and 

provide all attendees with hands-on training using 

the HAAKE ViscoTester VT550 running their own 

samples. The concept of the workshop will be to 

provide attendees with a clear understanding of 

what tests should be conducted, what the results 

mean based on real data and real results, how to 

use the results to improve the process or the 

product. 

The session will include a round table discussion 

to determine each attendee’s objective and what 

is important for them to have at the end of the 

workshop. A brief theoretical overview will be 


provided to cover the theory of each of the 

measurements being conducted and how to use 

the data once the results have been obtained. 

Each attendee will be provided with an induction 

on the HAAKE ViscoTester VT550, hard copy of 

the full method and procedures for each 

measurement conducted, copies of their results, 

and an information folder including the theory of 

rheology, dictionary definitions, copies of the Tim’s 

Top Tips – How To series for their specific 

industry and relevant product information. 

At the conclusion of the testing of customer 

samples, a wrap up session will be conducted to 

cover questions and review of the data and 

results. 

Each half day workshop will be industry specific 

and conducted either as public or private 

sessions. 

This series of workshops is of particular interest 

to all QA/QC, process engineers, production and 

laboratory staff across the following industries: 


• Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Allied Industries 


• Mineral Slurries 

• Construction and Building Materials Industries 

• Chemical & General Manufacturing 

Interested? Contact Rheology Solutions 

to register your interest in the series. 

Each workshop will be limited to 6 – 9 attendees 

to ensure that each attendee will have maximum 

opportunity for hands on training and operation of 

the HAAKE ViscoTester VT550 and adequate 

discussion with Dr Tim Kealy during the 

workshop. 

Further information on the HAAKE 

ViscoTester VT550 can be obtained from 

www.rheologysolutions.com/viscotester550_ 

techs.html 

news & views 

Rheology Solutions 10th Anniversary 


On Wednesday 30 April, 2008, 

Rheology Solutions turned 10. 

There have been a lot of changes over the 10 

years since Rheology Solutions was formed, with 

the business starting out of a home office in rural 

Victoria. Four years ago, the office moved to 

facilitate the growing business needs some 15 

kms closer to Melbourne in Bacchus Marsh. The 

move has meant that the local staff that we 

employ also moved with us. 

Rheology Solutions was established by Pat & 

Kaye Griffin and both are still full time and active 

in the business. I think that there is the hope that 

long service leave may apply at some point in the 

near future for both of them. 

Jackie joined us just over six years ago as a 

Marketing Assistant working part time, and now 

has the diverse role of Administration Manager 

and works full time. 

Richard has always had an involvement with the 

business, and has been with us since Pat & Kaye 

relocated back to Victoria after a four year stay in 

Sydney over 10 years ago. Richard’s role is 

National Service Engineer across the entire 

product range we offer – it certainly keeps him 

on his toes and ensures that his frequent flyer 

points continue to rack up. 

Rheology Solutions will continue to offer the world 

leading products in temperature control, polymer, 

rubber, optical scanning systems, rheology and 

viscometry instruments and equipment and are 

committed to maintaining their specialisation 

and dedication to the science of materials 

characterisation. 

Our vision is to recognise the importance of 

specialisation and dedication to a specific science 

and to provide full technical support and service 

throughout Australia. Our company goal is to 

integrate industry experience and materials 

characterisation techniques to provide practical 

solutions for customers. 

All of us at Rheology Solutions thank you for your 

business over the last ten years and we look 

forward to being of continued service to you. 


39

news & views 

New Web Site Additions 

During 2007 a number 

of new features and 

functions will be made 

available on the Rheology 

Solutions website 

www.rheologysolutions.com 

Biennial RheoTalk – Now available 

as a PDF on line 

This inaugural cumulative Biennial RheoTalk issue 

has been compiled to provide our Australian 

customers and readers of RheoTalk with an easy 

reference and source of the product information, 

application articles and news from 2005 – 2006. 

The newsletter has been cross indexed and 

referenced by industry, so that each key industry 

area can identify the specific information that 

relates to their industry. The industry 

classifications that we have used are colour 

coded and cover: 

• Mineral Slurries 

• Polymer Industries 



• Chemical & General Manufacturing Industries 

• Construction & Building Industries 

• Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Allied Industries 

Additionally, the indexes have been divided into 

three sections covering Application Notes, News & 

Views, and Product News & Industry Applications. 

There is an index at the beginning of each of 

these sections, listing the contents within that 

section with a cross reference to the industry that 

it applies to. 

The PDF enables the reader to utilise the search 

facility with the software. This means that 

searching can be conducted by any word, phrase, 

industry type, brand name, application or product 

model. 

At the end of the cumulative issue of RheoTalk an 

information request form has been provided for 

those that require further information. The form 

can be printed and filled out and then either faxed 

or posted. Alternatively, requests can be sent by 



email direct to info@rheologysolutions.com with 

details of the information requested. 

We trust that the Biennial RheoTalk will be a 

useful and easy source to access industry 

specific rheology and materials characterisation 

information that we have provided during 2005 – 

2006. 

Interactive Dictionary… Coming soon 

As a continuation of our commitment to providing 

education, knowledge and resources to industry, 

Rheology Solutions has developed an extensive 

materials characterisation dictionary covering 

seven key industry areas. The dictionary explains 

both rheological and industry specific terminology 

and relates it to measurement techniques and 

instrumentation. 

The interactive dictionary will be available on line 

as a PDF which can be searched according to 

industry type (Food, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, 

Cosmetics, Construction, Building, Surface 

Coatings, Polymer, and or Mineral), term, and 

product brand. 

The dictionary will have links to a summary page 

specific to each industry classification which will 

detail all the available information for that 

industry. This information can then be requested 

and will be supplied as hard copy. 

The interactive dictionary has been developed to 

provide industry with a reference source that 

relates their terminology to the governing 

properties and measurement information for 

material characterisation solutions. The benefit of 

this dictionary is that it has been created from the 

industry perspective using their process terms 

and providing an overview of how to identify, 

measure, and apply testing protocols. 


new & views 

Sensor System to Measure 

Viscosity of Tailings from Marimex 


A new sensor style from 

Marimex Industries Corp. 

now extends its application 

base into the mining 

industry. 

This sensor is based on a standard Marimex 

design but employs a special coating to inhibit 

the abrasive conditions often found in the mining 

industry. Previously such sensors have already 

been used without coating in similar industries 

like cement and concrete applications, where 

abrasion is also very high. The use of this special 

coating is expected to extend the lifetime of the 

sensor. 

As environmental impacts are being felt around 

the world, it is also felt in the mining industry 

especially as it applies to water usage. In many 

areas water has become a precious resource and 

steps need to be taken to limit use of water. 

Viscosity measurement can assist in determining 

and limiting such water usage as an example in 

tailings streams. Already a relatively small 

additional amount of water to a tailings stream 

will lower the viscosity of the stream by an 


amount measurable with a Marimex viscometer. 

Marimex viscometer sensors provide a high 

resolution measurement in process and yet are 

rugged for the application. Different styles are 

available to cover a wide range of measurement. 

Every system is factory calibrated and capable to 

measure over multiple decades of viscosity. 

Systems can be easily field configured to 

measure 1% of the calibrated range as a full 

range yet again with the resolution still being 1% 

of the configured range. No change or physical 

modification to the sensor is required. A 

configuration change on the transmitter is all that 

is required. 

Together with the introduction of this new sensor 

Marimex is also introducing new electronics. 

Based on the proven technology of the model VS- 

4450 the new model VS-D250 reduces both the 

size and the price of the transmitter. This has 

been achieved by repacking the electronics and 

leaving off a few capabilities, which are often not 

required in some applications. The model VS- 

D250 is housed in a DIN rail housing and can 

easily be mounted in a back panel rather than 

taking up front panel space. It is capable to carry 

two output cards which are available as 4 to 20 

mA analog outputs or RS485 and RS232 serial 

outputs. An additional RS232 output is available 

on the front plate as well and can be used for all 

included Modbus capabilities including 

configuration via a computer. Power supply for 

this transmitter is 24 VDC, which makes it easy to 

be connected to a non-interruptible 24 VDC 

power supply. A model VS-C250 with the similar 

capabilities as the model VS-D250 is also 

available. This model is for insertion directly into a 

sensor. however due to the mounting inside the 

sensor, this electronics can only be configured via 

a computer, whilst the model VS-D250 can also 

be configured by hand via three push buttons. 

workshop 

High Temperature Micro-Rheology 






High temperature rheology and simultaneous 

microscopy on polymer melts is now achievable. 

Thermo Scientific have developed the HAAKE 

MARS with RheoScope module to meet the 

customer requirements for high temperature 

rheology and microscopy applications. 

Rheology Solutions will conduct an applications 

workshop with the equipment in Victoria where 

customers can bring their own samples for 

testing. 

This product will be of interest to R&D, Research 

Organisations, Universities, Food, Polymer, 

Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Allied Industries and 

Chemical Industries. 

If you are interested in purchasing this equipment 

to meet your application requirements, let us 

know now. We will then coordinate the 

workshop with the support of Thermo Scientific 

and advise you of the planned date. 

Send an email with details of your 

application and any questions that you have 

to kayegriffin@rheologysolutions.com 


41

news & views 

CoolTech Application Story 

Recently Rheology Solutions 

sold a CoolTech 320 

refrigerated circulator to 

REHAU Pty Ltd for use 

in a display at a recent 

exhibition in Melbourne. 

The application where the 

CoolTech was used was 

quite unusual and outside 

of the 'square'. 



At the DESIGNEX expo held at the Melbourne 

convention centre 19 - 21st April, 2007, REHAU 

used the Thermo Scientific CoolTech 320 

refrigerated circulator unit and 16mm RAUPINK 

under floor heating pipe to set up an ice bar 

along side their 'Under floor heating display'. The 

aim of which was to provide a visual indicator to 

their customers and show them the conductive 

nature of their RAUPINK pipe. 

The pipe was set up in a snail formation within a 

stainless tray. The CoolTech 320 was set up at 

-8ºC for the duration of the three day expo. 

Customers were able to physically see and touch 

the ice, which was then used to serve shots of 

CoolTech 320 installed RAUPINK under floor heating pipe Afternoon tea 

In March 2007 Rheology 

Solutions attended the 

conference in WA and 

exhibited the HAAKE 

Viscotester VT550 and took 

over 150 copies of Tim's 

Top Tips “How to Measure 

Series” for the mining 

industry. 

The response from the attendees to the HAAKE 

ViscoTester VT550 was positive with 10 HAAKE 

ViscoTester VT550 Slurry Packages being sold 

during the exhibition. The copies of the “How to 

Measure Series” for the mining industry was also 

schnapps to them at the afternoon tea break. 

According to REHAU the project was a great 

success and proved to be very popular with their 

customers. 

REHAU is an independent and privately owned 

company with over 120 branches, 44 plants and 

12 training academies across 53 countries, 

REHAU is one of the world's leading polymer 

solutions providers. Their products are found in a 

wide range of applications from energy efficient 

uPVC windows and automotive bumper systems 

to life-preserving medical components for the 

healthcare industry. www.rehau.com.au 

news & views 

Update on Paste and Thickened 

Tailings Conference 


of great interest - especially the booklet covering 

'Yield Stress'. Almost all the copies were gone by 

the middle of the second day of the conference, 

and before the end of the conference there were 

no copies left. 

If you missed out on the 'How To Series' 

for mining industries and would like copies, 

complete the information request form 

and we will send them to you. 


feature story 

Uncompromising Eyes 






Film Inspection. Online 

inspection systems are an 

established part of high-quality 

film production today. A 

manufacturer of PE laminating 

and surface protection films is 

used to illustrate the 

incorporation of an integrated 

quality concept with the aid of 

practical examples 


By Gerd Finn - Orbita Film 

Oliver Hissmann - Optical Control Systems 

PE surface protection, interlayer, label and 

laminating films have to meet very high quality 

requirements. In particular, these films must 

have the lowest possible number of fish-eyes, 

which are unavoidable in PE films. Fish-eyes are 

small film homogeneities characterised by their 

area (size in transmitted light) and protrusion 

above the film surface. The fish-eye count is to 

some extent an inherent film property. Film 

manufacturers and users therefore try to 

minimise the fish-eye count and fish-eye size to 

a level where the fish-eyes pose no problem for 

the particular film converting process and 

intended application. See Figure 1. 


• news & views 

How to measure series for mining slurries 


Three “How to Measure” tips 

have been written for mining 

slurries and are available on 

request. The series provides a 

booklet which details tips on 

measuring thixotropy, flow & 

viscosity curves, and yield 

stress. 

Thixotropy is a relative measurement and as such 

depends on the experimental conditions and 

technique used to measure it. There are several 

such techniques, the simplest being modified flow 

curves, or constant shear rate or shear stress 

measurements. A more complicated, but perhaps 

more intuitively understood method is the shear 

and recovery method. 

In order to attain repeatability the most appropriate 

technique should be selected and the sample 

handling and experimental procedures defined 

fully. These should be unchanged for all tests, so 

that thixotropy for different materials can be 

properly compared. 

Thixotropy is a relative measure of the extent and 

seed of recovery of the internal structure of a 

material during and after shear. It is useful 

because it allows and estimate of the effects of 

agitation, pumping etc for prolonged periods, and 

also the effects of ceasing the agitation etc (i.e. 

how quickly the structure will rebuild, and how 

difficult it will be to restart the process as a result). 

Flow & Viscosity Curves. A flow curve is used to 

define the interdependency of the shear rate and 

shear stress for a material. To generate a flow 

curve either a range of shear rates or of shear 

stresses can be imposed on the material, and the 

other of the pair – the response of the material – 

is measured. A viscosity curve shows the viscosity 

of a material at each shear rate from the flow 

curve. Flow and viscosity curves can be presented 

either on logarithmic or linear axes. They describe 

the flow behaviours at a variety of shear rates, so 

that pump, pipe, impeller, etc sizing can be 

correctly achieved. They are also important 

because they define the type of flow behaviour 

one can expect from a material – Newtonian, 

• exhibitions 

Ausplas 2008 


Rheology Solutions will be participating 

in this exhibition (booth number 100) in 

Melbourne from 7 – 10 October 2008 

showcasing a range of equipment and 

instruments specifically for the polymer 

industry. 

pseudoplastic (shear thinning), dilatant (shear 

thickening) etc. 

Yield Stress has an impact on the mining industry 

in a variety of ways. In pumping and mixing at 

start-up, it must be overcome so that the impellers 

can turn. In pipeline transport yield stress 

influences the velocity profile of the material, and 

under some circumstances can cause the material 

to flow as a solid plug carried by a lubricating 

liquid layer at the wall where shear stresses are 

high. The yield stress of a material dictates 

whether or not a solid fraction will settle to the 

bottom of a tank, pipe or other container, and also 

whether gaseous materials can rise through it. 

Disposal of mining waste is an important issue 

and the yield stress influences the slope of 

beaches in disposal areas, the ability of high solids 

pastes to be compressed and to flow after 

disposal and so on. 

Note: Each Tip includes working definitions. 

Copies of How to Measure … Yield Stress, 

Thixotropy, Flow & Viscosity Curves are available 

on request. 


43

Feature Story 

Uncompromising Eyes 


Figure 1. Film with foreign contaminant 

Causes of Fish-eyes 

In higher-molecular-weight constituents from the 

polymeristaion process or foreign polymeric 

materials do not completely melt, they form fisheyes. 

Contaminants such as dust from bulk 

containers, abraded particles in material transfer 

lines and foreign materials, e.g. from poorly 

cleaned silos, can also cause fish-eyes. During 

the transfer of PE pellets in pipelines, some of the 

PE pellets melt and smear on the walls of the 

pipelines due to abrasion and form ribbon-like 

streamers (angle hair) that gradually flake off into 

the pellet stream. While the streamers are still 

adhering to the pipeline walls, their large surface 

area comes into prolonged contact with 

atmospheric oxygen. This gives rise to reactive 

molecular groups, which form fish-eyes. Deposits 

on the inside wall of the extruder or excessively 

long thermal exposure during a stoppage can 

lead to fish-eyes with characteristic brownish 

occlusions. Poorly homogenised additives such as 

pigments, antiblocking agents, etc. act as nuclei 

around which polymer accumulates to form fisheyes. 

See figures 2 & 3. 

Figure 2. Fish-eye in a coextruded centre layer 


Figure 3a & Figure 3b. 3-D view of a fish eye 

Problems with 

Contaminants 

Surface protection films are coated with adhesive 

and bonded to high-gloss metal surfaces 

(aluminium sheet, stainless steel sheet) or 

scratch-sensitive plastic surfaces (PMMA, PC, 

PVC) to protect these vulnerable surfaces during 

further processing and transport. In 

thermoforming - for example into headlamp 

reflectors or kitchen sinks - excessively large fisheyes 

press slightly into the surface and leave 

behind noticeable imperfections, which are not 

accepted in final quality control inspection. 

The same effect can occur with interlayer films 

wound up in aluminium coils to protect the 

aluminium layers from each other. As a result of 

the winding pressure, marks can be left. 

Fish-eye mark in an aluminium sheet 

Labeling films and special laminating film are 

printed with sophisticated motifs. The fish-eyes 

give rise to blank unprinted dots, which show up 

particularly in large plain-coloured areas. In 

addition, in the laminating process, the fish-eyes 

can be pressed into the film. This results in 

indentations that are many times larger and 

therefore much easier to see that the fish-eyes 

that produced them. In the subsequent printing 

operation, no link is deposited in these 

indentations and once again, there is a “halo” 

around the fish-eye. See figure 4. 

Figure 4. Black fish-eye with halo in a film 

laminated to aluminium 

PE Laminating films are bonded to other materials 

(e.g. PET, PP, PA, aluminium) with adhesive. If 

there are fish-eyes present in the film, a “halo” is 

again formed around the fish-eye, rather like an 

air-filled bubble, which is far larger than its origin 

and therefore much easier to detect as a flaw. 

The most critical flaws are brownish or black fisheyes 

from extruder deposits, which are 

interpreted as contamination. Such defects are 

absolutely impermissible in the pharmaceutical 

and food packaging industries. In film composites 

with aluminium foil, large fish-eyes can even 

impair barrier properties in the worst case 

scenario. 

Film Inspection 

Modern-day inspection systems have a data rate 

of up to 160MHz per camera (see Figure 5) 




because of the “embedded PC” concept. This 

concept permits the storage and transfer of all 

measurement data via the Ethernet to a server. 

According to the application, CCF line cameras 

with 2,048, 4,096, 6,144 or 8,192 pixels can be 

used. These achieve image acquisitions rates 

ranging from 72,000/s at 2,048 pixels to 

18,000/s at 8,192 pixels. So even at very high 

web speeds, high resolution in the web direction 

is obtained. Through the use of special lenses 

and the further development of CCF sensors, the 

reproduction quality of long CCD lines (e.g. 8,192 

pixels) is just as sensitive as for shorter CCD lines 

(e.g. 2,048 pixels). This means equally good 

inspection results for considerably lower 

investment costs. 

Figure 5. Inspection system for a blown film line 

A simple example will serve to illustrate the 

advantages of using long CCD sensors. A blown 

film line with a width of 2,600mm and maximum 

web speed of 120mm/min is to be inspected with 

a resolution of 200μm in both the web travel and 

transverse directions. To achieve this resolution, 

either four cameras with 4,096 pixels each or two 

cameras with 8,192 pixel cameras, a better 

price/performance ratio is obtained with equally 

good inspection results because of the lower 

purchase, maintenance and operating costs. 

The systems detect and distinguish defects such 

as fish-eyes, gel particles, scorch marks, black 

specs, streaks, lines and insects. Depending on 

its configuration, the inspection system can warn 

the operator of critical individual defects (e.g. a 

fly), defect trends (e.g. more than 10 gel particles 

in a diameter between 200 and 300 m/m2) or 

film rolls that are off-spec. Online, production 

trends can be mapped over extended periods of 

time, e.g. the last twelve hours. Offline, whole 

runs can be compared and analysed in order to 


assess, for example, the fish-eye count obtained 

with different raw material batches on specific 

extruders. See Figure 6. 

Figure 6. Fish-eye count plotted against time 

Self-learning Systems 

By using the so-called easy-teach-in-function, the 

operator can identify defects with the aid of 

defect pictures and sort them into classes. The 

classifier then automatically specifies the 

inspection parameters for the individual defects. 

Since these systems work with fuzzy algorithms, 

they are able, for example, to differentiate flies 

from black specs. This differentiation is crucially 

important, since the cause of the defect may lie 

in either the clean room environment or the 

production process. Similarly, fluff attracted by 

static charges is classified as such and therefore 

not identified as a defect. See Figure 7. 

Figure 7. Topographical representation (rolling 

map) of the fish-eyes with photos of defects 

Lighting Technology 

The use of the right lighting technology is vitally 

important for film inspection. The standard 

lighting normally comprises fast-pulse fluorescent 

tubes. But fibre-optic or LED lighting is also 

employed. The lighting may be used as reflected 

or transmitted light. If possible, transmitted light is 

preferred because it enables both sides of the 

film to be inspected. On the other hand, physical 

irregularities, such as scratches, in opaque 

surfaces can be more reliably detected in 

reflected light. Another bonus of film surface 

inspection is that the absolute and relative opacity 

of transparent and translucent materials can be 

determined. 

Integrated Quality 

Concept 

For quality control of PE films, even today, film 

samples are still sometimes taken from the end 

of the roll and visually inspected by employees. 

The results of such an inspection are very 

subjective and relate to only a tiny product 

quantity. In other words, they are not statistically 

meaningful. Counting the fish-eyes is a more 

objective method but very time-consuming. But 

here again, only a small random sample is taken 

and the assessment of fish-eyes is also 

subjective. Counting the fish-eyes on the running 

machine by manual assessment is even less 

objective because of the film movement. In the 

random sample inspection at the end of the roll, 

defects are not identified until some hours after 

production. If the film is faulty, considerable 

amounts of material are wasted in this way and 

production times are squandered. 

To ensure continuous monitoring of the 

production process, the subjective assessment of 

quality must be replaced by an objective method. 

For this purpose surface inspection systems like 

the FSP600 film quality inspection system from 

OCS GmbH, Witten, Germany, can be used. At 

Orbita-Film GmbH, Weißandt-Gölzau, Germany, 

several such inspection systems have been 

installed since 1994. Some systems operate with 

one camera and scan widths of 300mm or 

700mm. One system is equipped with three 

cameras and monitors a film width of 3,000mm. 

The systems operate in transmitted light for 

transparent, translucent and opaque films up to a 

certain degree of opacity. 

Most equipment does not inspect the whole film 

width but only a section. With this philosophy, 

only the homogeneously distributed defects are 

statistically detected. Depending on the film 

width, 30 to 70% of the entire film width is 

scanned in contrast to the maximum of 0.005% 

with manual inspection. 

In transmitted light, only the optically effective 

surface of the fish-eyes in the plane of the film is 



45


detected. The fish-eyes that are actually 

detrimental, i.e. those which protrude significantly 

above the film surface, are far fewer in number 

than the measured and displayed fish-eye count. 

Because of the difficulty of picking out these 

“projecting” fish-eyes from the rest, the total fisheye 

count is generally recognised as an index for 

the level of fish-eyes. The principal advantages of 

these systems are objective, reproducible 

inspection of surface quality and the possibility of 

reacting immediately to changes in the fish-eye 

level. 

The systems are integrated in the company's 

internal network. With each roll change, the 

inspection data for the particular roll are 

automatically stored on an internal server by roll 

number and production data. 

Application Examples 

An example of the successful use of fibre-optic 

lighting by Orbita is the inspection of black and 

white surface protection films for stainless steel 

in transmitted light. Each fish-eye causes an 

optical dint in the stainless steel. This 

phenomenon is intensified by a thermoforming 

process. Because of its high opacity, the film is 

very difficult to inspect in transmitted light but 

double-sided inspection in reflected light is very 

costly and technically complex to achieve. 

news & views 

Staff Update 

Evie has grown 

considerably since her first 

photo début in RheoTalk 

(January - April 07 issue). 

She turned 6 months on April 15 and is nearly 

full grown at just under 17 kg in weight, which is 

still a long way from Mal's weight of 43 kgs. Mal 

celebrated his 11th birthday on March 19 and is 


Inspection systems with a camera are used in the 

blown film lines. Only a section of the films are 

inspected with resolutions up to 100μm. This 

statistically monitoring is sufficient to guarantee 

fish-eye-free film quality. 

The cast film lines for self-adhesive film with 

widths of up to 2,600mm are 100% inspected. In 

this case, a very high resolution is achieved to 

detect even the smallest defect. The 100% 

inspection also enables optimum setting of both 

the extruder and the die. 

In the adhesive coating zone, Orbita also monitors 

the complete web. Here a wide variety of defects 

in the film are detected as defects of adhesive 

application. In this way, the coating process is 

optimised and absolute quality control achieved. 

Conclusion 

The use of online inspection systems for surface 

inspection of PE films has proved successful in 

practice and permitted faster, more efficient 

detection of surface defects in recent years. As a 

result, it has been possible to reduce the number 

of rejects and complaints. With these systems, it 

is possible to meet continually increasing product 

quality requirements, while ensuring efficient 

production. 

finding that keeping up with a young Border 

Collie is challenging. Mal has the strength to play 

for a long time - but Evie certainly has the turn of 

speed when needed. 

Being at work for them is part of their daily 

routine - as soon as the car keys are picked up 

they are at the door and ready to leave - this is 

regardless of whether it is time to come to work 

or time to leave. A trip in the car anywhere is 

always a happy outing for them both. 

About the Authors 

Dipl-Phys. Gerd Finn, born 1943, is Quality 

Control Manager at Orbita-Film GmbH, Weißandt- 

Gölzau 

Dipl-Oec. Oliver Hissmann, born in 1970, is Sales 

Manager at OCS Optical Control Systems, Witten 

Poli-Film Group 

As a subsidiary of the globally active Poli-Film 

Group, Orbita-Film GmbH is a leading German 

manufacture of polyethylene films. Films ranging 

in thickness from 7 to 500μm are produced in 

widths from 50 - 18mm at this manufacturing 

facility, which has a built area covering 51,000m 2 

and total area of 210,000m 2 . The company's site 

at Weißandt-Gölzau is home not only to Orbita- 

Film but also to its sister companies Orbita-Cast 

and Poli-Coat, which offer a similarly wide range 

of products. The films are used in the packaging, 

construction, agricultural and horticultural sectors 

as well as in industry and the retails trade. 

At Orbita-Film, some 50 blown film machines are 

installed in total. At Orbita-Cast (stretch film 

producer) and Poli-Coat (manufacturer of surface 

protection films), the products are extruded using 

the cast film method. www.orbita-film.de 

A full copy of the paper is available on 

request by quoting OCS005 


news & views 

Customer Installation 


Plantic Technologies Ltd in 

Altona Victoria recently 

purchased a HAAKE PolyLab 

with rheology dies. 

The system that was purchased included the 

HAAKE Rheocord torque rheometer drive unit with 

mixer (with Banbury, sigma and roller rotors) and 

single screw extruder (with an adjustable lip film 

die, and slit and capillary rheology dies). 

Plantic Technologies Limited is a world leading 

innovator in bioplastics, with a track record of 

science and industry awards, an international 

network of corporate customers and distributors, 

and a growing list of premium quality 


multinational research and development partners. 

Plantic Technologies is based in Australia, where 

its head office, principal manufacturing and R&D 

facility is located. The company also has sales 

offices in German and the United Kingdom, and 

employs approximately 40 people internationally. 

A New Approach to Plastic 

Plantic has achieved a unique place in the world 

market for bioplastics through proprietary 

technology that delivers a completely 

biodegradable and organic alternative to 

conventional plastics based on corn; which is not 

genetically modified. The entire process integrates 

the science of organic innovation with commercial 

and industrial productivity in a new way. The 

result is both a broad range of immediate 

performance and cost advantages, and long-term 

environmental and sustainability benefits. 

Plantic's single-minded commitment is to provide 

bioresponsible materials solutions for the world 

market that deliver all the functionality of 

conventional petrochemically derived plastics in 

an economical and ecosensitive way. 

The torque rheometer will be used to measure 

the relative processing properties of various 

thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends and resins in 

R&D. The sheet die will be used to mimic larger 

scale processes, to optimise screw 

configuration & processing conditions for the 

different TPS grades in R&D. The rheology (slit 

and capillary) dies will help to characterise the 

TPS grades for efficient processing. 

Rod capillary die at Plantic Technologies is 

used for rheological characterisation of polymeric 

materials. 


47

news & views 

The Mayonnaise Jar 

& Two Cups of Coffee 

This article discusses defects 

that may possibly occur during 

production of film on 

calendaring equipment as well 

as the sources of black spots, 

their detection, evaluation and 

possible means of prevention. 

The article was written by Andreas Schnabel 

(works in the filed of metrology and process 



When things in your life seem 

almost too much to handle, 

when 24 hours in a day are 

not enough, remember the 

mayonnaise jar and the 

2 cups of coffee. 

A professor stood before his philosophy class and 

had some items in front of him. When the class 

began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and 

empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with 

golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar 

was full. They agreed that it was. 

The professor then picked up a box of small 

pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook 

the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open 

areas between the golf balls. He then asked the 

news & views 

High-Quality Pharmaceutical Film – 

Customer story Klockner Pentaplast, Germany. 




students again if the jar was full. They agreed that 

it was. 

The professor next picked up a box of sand and 

poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up 

everything else. He asked once more if the jar 

was full. The students all responded with a 

unanimous "YES". 

The professor then produced two cups of coffee 

from under the table and poured the entire 

contents into the jar effectively filling the empty 

space between the sand. The students laughed. 

"Now", said the professor as the laughter 

subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar 

represents your life. The golf balls are the 

important things--your family, your children, your 

health, your friends and your favourite passions - 

and if everything else was lost and only they 

remained, your life would still be full". 

"The pebbles are the other things that matter, like 

your job, your house and your car". 

technology at Klochner Pentaplast GmbH & Co 

KG, Montabaur, Germany; and Oliver Hissmann 

(employed by OCS GmbH, Witten, Germany). 

Pharmaceutical products are packaged in plastic 

blister packs around the world. Every customer 

expects that the film used satisfies increasingly 

stringent requirements. In addition to economy, 

hygiene, protection in different climates and 

atmospheres, this also means a guarantee of 

maximum safety for the product packaged in 

compliance with new and ever more demanding 

requirements. 

The monolayer film that is produced primarily on 

calendaring equipment is converted into blister 

packs or serves as the substrate for high-quality 

"The sand is everything else - the small stuff". 

"If you put the sand into the jar first" he 

continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or 

the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend 

all your time and energy on the small stuff you 

will never have room for the things that are 

important to you". 

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to 

your happiness. Play with your children, look after 

your health, take your spouse out to dinner. Play 

another 18 holes. There will always be time to 

clean the house and fix the car. Take care of the 

golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set 

your priorities. The rest is just sand". 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired 

what the coffee represented. The professor 

smiled, "I'm glad you asked". "It just goes to 

show you that no matter how full your life may 

seem, there's always room for a couple of cups 

of coffee with a friend". 

coatings and laminates. These calendered 

monolayer films are plasticizer-free rigid PVC 

films that are manufactured in various 

thicknesses and colours. They can be classified 

into three product groups: With their good 

thermoforming characteristics and their good 

chemical resistance, homopolymer films are wellsuited 

for production of standard blister packs. 

For demanding blister geometries or maximum 

processing speeds, copolymer and high 

copolymer films offer greatly improved flow 

characteristics. 

A reprint of the paper from Kunstoffe 

international 7/2007, is available on 

request from Rheology Solutions by quoting 

OCS-007 


industry overview 

Material Characterisation Solutions 







Thermo Fisher Scientific 

offers a comprehensive range 

of material characterisation 

products that analyse and 

process material for 

rheological and thermal 

properties. 

These instruments analyse and measure viscosity, 

elasticity, processability and temperature-related 

mechanical changes of plastics, foods, adhesives, 

coatings, and a wide variety of liquids or solids. 

A brief overview of innovative solutions across a 

number of industries for R&D, Process, and QC 

applications follows: 

Ceramics 

Rheological measurement data relating to 

dispersability and flow characteristics of ceramic 

injection moulding compounds and pastes provide 

the ceramics industry with valuable information to 

optimise products. To do this, a flexible, modular 

rheometer platform is needed to evaluate product 

processes used for manufacturing ceramics and 

suspensions for porcelain and/or ceramics. 

Food 

Innovative recipe development, comprehensive 

reproduction simulation, and reliable quality 

assurance require a powerful rheometer platform 

in conjunction with pioneering measurement 

extruders and mixers. 


Paints, Dyes & Powder Coatings 

Innovative paints and dyes demand extensive and 

precise rheological measurements. This begins 

with reliable quality control of raw materials and 

products and continues in the research and 

development of new formulations. Stability, time 

dependence, process characteristics when 

spraying or coating, and structural properties of 

these products must be derived in the early 

stages of development. 

Petrochemistry 

In the petrochemical industry simulation of pump 

characteristics and measurements for oils and 

drilling fluids under pressure is vital. 

Pharmaceutical & Cosmetics 

Understanding the processability, consistency, 

time- and temperaturedependent properties of 

raw materials and end products in order to 

develop innovative and successful products is 

critical. 

Polymers 

Processing-related data such as melt 

characteristics, the effect of additives, 

temperature, shear stability and dynamic viscosity 

during shear are of great significance to the 

development of innovative polymers. Process 

simulation in compounding and extrusion of rods, 

profiles or films, combined with rheological or 

visual measurements, help the plastics industry to 

optimise procedural parameters, to create 

inspection bodies for tests or to perform quality 

checks at incoming and outgoing goods for 

viscosity, dispersion or plastifying characteristics. 

Rubber 

The impact of carbon black on the cross-linking 

characteristics of a rubber compound and the 

dispersion or vulcanisation and flow properties of 

rubber are key to product quality. Furthermore, 

optimised end product mixing times are important 

not only to ensure efficient use of production 

plants, but also to successfully launch competitive 

products onto the market. 

Further information on your application 

requirements is available by requesting 

detailed information specific to your 

industry. 


49


Staff Update 

Mal & Evie just getting ready to start a game in the 

office - it starts with a gentle torment and then 

fires up to tumbling and chasing 

At last there has been some well needed rain in 

Bacchus Marsh, not enough to do more than just 

wet the ground, but every drop counts. 

With the colder weather now approaching, both 

Mal & Evie spend more time in the office keeping 

warm. 

A game of chase in the office is often on the cards 

– it certainly breaks the routine of the day for 

them, and also for all of us. When the game is 

over, they are happy to lie back and catch up on a 

bit of shut eye. It doesn’t seem to matter to them 

where they lay down, they are happy for us to walk 

around them or over them – once they are settled 

they are down for the count – happy to rest and 

recuperate. 




Service Department Update 


Recently, our service engineer 

Richard Donaldson has been 

travelled around Australia 

conducting installations 

and calibrations on a variety 

of the HAAKE Viscometers 

and Rheometers. 

Additionally, there were installations during this 

period for Optical Control Systems products. 

During an eight week period he has carried out 

calibrations on the HAAKE Viscotester VT550, 

HAAKE RheoStress, HAAKE RheoStress 600, 

HAAKE RheoStress 100 and HAAKE RotoVisco 

RV1. A total of 28 viscometers and rheometers 

have now been calibrated across, Queensland, 

Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and 

New South Wales. His frequent flyer miles by now 

will be adding up to a sizable amount and well 

deserved. 

Just to ensure that he was kept fully occupied, he 

has also been involved in the installation of three 

HAAKE PolyLab's –one in Victoria and two in 

Queensland, and one PRISM EuroLab 16 mm twin 

screw extruder in Victoria. 

But the installations didn’t stop with the 

rheological instruments; there were also a 

number of Optical Control Systems (OCS) units 

installed during this same eight week period both 

into Victoria into separate companies. The 

systems installed were the OCS Surface 

Inspection system for the laboratory - FSA100, 

and the modular surface inspection system for 

in use in production - FSP600. 

Calibration overview 

The ability of a measurement device to accurately 

measure a physical quantity changes with a 

number of factors. Time in service, temperature, 

humidity, environmental exposure, and abuse can 

all affect your measurement accuracy of your 

instrument. 

Calibration quantifies this change in measurement 

accuracy and, when required, adjusts the device's 

measurement capability to decrease error. 

Whether your calibration needs are driven by 

ISO-9000 requirements, by company mandates, or 

by Good Laboratory Practice, Rheology Solutions 

Pty Ltd can tailor our service to suit your needs. 

Why Re-Calibrate? 

The accuracy of the electronic components used 

in all instruments drifts over time. The effects of 

time in service as well as environmental conditions 

add to this drift. As time progresses, changes in 

component values cause greater uncertainty in 

your measurements. At some point in time, the 

drift causes the instrument's uncertainty to 

become undefined, meaning the manufacturer can 

no longer predict the uncertainty and guarantee 

measurement results. To resolve this issue 

instruments must be calibrated at regular intervals 

as defined by the manufacturer. 

Richard Donaldson, Service Engineer 

Calibration is the comparison of an instrument's 

performance to a standard of known accuracy. 

The result of a calibration may be documentation 

showing the deviation of a measurement from the 

known standard or it may also include adjusting 

the instrument's measurement capability to 

improve measurement accuracy. 

The goal of calibration is to quantify and improve 

the measurement accuracy of your instrument. 

The benefits of maintaining properly calibrated 

equipment include: 

• Reduced measurement errors 

• Consistency between measurements 

• Increases in production yields 

• Assurance you are making accurate 

measurements 

We recommend that you periodically calibrate your 

hardware to ensure measurement accuracy and to 

keep your devices operating in peak precision. 

If you have any queries regarding the timing 

or arranging for your HAAKE viscometer or 

rheometer to be calibrated, contact Jackie by 

email jackiew@rheologysolutions.com. 


• feature article 

Online Close-Loop Monitors 

Four Cast Film Extruders 

During Production 


Applying the close-loop 

concept, a raw material 

producer’s off-line laboratory 

can perform continuous online 

metering, making optimisation 

of the process achievable. 

Following the principle of the close-loop concept, 

the conventional off-line laboratory is connected 

to the production process right on line, so the 

producer can control process and quality. 


Small quantities of raw material are taken during 

processing, to obtain representative information 

to oversee the entire production. Before the 

introduction of the close-loop concept, data on 

the quality of production could take an entire 

shift before it was available. 

Online quality control 

Online quality control comprises two areas: 

measurement of the granules and measurement 

of the extruded cast or blown flim. 

Measuring the granules produces information on 

LAB colour value, Melt Index (MI), pellet size 

distribution (pellet size and shape distribution 

Online close-loop monitoring four 

production lines (cast film extruders). 

systems) as well as dust/abrasion and 

contamination (pellet scan systems). 

Yet, measuring the extruded film online makes 

statements on bittiness (gel count), additive 

content and physical properties (IR spectroscopy), 

brilliance (glossmeter) and/or the value of turbidity 

(hazemeter). 

Online pellet analysis 

Conducting pellet analysis online, a sampler 

withdraws the granules from the flow of 

continued on page 52 


51

OnLine Close-Loop 

Monitors 


production. The system then automatically takes 

them to the measuring system, examines and 

sorts them. Those granules that meet the specified 

demands, are returned to the process. 

For the purpose of measuring the colour, the 

pellets are transported into a cuvette, where LAB 

values, yellowness index and several other colour 

values are determined. 

The Online Pellet Scan System, on a vibrating 

table or swivel plate, passes the transparent or 

opaque granules below a colour matrix camera. 

The pellets are examined as to colour soiling or 

foreign particles, and rejected if necessary. 

The Pellet Shape and Shape Distribution analysis 

examines the granules during free fall. It uses a 

line scan camera to check granule size 

distribution, sphericity, angel hair, dust/wear, 

doubles and triples. 

All of these systems mentioned can be connected 

right in series and be controlled by an integrated 

software solution, using an interface such as 

Modbus; they are linked to the Production Data 

Acquisition (PDA) system. In case of deviation, the 

operator is alerted automatically. 

At-line rheology 

The rheometer of the newly patented OCS 

technology is a hybrid between measurement of 

granules and extruded films. Highly precise off-line 

laboratory measurement following ASTM 1283 

and ISO 1133 is carried out continuously as well 

as right “at-line” next to the production facility, 


giving the operator parameters crucial for reactor 

control (Fig. 1). This is done by continuously taking 

specimens out of the granule flow, heating them 

up and submitting them to high pressure to 

compress them carefully. This process causes only 

relatively slight changes in molecule structure, 

reaching reproducible accuracies of 0.5% which is 

better than off-line laboratory equipment. At the 

same time, metering without screw shear does not 

change the polymer structure and maintains better 

correlation with the ASTM/ISO methods. 

Measuring extruded 

sheets online 

The analysis methods mentioned above, however, 

fails to provide any information on the granules’ 

speck content and their actual quality. To enable 

this measurement, a narrow film is extruded, in 

parallel, while regular extrusion takes place, and 

its speck content determined continuously. It is of 

major significance here, to seize the utmost 

number of small specimens, in order to safeguard 

continuous process control. A gel shower, for 

instance, may last five to 10 minutes, then 

disappear. Therefore, it is recommended that 

cycles should comprise at least 50 specimens 

per hour. 

Following cast or blown film extrusion, the sheet 

passes below a line scan camera and is wound 

without a tube on a pneumatic mandrel (Fig. 2). 

The winding unit is suspended at one side (godet 

structure) and comprises several servo drives. 

These provide for the film guidance to be 

absolutely stable and they avoid fluttering. 

Sheet guidance is just as essential as a clean 

environment (up to a clean room), since granules 

Fig. 2. Online Close-Loop concept 

(blow moulding plant) 

for applications such as high-voltage cables have 

resolutions of down to 5 μm, which must be 

inspected. For downmarket raw materials such 

as polyethylene, standard resolutions are 50μm 

to 25μm. 

The process has been optimised for raw material 

control and it works almost autonomously. Other 

measurements, e.g. of haze according to ASTM 

1003, of additive density and composition (IR 

spectroscopy), of brilliance or thickness can easily 

be integrated into the winding unit and software. 

The Web Browser supports remote control and 

maintenance of the plant. The systems are 

inter-linked internally with an OPC server, and 

connected externally to the customer’s PDA 

system. 

Quality concept for 

a polymer plant 

A world-scale raw material supplier has integrated 

into their polymer plant a standardised online 

close-loop concept. In order to minimise problems 

resulting from granule transport, such as 

generation of dust or abrasion, a container was 

placed right next to the extruders, suited to 

perform clean room measurements. (Fig. 3). 

Analytical software is integrated into the PDA 

system with a Modbus, Profibus, Ethernet OPC 

interface etc. enabling the operator to control the 

plant from the control room. From here, the raw 

material specimens can be automatically allocated 

to the individual measuring systems. 

Pellet analysis systems sort out contaminated 

granules, camera systems evaluate speck content, 

IR spectroscopy determines additive content and 

composition. In case of a problem, the plant 


Fig. 1. At-Line rheometer 


OnLine Close-Loop 

Monitors 


operator is alerted immediately and the 

contaminated material is diverted into a different 

silo. Simultaneously, the system significantly 

reduces changeover times, anticipates 

maintenance and optimises maintenance intervals. 

Inspection of extruded 

films during production 

Producers of high-quality sheets today use sheet 

inspection systems, which monitor 100% of 

outputs. These systems detect flaws such as 

specks, brands, fish eyes, streaks, flow lines or 

insects, mark them and alert the operator 

immediately. This monitors the process itself, 

the raw material and the final product. 

The system raises an alarm in case it detects e.g. 

a critical individual flaw (a fly for instance), flaw 

trends (more than 10 gels of 200 to 300 mm 

diameter per square meter), or if there is a roll or 

use error, that is not specified. The data is stored 

in the system and can be accessed at any time. 

Production tendencies can be presented online 

for relatively long periods of time (12 hours). In an 

off-line mode, entire campaigns can be compared 

to each other and evaluated, enabling the 

engineer, e.g. to evaluate the bittiness of a raw 

material charge applied on a certain extruder. 

The system provides protocols of roll pressures, 

tailored to the individual manufacturer’s 

requirements. 

Inspection technology 

Today’s inspection systems reach pixel frequencies 

up to 160 MHz per camera, being processed 

by an Embedded PC right beside the camera. 


A single camera can buffer up to 1,800 photos of 

flaws a second. All measured data is transmitted, 

via Ethernet, to a server, visualised and stored. 

Analysis is conducted in real time, alerting the 

operators, in case of irregularities. 

Subject to the individual application, CCD line 

cameras can be used with either 2,048; 4,096; 

6,144 or 8,192 pixels. The scan rates achieved 

range from 72,000 per second with 2,048 pixels, 

up to 18,000 per second with 8,192 pixels. 

This way, solutions are high in web direction, even 

with very high web speeds. While using special 

objectives and technological development in CCD 

sensors, the image quality of long CCD lines (e.g. 

8,192 pixels) today is reproduced just as 

sensitively as with short CCD lines (e.g. 2,048 

pixels). For the sheet manufacturer, this means 

that findings from inspections remain good while 

investment costs are significantly lower, since the 

price of a CCD camera for long lines is only 

slightly higher. 

With standard sheet processing, control is 

performed on speeds achieving up to 600 or even 

800 m/min (roll slitting machine, coating) and 

widths reaching up to 10 m (biaxial stretching unit) 

(Fig. 4). Solution is 50 μm, in optical films, while 

ranging between 200 and 300 μm in thermo 

formed high-barrier films. In laminated sheets, the 

value is between 100 and 200 μm, while ranging 

from 300 to 400 μm in diaper films. Generally, the 

solution is determined by the end customers’ 

specifications as well as the production process. 

Examples of practical 

application 

While producing surface-protecting films, the 

causes of specks were examined. Having 

evaluated the situations of alert, engineers found 

Fig. 3.Container designed for online 

Close-Loop measuring 

out the following: 40% of all specks are caused by 

dust and abrasions during raw material transport. 

This comprises silos and silo tankers, as well as 

pellet conveying systems in the factory to transport 

the material from the silo to the extruder. Specks 

caused by the raw material itself, e.g. by 

inter-linkage or insufficient shearing, make up 

25%. The extrusion plant causes 20% of the 

specks, due to dissatisfactory screw geometry or 

dead zones, while 15% are attributed to the 

production process, for instance screen changes 

or wrong temperature parameters. 

An enterprise producing sanitary film also 

compounds the blends it requires. In the 

compounding sector, each charge is submitted to 

continuous examination on a laboratory extruder 

that includes units designed for winding, as well 

as gel count. Using an interface, the data is 

transmitted to the PDA system. The information 

serves as a basis for producing the film according 

to the customer’s quality specifications. On the 

cast film extruder, 100% film inspection is carried 

out, while the film is 2,000 mm wide and speed is 

100 m/min. The data obtained from the two 

inspection systems is evaluated by the same 

off-line analysis software, which also relates them 

to each other. 

Fig. 4. System to inspect films in a stretching 

unit online 

Conclusion 

Close-Loop today is a standard concept applied in 

raw material production. Not only does it monitor 

qualities; it controls and optimises the production 

process. 

Author. Oliver Hissmann, DIPL.-PEC., MBA. Sales 

Manger, Optical Control Systems, Witten, 

Germany. 

A copy of this article is available on request by 

quoting OCS-008. 


53

• rheotalk special issue 

Food Industry feature 

Rheology Solutions offer 

material characterisation 

solutions to measure, monitor 

and provide reproducible data 

for quality control, development 

and production applications 

that will improve performance 

within the food industries. 

Services 

An extensive range of technical articles have been 

produced specific to the challenges found within 

the food industry, these include: 

• Food and Beverage Material Characterisation 

- Introduction to the influences of rheological 

and process parameters. Rheo 025TP 

• Comparison of Rheological Techniques for 

the Characterisation of Semi-Solid Foods. 

(Rheo 027TP) 



• Application of Liquid and Solid Rheological 

Technologies to the Textural Characterisation 

of Semi-Solid Foods. (Rheo049) 

• QC Measurements for Liquid Food Products 

and Packaging. (Rheo051) 

• Tim's Top Tips - Explanation & Evaluation 

of Mouthfeel. (Rheo253) 


of Shelf Life. (Rheo254) 


of Processability. (Rheo255) 


of Cohesiveness, Cohesion Strength and 

Cohesive Quality. (Rheo256) 

• Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure Flow 

& Viscosity. (Rheo358) 

• Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure Thixotropy. 

(Rheo360) 

• Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure Yield Stress. 

(Rheo362) 

Additionally, an information kit – Rheology 

Solutions for the Food Industry is available. Copies 

of the technical papers and the solutions kit are 

available on request from Rheology Solutions. 

special issue 

Products 

Rheological parameters are reliable pointers for 

food performance and are critical factors for 

processability and product quality. 

Measuring these parameters will improve process 

and product performance within the food 

industries. 

There are a range of instruments and measurements 

that can be used to quantify rheology 

related challenges (processes or consumption) 

some of which may be described by the following 

terms: 

• adhesion • build 

• cohesion • cover 

• crispiness • elasticity 

• mouthfeel • spread 

• stringiness • viscosity 

• and many more 

Rheology Solutions will be exhibiting at Foopro 

(stand no. 6084) in Sydney in July 2008, and 

following is an overview of the products and 

services that will be available at the stand and 

fully operational during the exhibition. 


• company news 

Bacchus Marsh – Home of a 

new high technology facility 


Rheology Solutions based in 

Bacchus Marsh Victoria has 

signed a license agreement 

with CSIRO to develop and 

manufacture a novel process 

control instrument known as 

the On-Line Rheometer (OLR). 

Mr Pat Griffin, Managing Director of Rheology 

Solutions announced that after a long period of 

discussion and negotiation, agreement with CSIRO 

had been reached for taking on the license for the 

OLR. CSIRO initially released an Expression of 

Interest (EOI) in early 2007 to seven international 

companies that were known to have expertise in 

the appropriate markets, and we are pleased to be 

the successful partner. 

The OLR will be developed by Rheology Solutions 

and will be taken to the world market. A world 

class manufacturing facility will be established in 

Bacchus Marsh employing 20 highly skilled 

technical and engineering staff adding to the 

region’s skill base. This is a significant development 

for the region with the establishment of a 

purpose built manufacturing facility. 


Mr Dennis Silvers of CSIRO stated that: “The 

initiative brought to the table a viable offer that 

otherwise would not have occurred, which will 

result in about $2 million in royalties and a small 

manufacturing and distribution facility to be built in 

Bacchus Marsh, a town west of Melbourne, that 

will employ between 15 and 20 people and bring 

in more than $16 million to the local community”. 

“The Moorabool Shire Council and the Victorian 

State Government have given much support to the 

project in terms of assisting to finalise the 

agreement with CSIRO”, said Mr Griffin. “We will 

be seeking on-going financial assistance from the 

Local and Federal Government as we progress the 

development of the instrument. This project will 

inject significant revenues into the region and will 

also increase employment.” 

What is the On-Line 

Rheometer? 

Developed by CSIRO Industrial Physics, this novel 

instrument delivers fast, accurate results with a 

single measurement over a range of frequencies. 

The OLR reduces wastage, saving time and money 

with potential environmental benefits. Its simple 

design and stainless steel construction makes it 

easy to use and clean. 

To date, when more detailed knowledge of the 

viscoelastic properties of the fluid is required test 

volumes must be removed from the process 

stream and measured using an off-line laboratory 

rheometer. This is a time consuming procedure 

that may require the process line to be shut down 

until the results are available to confirm, or 

otherwise, the quality of the product. Alternatively, 

the process flow may continue with the potential 

loss of product. In some cases, the volume of lost 

product could be large and this could be 

particularly problematic when processing high 

value materials (such as pharmaceuticals), 

products that cannot be reprocessed or products 

that incur a disposal cost (such as, an environmental 

levy). Thus a genuine process control 

rheometer which can be operated in an in-line or 

on-line configuration and measure the viscoelastic 

properties of a process fluid in real time, has the 

potential to improve product quality and reduce 

processing costs. 

The CSIRO designed On-Line Rheometer (OLR) 

is such an instrument, and uses a patented 

multi-frequency squeezing flow technique that 

allows the viscoelastic flow properties of a 

material to be measured in a very short time. 

The measured rheological parameters can be 

used as process controls in a feedback system 

to control the process, and hence the quality, 

of the final product. 

Above: (from left) Bruce Fox (CSIRO), Pat Griffin 

(Rheology Solutions), Dennis Silvers (CSIRO), 

and Jennifer Labourne (Rheology Solutions) 

at the signing of the License Agreement. 

Left: Mr Pat Griffin (right), Managing Director of 

Rheology Solutions Pty Ltd and Mr Bruce Fox (left) 

of CSIRO with the phototype of the New On-Line 

Rheometer. 


55

Product News 

& Industry Applications 

Product Focus 

• HAAKE MARS RheoScope Module ................................................................ 61 • 

• NESLAB ThermoFlex Recirculating Chillers ................................................ 64 • 

• New Heating Circulator ................................................................................ 60 • 

• New Cooling Circulator ................................................................................ 59 • 

• Disposable Plate/Plate – Measuring Geometry for the 

Controlled Temperature Chamber (CTC) ........................................................ 72 • 

• Marimex ViscoScope In Line Torsional Viscometer ........................................ 73 • • • • 

• Optical Analysis and Rheology ................................................................ 71 • • • • 

• Schleibinger presents a New probe for SCC Mortar for the Viskomat NT ........ 67 • 

• Cooling Recirculators ................................................................................ 76 • 

• HAAKE MiniLab Compounder & Reactor ........................................................ 81 • 

• Heating Recirculators ................................................................................ 74 • 

• High Speed Pellet Scan System throughput up to 250kg / hr ........................ 77 • 

• Higher Instrument Precision & Reliable Quality Control 

– Hand Held Viscometer – HAAKE Viscotester 1 Plus & 2 Plus ........................ 80 • 

• Nano-Composites ........................................................................................ 74 • 

• NanoLab Compounder Package ................................................................ 80 • • • • 

• New NESLAB ThermoFlex 2500 Recirculating Chiller ................................ 75 • 

• Twin-Screw Extrusion at a Lab Scale ........................................................ 76 • 

• HAAKE MARS with CTC ................................................................................ 67 • 

• HAAKE PolyLab QC ................................................................................ 83 • 

• HAAKE RheoStress 6000 – The Universal Rheometer ................................ 87 • 

• Heating & Cooling Recirculators ................................................................ 63 • 

• The OP5 Online Rheometer ........................................................................ 86 • 

• New Device for Rheological Measurements. 

A Measuring Device for Special Mortars ........................................................ 91 • 

• New Product – Circulator to Heat & 

Cool External Applications from -10ºC to 80ºC................................................ 68 • 

• Rheological Measurement with Optical Analysis 

– High Temperature Version Extends Testing up to 300ºC ........................ 69 • • • • • 

• The Industry Choice for Viscosity Measurements of 

Mineral Slurries and Suspensions HAAKE Viscotester 550 ........................ 92 • 

• Extended Product Range - Recirculating Chillers ........................................ 101 • 

• Using a Refrigerated Circulator with a Rotary Evaporator 

– Environmentally Friendly Solution................................................................ 98 • 

Industry Applications 

• Continuous Granulation for the Pharmaceutical Industry ................................ 65 • 

• CR-Mode – Low Shear Rates ........................................................................ 70 • 

• Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure Series ................................................ 59 • 




POLYMER 

FOOD 


MINERAL 

CHEMICAL 


BUILDING

Product News 


Industry Applications 

• Food Industry Feature & Product Focus- Extensional Rheometer 

HAAKE CaBER1 ........................................................................................ 95 • 

• Food Industry Feature & Product Focus 

- Heating Bath Circulator Thermo HeatTech 26L ........................................ 96 • 


- Process Viscometer Marimex ViscoScope ................................................ 94 • 


- Rotational Viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 6L plus......................................... 94 • 


- Refrigerated Bath Circulator Thermo CoolTech 320 ................................ 96 • 


- Recirculating Chiller NESLAB ThermoFlex 900 ........................................ 95 • 

• Polymer Industry Feature & Product Focus 

- Modular Torque Rheometer with Measuring Mixer........................................ 103 • 


- Modular Torque Rheometer with Twin-Screw Extruders ................................ 103 • 


- Modular Torque Rheometer with Single-Screw Extruder................................ 104 • 


- Modular Twin-Screw Extruder PRISM EuroLab ........................................ 104 • 

• Polymer Industry Feature & Product Focus – Pellet Scanner PS-25C................ 105 • 

• Polymer Industry Feature & Product Focus – Web Inspection System FSP600 105 • 

Product News 

• Accessories for HAAKE MARS – 

- Cone/Plate-Exchangeable Measuring Geometries ........................................ 62 • 

- Measuring Cell for Rheology of Building Materials ........................................ 62 • 

- Sample Loading Tool ................................................................................ 61 • 

- Trimming Tool ........................................................................................ 62 • 

- Solids Clamp ........................................................................................ 62 • 

- CD Mode Curing Measurement. ................................................................ 78 • • 

- Standard Liquids. ................................................................................ 79 • 

- Sample Fixture for Bending & Breaking Tests ........................................ 78 • • • • 

- Support Fixture for the Analysis of Textile Samples. ................................ 78 • • 

- Tool For Checking the Optical Quality of the RheoScope Module ................ 79 • • • • • 

- (SER)Extensional Rheology System ........................................................ 100 • 

- Universal Container Holder for HAAKE MARS and RheoStress 6000. ........ 99 • 

• Process Viscometer – Software Options. ........................................................ 82 • • • • • 



POLYMER 

FOOD 


MINERAL 


CHEMICAL 

57 


BUILDING

Product News 


Product News 

• New Product Brochure – 

- HAAKE PolyLab OS Docking Station ........................................................ 71 • • 

- PolyLab OS Torque Rheometer RD4 Application Packages ........................ 71 • • 

- HAAKE PolyLab OS Open System. Measuring Mixer Extruder System 

from Thermo Fisher. ................................................................................ 90 • 

- Micro Compounder for Small Sample Amounts ........................................ 66 • • 

- Sample Specimen preparation Instrument. ................................................ 66 • • 

- Food Industry Feature & Product Focus........................................................ 97 • 

- Comprehensive Material Characterisation for Polymers ................................ 97 • 

- Extrusion & Material Characterisation for Drug Development & Production 97 • 

• HAAKE Viscometers ................................................................................ 89 • 

• Polymer Industry Feature & Product Focus ................................................ 102 • 

• Accessories for HAAKE Viscotester 7Plus – 

- Thermal Printer ........................................................................................ 70 • 

- Adapters for HAAKE Viscotester models 6 and 7 plus for measuring 

range extension and sample temperature measurement (optional) ................ 99 • 

• Product Accessories - UV Curing Cell for an individual 

arrangement of optical components ........................................................ 99 • 

• Bath Recirculators - NESLAB RTE & EX Series ................................................ 97 • 

• Product Accessories - Vane Rotors for HAAKE MARS & HAAKE 

RheoStress 6000 ........................................................................................ 100 • 

• Product Accessories - Tribology Cell for HAAKE RheoStress 6000 ................ 100 • 




POLYMER 

FOOD 


MINERAL 

CHEMICAL 


BUILDING

news & views 

NEW Cooling Circulator 


CoolTech 3320 Specifications 

Temperature Range -28°C to +100°C 

Temperature Accuracy +/- .02K 

Heater Capacity (230V) 2.0 kW 

Cooling Capacity at 20°C 320 W 

at 0°C 205 W 

at -20°C 75 W 

Pump Pressure (Maximum) 300 mbar 

Pump Flow Rate (Maximum) 12.5 lpm 

Bath Opening (W x L x D) 13cm x 10cm x 15cm 

Bath Volume 4.5 L 

Overall Dimensions 23cm x 46cm x 58cm 

Unit Weight 29.8 kg 

Order number 230V/50Hz 426-2601 

CoolTech 320 Features & Benefits: 

• Rapid cool down and heat up times 

• Powerful pump accommodates the bath plus 

connections to external applications 

• Front access drain for easy cleaning 

• Safety for temperature & fluid level 

• CFC-free refrigeration system 

The series has now been expanded to cover 

seven key industries, and each industry has a 

series of three How to measure … notes for 

three key characterisation techniques, which are: 

• How to Measure Thixotropy 


$3999 

EXCLUDING GST 

CoolTech 320 Applications: 

• Condensers • Rotary Evaporators 

• Catalyst Reactions • Electrophoresis 

• Bioreactors • Instrument Calibration 

• Refractometers • Spectrophotometers 

• Sample Preparation 

ORDER TODAY 

DELIVERY EX STOCK! 

Cool Down – Time to Temperature 

Pumping Capacity 

Place your order now for despatch within 24 hours of order receipt. 

Fax your purchase order to Rheology Solutions Pty Ltd on 03 5367 6477 

or email your purchase order to info@rheologysolutons.com 

industry applications 

Tim’s Top Tips - How to Measure... 


• How to Measure Yield Stress 

• How to Measure Flow & Viscosity Curves 

The new industry application areas now covered 

are: Food; Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Allied 

Industries; Surface Coatings; Chemical & General 

Manufacturing; Building & Construction 

Industries; and Polymer Industries. The series was 

introduced last year with the first industry covered 

by the How to measure … series was for 

Mineral Slurries 

Rheology Solutions is planning a series of 

workshops based on the “How To Measure” 

Series” - please see page 10 for more 

information. 


59

news & views 

NEW Heating Circulator 



HeatTech 26L Specifications 

Temperature Range Ambient +8°C to +100°C 

Temperature Accuracy +/- 0.02K 


Pump Pressure (Max) 300 mbar 

Pump Flow Rate (Max) 12.5 lpm 

Bath Opening (W x L x D) 30 x 35 x 20cm 

Bath Volume 26 L 

Overall Dimensions 34 x 56 x 40cm 

Unit Weight 10.9 kg 


HeatTech 26L Features & Benefits: 

• Large bath area accommodates more samples 

• Quiet system ensures pleasant environment 



• Safety for temperature & fluid level 


$2399 

EXCLUDING GST 

HeatTech 26L Applications: 

• Fecal Coliform Testing • Enzyme Assays 

• Quality Control Testing • Tissue Baths 

• Instrument Calibration • Viscosity Testing 

• Sample Preparation • DNA Melting Curves 

ORDER TODAY 

DELIVERY EX STOCK! 

Heat-Up – Time to Temperature Curve 



product news & industry applications 

HAAKE MARS Rheoscope Module 


The HAAKE MARS 

is a modular high 

temperature/high pressure 

R&D rheometer that was 

designed for flexibility with 

an architecture that permits 

customer modules to be 

integrated into the system. 

A RheoScope Module was developed for the 

HAAKE MARS system that combines high 

resolution microscopy and advanced rheometery 

technology. With this module the connection 

between a sample’s microscopic structures and 

rheological properties can be monitored 

simultaneously, and the rheological and optical 

data can be saved in the same file. Visible 

textures and structures in solutions, suspensions, 

thixotropy, emulsification, coalescence, 

aggregation, gelification, dissolution and 

flocculation. Together with the user-friendly 


HAAKE RheoWin 3 measuring and evaluation 

software, all functions of the microscope and 

camera can be controlled in addition to the 

rheometer. The rheological and optical data can 

be monitored online during the measurement as 

well as saved and exported in different formats 

for further analysis. 

Specifications 

Microscope Servo motor-driven, focus and 

position adjustment controlled 

with software 

Lenses Magnification: 5x, 10x, 20x 

and 50x 

Light source 150 W, 12 V, wave length 

range: 380 - 750 

Resolution 1 um (20x lenses) 

Field depth 5 um (20x lenses) 

Contrast improvement Polariser servo motor-driven 

Data acquisition Maximum 15 images / second 

and storage with standard image format 

(eg: TIFF) or video acquisitions 

with user-definable data 

compression 

Image analysis Option for the determination of 

software the particle size and its 

distribution 

Measuring geometries Polished plates and cones with 

different diameters 


NEW Accessories for HAAKE MARS 


Sample loading tool for measurements 

on pellets and powders using a 

plate/plate- or cone/plate- measuring 

geometry 

In most cases rheological investigations on 

polymers were performed using a rheometer with 

plate/plate- or cone/plate- measuring geometry. 

Too much or too little sample volume can result in 

an experimental error of up to 20% for the 

viscosity or the modulus. 

In order to get reliable experimental data with a 

high reproducibility a suitable sample preparation 

is necessary, e.g. production of specimen using an 

injection moulding machine. The feed material can 

be modified due to the fact that the sample 

preparation is carried out at the processing 

temperature of the polymer. 

A sample loading tool was designed for 

measurements using the feed material in form of 

pellets or powder. This tool consists of a forming 

tool for measuring geometries with different 

diameters (20, 25 and 35 mm), a tool to check the 

forming as well as a set of disposable strips made 

of stainless steel. 

HAAKE MARS Rheoscope Module 

The strips have a thickness of 0.2 mm. Using a 

moulding tool these strips can be shaped into 

loops with diameters corresponding with the lower 

plates of our cone/plate or plate/plate geometries. 

Having this border around the lower plate, the 

geometry can easily be filled with pellets or 

powders. Afterwards, the automatic lift, controlled 

by HAAKE RheoWin, will move the upper geometry 

into the measuring position and the metal strip 

can be opened and taken away. 

This procedure leads to an optimum filling of the 

geometry with a correct sample volume and no air 

bubbles. Continued on page 


61

Sample loading tool for cone/plate – measuring 

geometries consisting of forming tool (left), tool 

to check the geometry (middle) and strips out 

of stainless steel (in the front); measuring plate 

cover with sample loading tool (right) 

The filling procedure should be carried out at the 

measuring temperature in order to eliminate a 

thermal modification of the sample. 

Trimming tool to remove overfilling 

in a plate/plate-and cone/plate 

measuring geometry 

In order to get reliable measuring data with a 

high reproducibility an optimised gap filling is 

necessary: using an underfilling the measured 

value for the viscosity is too low, whereas an 

overfilling results in a too high viscosity value. 

The fringe effect depends on the diameter of the 

measuring geometry: the effect increases with 

decreasing diameter. 

For samples with a medium and higher viscosity 

a special trimming tool is available as an optional 

accessory to remove the overfilling. 

Plate/Plate – measuring geometry with measuring 

plate cover (MPC) for optimized gap filling 

This tool is made out of stainless steel, robust 

and ergonomically designed to remove surplus 

material easily and without residue. 

For all plate/plate – and cone/plate – measuring 

geometries measuring plate covers are available 


with standard diameters of 8, 20, 35 and 60 mm. 

These measuring plate covers are designed with 

a plateau, in which surplus material can be 

collected automatically. 

Trimming tool to remove surplus material for 

medium and high viscous samples 

New solids clamps for measurements 

on (semi)-solids 

For the controlled test chamber (CTC) a new 

solids clamping tool according to DIN/ISO 7621-1 

has been designed. It consists of an upper and a 

lower holder. Each is equipped with two moving 

jaws, which guarantee an automatic centering of 

the sample relative to the rheometers axis. 

The automatic clamping force adaptation for the 

sample as well as a very simple semi-automatic 

gap adjustment for a wide range of sample 

thicknesses with just one fixture allow the user to 

measure over a wide range of temperatures in 

one go without ever loosing the grip on the 

sample. 

The jaws are easily removable for cleaning. Also 

jaws with various profiles for different sample 

types (soft, medium, hard) are available. 

The sample can be 5.0 – 12.7 mm wide, 0.15 – 

4.0 mm thick and have a maximum length of 68 

mm. 

Solids clamps set (left) and a sample held by the 

clamps (right) 

The bottom clamp can be adjusted in height. 

Samples of different lengths can all be fixed with 

their middle part being close to the centre of the 

CTC. Thus all samples of different lengths are 

exposed to the same extremely low temperature 

gradient. Using a flexible temperature sensor the 

temperature is measured very close to the 

sample. 

Cone/plate-exchangeable measuring 

geometries for maximum flexibility 

For the temperature control chamber (CTC) a new 

design for cone/plate- measuring geometries 

have been developed, in order to fulfill individual 

customer requirements without restrictions. 

The exchangeable measuring geometry consists 

of an upper and a lower holder with integrated 

temperature sensor. Both holders are equipped 

with an adapter for a plate or a cone. 

Selection of different exchangeable geometries 

(right) 

Plates and cones made of stainless steel with 

different diameters (8, 20, 25 and 35 mm) and 

cone angles are available. The lower plate is 

designed to collect surplus material. 

Geometries made of aluminum with diameters 20 

and 25 mm are available as reusable plates. For 

this kind of geometry a collection device is 

recommended, in order to protect the 

temperature chamber against fouling. 

Thanks to the modular design individual 

requirements for material (e.g. Titanium, 

Hastelloy), special surfaces (e.g. profiles) and 

diameters can easily be realized. They are 

available on request. 

New measuring cell for rheology 

of building materials 

In order to carry out measurements on samples 

with medium and large particles, a special 

measuring geometry is often the only way to get 

meaningful data with a high reproducibility. 

For measurements on building materials a new 

measuring cell has been developed, which can be 



NEW Accessories for HAAKE MARS 


used for HAAKE MARS as well as rheometers of 

the HAAKE RheoStress series. 

This measuring cell is characterized by its variable 

profile. For all existing coaxial cylinders the profile 

is fixed and can not be changed. The profile of the 

new measuring cell is exchangeable: for each 

lamella the profile depth can be individually 

chosen. 

Lamellas with a profile depth of 2mm are included 

in the standard delivery. Lamellas with 1 mm is 

available as an option, whereas other profile 

depths are available on request. 

Specially shaped vane rotors are included in the 

price list with 26 and 29,5 mm diameters. 


The measuring cell is made of stainless steel in a 

very robust design. The surface with an optimized 

structure guarantees an easy cleaning. 

Using the cell for construction materials in 

combination with a HAAKE MARS rheometer the 

temperature can be controlled; a suitable 

circulator is required. The temperature control unit 

is mounted on an adapter plate, in an overhung 

position and centered by the measuring cell. Using 

a temperature sensor the temperature can be 

measured within the sample. With a swingmechanism 

the temperature sensor can be 

positioned automatically and on a reproducible 

position. 

A measuring cell cover is available as an optional 

accessory. 

• product information 

Heating & Cooling Recirculators 


In Stock – Despatched within 

48 hours from receipt of order. 

CoolTech 320 HeatTech 26L 

Refrigerated circulator Heating circulator 

Temperature range Temperature range 

-28ºC to +100ºC ambient to = 100ºC 

$3,999 $2,399 

All prices quoted exclude GST and local delivery 

Full product information is available on line 

for these products plus an extensive range 

of temperature control baths to meet the 

application requirements of diverse industries. 

For full product information and technical 

specifications please visit our dedicated website 

for temperature control products: 

www.temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

Cross-section of the measuring cell for buidling 

materials with adapter plate, 

temperature control unit incl. vane rotor 

www.temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

The website covers the entire range of temperature control baths currently available across 

the diverse product range and depth. 


63


Neslab ThermoFlex Recirculating 

Chillers 



Reliable, easy-to-use chillers 

optimised for the most 

demanding applications 

NESLAB ThermoFlex Recirculating Chillers deliver 

a continuous cooling capacity up to 1400 watts. 

These units are reliable, easy-to-use chillers 

optimised for the most demanding applications. 

These units are ideal for diverse applications 

within the following markets: 

• Laser • Packaging 

• University • Research 

• Analytical instrumentation 

• Medical equipment 

High Reliability 

You can expect years of operation from the 

NESLAB ThermoFlex 900 and 1400 recirculating 

chiller. The unit features a robust refrigeration 

system designed for continuous use in a variety 

of environments. The recirculation system 

incorporates highly reliable plumbing connections 

to eliminate leaks. Integrated air and fluid filters 

minimise wear to mechanical parts, which lowers 

lifetime maintenance costs and improves system 

reliability. 

NESLAB ThermoFlex 900 

Recirculating Chiller 

Setpoint Temp. Range 5°C - 40°C 

Ambient Temp. Range 10°C - 40°C 

Temperature Stability +/- 0.1°C 

Setpoint Cooling 60 Hz 900W (3072 BTU) 

Capacity at 20°C 50 Hz 750W (2560 BTU) 

(see graph below for cooling curves) 

Reservoir Volume 7.6 Liters 

Dimensions (HxWxD) 69.6 x 36.1 x 62.7cm 

Unit Weight 57.2kg 

Pumps (see graph below for performance curves) 

PD 1 - Positive 60 Hz 2.1 gpm @ 60 psi 

Displacement 50 Hz 1.7 gpm @ 60 psi 



Compliance NRTL Certified to CSA and 

UL Standards; CE-Marked 

Cooling Capacity 


NESLAB ThermoFlex 1400 


Setpoint Temp. Range 5°C - 40°C 

Ambient Temp. Range 10°C - 40°C 


Setpoint Cooling 60 Hz 1400W (4778 BTU) 

Capacity at 20°C 50 Hz 1170W (3995 BTU) 

(see graph below for cooling curves) 

Reservoir Volume 7.6 Liters 

Dimensions (HxWxD) 69.6 x 36.1 x 62.7cm 

Unit Weight 57.2kg 

Pumps (see graph below for performance curves) 





Compliance NRTL Certified to CSA and 

UL Standards; CE-Marked 

Cooling Capacity 


Specifications obtained at sea level using water as the recirculating fluid, at a 20°C process setpoint, 25°C ambient condition, 

at nominal operating voltage. Other fluids, fluid temperatures, ambient temperatures, altitude or operating voltages will affect 

performance. Thermo Electron reserves the right to change specifications without notice. Pump performance results obtained 

with no restrictions on return to the system. 



Continuous Granulation for the 

Pharmaceutical Industry 


& allied industries PRISM PHARMALAB 16 

Granulator with feeder 

The pharmaceutical 

industry needs consistent, 

continuous, small scale 

production capabilities 

and easy cleaning. The 

system needs to provide 

flexibility for new product 

development, with reliable 

and repeatable operating 

conditions, plus accurate 

process data for product 

audit. 

The PRISM Pharmalab 16 Extruder system meets 

the needs of the pharmaceutical industry with: 

• Small-scale twin screw continuous granulation 

• Crevice-fee design with opening barrel and 

ancillaries 

• Flexible screw and barrel configurations 

• Programmable recipe storage 

• Integrated data logging and analysis 

The benefits of the PRISM Twin screw systems for 

the pharmaceutical industry is: 

• Continuous granulation delivering consistent 

quality on small scale production 

• Opening barrel and easily dismantled product 

contact parts ensure reliable clean down 

• Modular design of screws and barrel gives 

flexibility for new product development 

• Recipe storage delivers reliable and repeatable 

operating conditions 

• Integrated data logging provides accurate 

process data for product audit 


and dosing pump. 

PRISM PHARMALAB 16 Extruder showing all 

contact sections removed for cleaning 

PRISM PHARMALAB 16 Granulator showing 

discharge area 


hopper stirrer 


product discharge 


65

• new product brochure 

A micro compounder for 

small sample amounts 




The Thermo Scientific HAAKE 

MiniLab II needs a sample 

amount of only 5 g. 

Compounding expensive or small scale materials 

such as nano-composities, bio-polymers or 

pharmaceutical is no longer a problem. 

Simultaneously, the rheological properties can 

be recorded to document structural changes. 

By using the optional force feeder, continuos 

extrusion with very small flows is possible. 

Main features: 

• Co –rotating twin screws (option: counter- 

rotating twin screws) 

• Integrated viscosity measurement 

• Automatic bypass operation for 

circulation/extrusion 

• Pneumatic feeding 

• LCD screen for graphical data display 

• Manual or computer control 

• Easy to clean due to exit in split barrel 

• Fits into laboratory fume hood= 


Sample specimen 

preparation instrument 




The Thermo Scientific 

HAAKE MiniJet II optimised 

the development process, 

enabling the testing of the 

mechanical properties of 

specimens as small as 5 g. 

The need to produce various sample geometries 

coupled with common reality of limited material 

quantities can often create a challenge during 

product development. 


• Small sample volume 

• Quick & easy to use 

• Interchangeable moulds 

• Test samples can be produced from 

powders, pellets or melts 

• A control and design concept that provides 

simplistic handling with consistent, 

reproducible results 

Applications: 

• Sample preparation for 

- Rheometry 

- Optical testing 

- Mechanical testing 

• Preparation of special specimen 

for pharmaceutical testing= 

FoodPro - the trade event for the food and beverage industry 

Visit Rheology Solutions on stand no: 6084 

Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre • www.foodproexh.com • 21-24 July 2008 



• product information 

HAAKE 

MARS 

with CTC 

Developed specifically for the HAAKE MARS 

platform, the Controlled Temperature Chamber 

(CTC) moves smoothly on guide rails. The CTC 

consists of two halves that allow convenient 

handling and optimal access to the sample. They 

can be moved independently backwards and 

sidewards, and can be opened and closed easily 

by hand. No special tools are needed. The two 

halves automatically center themselves around the 

sample automatically when closed. Each chamber 

half is equipped with a window to observe the 

sample during measurement. 

A unique feature is the "parking" position, which 

allows another temperature control unit to be 

attached without removing the CTC. 

Above: HAAKE MARS with CTC 


news & views 

Schleibinger Presents 

a New Probe for 

SCC-mortar for the 

Viskomat NT 



At the 16 Conference on 

“Rheology of Building 

Materials” at the University 

for Applied Science 

Regensburg Germany, 

March 2007, Schleibinger 

presented a new probe for 

measuring SCC mortars. 

The conference has been 

running for 16 years and is 

organised by Schleibinger 

and was attended by some 

80 participants from Europe. 

The new design developed by Professor R. Vogel, 

Weimar Germany, in cooperation with Schleibinger 

is called a “Basket-Probe” for measuring SCC 

(Self-Consolidating Concrete) mortars. 

It has a flat double gap standard geometry, so you 

can get real rheological parameters but in 

opposite to other standard systems it minimises 

Professor Vogel (left) in discussion with some 

conference participants 

the wall slippage effects. The cylinder is like a 

gasket or a basket so strong cohesion effects 

between the materials dominates above the weak 

adhesive forces. 

The probe works best with very fluid but stable 

pastes and mortars used for groups, SCC or Self- 

Leveling compounds. Patent pending. 

The Viskomat NT is a versatile rotational 

viscometer for determining the workabilty of finegrained 

building materials such as cement paste, 

mortar, fine concrete, plaster etc. with a maximum 

particle size of 2 mm. With the Viskomat NT, you 

can obtain information on: 

1. flow curves and rheological parameters 

2. temperature dependent workability properties 

3. stiffening behaviour as a function of time an 

stirring speed 

4. effects of concrete admixtures and mineral 

blending agents on workability 

Schematic drawing of the Basket-Probe for use 

with the Viskomat NT viscometer 


67

• new product 

Circulator to heat & cool external 

applications from -10ºC to +80ºC 



EZ Cool 80 circulator is a versatile 

and economical option for 

laboratory cooling and heating 

needs from -10ºC to +80ºC. 

Its bathless design minimises the evaporation of 

temperature fluid during daily use. The stainlesssteel 

circulator is both quiet and robust, making it 

well suited for laboratory use. 

The HAAKE EZ Cool 80 supports diverse 

applications that include cooling and temperature 

control of analytical instruments. It can also be 

used as an economical chiller with heating options 

to replace tap water cooling in small laboratory 

applications. 

Applications: 

• Analytical instrumentation control 

• Bioreactors • Catalyst reactions 

• Chemical reactors • Closed-loop systems 

• Condensers • Electrophoresis 

• Instrument calibration • Refractometers 

• Rotary evaporators • Spectrophotometers 

Features & Benefits 


• 4 pre-set temperatures 

• Real temperature adjustment for display 

of external temperature 

• Limits for customised high & low 

temperatures 

• Powerful pump accommodates connections 

to external applications 


• Variable over temperature protection 

• Fault identification system 

• CFC-free refrigeration system 

Product Specifications 

Temperature Range -10°C to +80°C 

Temperature Accuracy +/- 0.1K 


Cooling Capacity 20°C 220 W 

0°C 60 W 

Pump Pressure (Maximum) 250 mbar 

Pump Flow Rate (Maximum) 12 lpm 

Internal tank volume 3.5 L 

Overall Dimensions (WxLxH) 26x50x40cm 

Unit Weight 30 kg 



Left: The HAAKE EZ Cool 80 is ideal to control temperatures within a variety of laboratory applications 

including: Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Academic Research, Food and Beverage, Chemical, Petrochemical 

Right: Front panel showing display panel and control for temperature settings 


Pressure (mbar) 

400 

300 

200 

100 

10 20 30 

Flow (LPM) 

Cool-Down – Time to Temperature Curve 

Temperature (ºC) 

100 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

-5 

-10 

Heat-Up – Time to Temperature Curve 

Temperature (ºC) 

90 

80 

70 

60 

50 

40 

30 

20 

10 

Time (Minutes) 

2 4 6 8 10 12 

Time (Minutes) 

Bath Liquid: Ethanol 

-15 

0 10 

20 30 40 50 60 


• product news 

Rheological measurement with optical 

analysis - high temperature version extends 

testing up to 300ºC 







Rheology and Microscopy 

The Thermo Scientific RheoScope module for 

HAAKE MARS Rheometer simultaneously records 

rheological properties and changes in the 

microscopic structure of the tested sample at a 

macroscopic level. Understanding micro structures 

enables researchers to characterise a product’s 

mechanical properties. The module is comprised 

of an optical microscope, digital video camera and 

temperature control unit that is used in conjunction 

with the HAAKE MARS rheometer platform. 

The HAAKE RheoWin software used to control the 

rheometer also positions and focuses the scope 

and polarisation filter. Rheological data and images 

(video sequences) can be viewed on line next to 

each other. In addition, the data and images can 

be stored in various formats for further evaluation 

and export. The RheoScope’s architecture allows 

the module to be adapted quickly for customised 

user configurations. The RheoScope module is 

available in two versions. The temperature range 

of the standard version is -5 to 120°C. In the 

high-temperature version the temperature is 

extended to 300°C. 

Simultaneously measures rheological properties 

and changes in the microscopic structure of the 

tested sample. The results allow researchers to 

speed formulation development, process 

optimisation and product processability. 

Applications / Examples 

• Food: fat, starch 

• Polymer: solution, melt 

• Pharma/Cosmetic: cream, lotion 

• Paint/Inks: printing paste, thickening agents 

• Petrochemical: crude oil, drilling fluid 

• Others: medical 

Formulations 

• Gels • Suspensions 

• Emulsions/Dispersions • Solutions 

• Foam • Melts 

Rheological phenomena and structural changes 

that can be observed: 

• Shear thinning • Dilatancy 

• Thixotropy • Aging 

• Emulsification • Gelification 

• Disaggregation • Flocculation 

• Homogeneity • Orientation 

• Melting behaviour • Mixing 

Benefits: 

• Compact and full integration in the HAAKE 

MARS rheometer platform 

• All measuring modes including normal force 

measurement available with simultaneous 

recording of microscopic properties 

• Camera and microscope control with software 

• Simultaneous rheological and optical 

measurements 

• Visualisation of data and images in one 

software package 

• Analysis of structural changes under shear 

• Image analysis software for determination of 

particle sizes, particle size distribution and 

structure analysis 

Temperature ramp measured on potato wild type starch in water Thermo Scientific RheoScope module for the HAAKE Mars Rheometer 



69


Accessories for HAAKE 

Viscotester 7 plus - Thermal Printer 

Thermal printer for HAAKE 

Viscotester 7 plus for 

recording and logging 

measured data. 

The rotational viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 7 

plus in combination with the thermal printer, is a 

set-up for routine measurements conforming to 

the ISO 2555 standard and fulfils the requirement 

for recording and logging measured data. 

The HAAKE Viscotester 7 plus is designed for 

measurements compliant with the standard ISO 

2555. Each rotational viscometer which fulfils the 

requirements of this standard is conforming to 

the Brookfield method and the measurement data 

of such viscometers are fully comparable with 

one another as long as the same viscometer type 

(L or R), same spindle and same rotational speed 

is used. 

Operating of the HAAKE Viscotester 7 plus can be 

either manual or computer controlled via the 



Figure 1. Rotational viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 7 plus (left), thermal printer (centre), Loading of a 

new paper roll (right). 

user-friendly HAAKE RheoWin 3 software 

(additional options: DFA 21 CFR Part 11 Tool). 

In the manual operation mode, the parameters; 

viscosity, percentage of maximum torque, 

rotational speed, spindle number, maximum 

viscosity and temperature are displayed. For 

recording and logging measure results, the 

thermal printer can be connected via the RS232 

port on the viscometer. At the end of a 


CR-Mode - Low Shear Rates 


Applying (very) low 

shear rates 

Most (very) low shear rate measurements are 

performed in CS Mode, because most real live 

applications in which (very) low shear rates are 

important are driven by a constant stress. 

Examples are sagging, sedimentation, shelf live, 

phase separation, all phenomena that are driven 

by a constant force i.e. gravitation. These 

processes are simulated in a rheometer by 

applying a constant stress. However, under 

certain circumstances applying a (very) low 

shear-rate might be required, for example when 

the flow of material which is slowly stirred in a 

large container needs to be simulated 

(measured). The measurement data below shows 

that the HAAKE MARS is very capable of applying 

very low rotational speed, i.e. very low shear 

rates. 

Reliable data down to n = 10 -5 rpm 

The graphs below show the result of an 

experiment in which the rotational speed was 

stepwise increased from 10 -5 rpm to 10 -2 rpm. 

Even at a very low rotational speed (and a very 

low torque) the measured viscosity is within 5% 

from the specified value. 

A full copy is available by quoting 

PS002-e 

measurement the displayed data, as well as date 

and time, can be printed out at the push of a 

button. Moreover, the print-out has a filed for the 

signature for the operator. Thus the measured 

data is ready for archival storage. 

Ordering number: 999-0118. Thermal 

printer for HAAKE Viscotester 7 plus 

(including connecting cable for HAAKE 

Viscotester 7 plus). 

Instrument: HAAKE MARS, UTC Peltier, PP35, gap 

= 0.5 mm. Sample: Newtonian Oil, η = 175 Pas 



Optical Analysis and Rheology 






Simultaneously measure 

rheological properties and 

microscopic structure of 

your tested sample. 

HAAKE PolyLab OS Torque 

Rheometer RD4 Application 

Packages 

RD4 application packages for the Thermo 

Scientific torque rheometer HAAKE PolyLab OS 

are dedicated to serving the polymer processing 

and polymer formulation laboratory. These 

application packages incorporate batch mixers 

and single-screw extruders to form test samples 

required for polymer melts and ceramic slurries. 

The typical combination for the characterisation of 

these types of materials is: 

• PolyLab OS Mixer Package 

• PolyLab OS Extruder Package 

• PolyLab OS Upgrade Packages 


Gain insight in to rheological phenomena like: 

• Shear thinning • Dilatancy 

• Thixotropy • Gelification 

• Aging • Emulsification 

The Thermo Scientific HAAKE MARS Rheometer 

with RheoScope module combines rheology with 

microscopy allowing you to speed formulation 

development and process optimisation. 

Benefits include: 

• Camera and optical control with HAAKE 

RheoWin Software 

• Observation of data and images in one 

software package 


New Product Brochures 



HAAKE PolyLab OS 

Docking Station 

Mobile bench for measuring mixers and 

measuring extruders. When existing measuring 

mixers and extruders need to be upgraded with 

newer torque rheometer drives and software, the 

modular Thermo Scientific HAAKE Docking Station 

OS is the right accessory to use. 

Applications: 

• Mobile bench for Rheocord mixer 600 and 

Rheocord miser 3000 

• Docking station for existing single-screw 

extruders 

• Adapter bench for CTW 100 conical twin 

screw extruder 

• Modular bench to integrate mixers and 

extruders of different brands 

Product brochures are available on 

request by completing the information 

request form 

• All measuring modes including normal force 

measurement available with simultaneous 

recording of microscopic properties 

• mage analysis software SPIP for the 

determination of particle size, particle 

distribution and for structural analysis. 

Formulations: Gels, suspensions, solutions, foam, 

dispersion/emulsion 

An application note on the Image 

analysis software SPIP is available by 

quoting P009-e 


71


Disposable plate/plate-measuring 

geometry for the controlled 

temperature chamber (CTC). 

For the controlled 

temperature chamber (CTC) 

a new plate/plate measuring 

geometry has been 

developed. 

The set consists of an upper shaft and a lower 

shaft with an integrated temperature sensor. 

By using the supplied press tool an exact 

perpendicular alignment and reproducible 

mounting of the disposable plates on the shafts is 

guaranteed (Fig.1). 

The standard aluminium plates have a diameter 

of 20 mm. Plates with other diameters are 


It is recommended to use the optionally available 

sample collection ring (below the lower plate); in 

order to protect the temperature chamber against 

spilled sample material. 

After a measurement the disposable plates are 

easily removed from the holders by using the 

supplied removal tool (Fig. 2). 

A copy of this is available by quoting 

P010-e 


all industries Handling information: 

Figure 1 Mounting of a disposable plate on a shaft: press tool, upper shaft and disposable plate (left). 

Mounting of a disposable plate on a shaft (middle). Disposable measuring geometry consisting of upper 

an lower shaft with sample collection ring build into a HAAKE MARS (right) 

Figure. 2 Removing of a disposable plate from a shaft: removal tool positioned on the lower shaft (left). 

Handling of the removal tool (middle). Disassembled disposable geometry (left) 

Order information: 

222-1808 Disposable plate/plate-measuring geometry consisting of a lower and an upper shaft, incl. 

press tool for mounting the disposable plates on the shafts and removal tool to remove 

the disposable plates from the shaft 

Necessary accessories: 

222-1769 Temperature sensor for lower shaft 

222-1295 Disposable aluminium plates PP20E, diameter = 20 mm (100 pieces) 

Plates with other dimensions are available on request, e.g.: 

603-0021 Disposable aluminium plates PP35E, diameter = 35 mm (100 pieces) 

Recommended accessories: 

222-1778 Sample collection ring (5 pieces), stainless steel for plates PP20E 

If you have an application and interest in high temperature rheology 

& simultaneous microscopy and would like to be a part of a workshop 

where you can run your own samples, refer to the information on page 4. 



Marimex - In Line Torsional 

Viscometers 






ViscoScope viscosity 

analysers from Marimex 

have been applied in many 

different industries. Whether 

it is ambient temperature 

applications in the 

pharmaceutical industry like 

herbal ointments or a high 

temperature application in 

the polymer industry like 

phosphorous pentasulfide. 

If you have an application as yet unsolved, send 

us details of the application and we will work with 

Marimex to provide you with a constructive 

solution. 

Following are some examples of ViscoScope 

applications and their related specifications: 

The ViscoScope process viscometer measures the 

viscosity of liquids continually and precisely inline. 

The measurement system consists of a sensor, 

transmitter and the transmission cable. Safety 

barriers are added, if the sensor is being used in 

a hazardous area. 

The sensor does not employ any moving parts 

and it is maintenance free. To measure the 

viscosity, the viscometer utilises the torsional 

oscillation principle. The power required, to 

maintain the small amplitude at the resonance 

frequency of the sensor, is a measure for the 

viscosity (mPa.s x gr/cm3 / η x ρ) 


Marimex ViscoScope Sensor with model caption. 

Application Instrument Used & Conditions 

Herbal Ointment VA-300M with VS-4550 or VS-B450 

Ambient temperature, pressure


Nano Composites 



Nano compounds are often prepared in solid form 

using the traditional and available mixing and 

extrusion devices. Now you can optimise these 

sensitive processes. 

Nanotechnology – typical applications: 

• Improving mechanical properties 

• Increasing the electrical conductivity 

• Increasing thermal conductivity 

• Biocide / antibacterial 

• UV absorption 

Dispersive and distributive mixing: 

• For nearly all mixing applications a well 

dispersed and well distributed mixture is 

required 

• Distributive mixing can be achieved by 

splitting and reorienting the flow repeatedly 

• Dispersive mixing can be achieved by 

passing the mixture through small regions of 

intense deformation 

• Mixing and composites, M. Kontopoulous 

Chee18.2. p390 presentation Queens 

University. 

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is 

available on request by quoting 

Nano Composites 2007. 

In Stock – Despatched 

within 48 hours from receipt 

of purchase order. 

HeatTech 26L heating circulator – temperature 

range ambient to +100ºC. $2,399 excluding GST 

and local delivery 

...Feed ports... 

...Screw design... 

Maximum flexibility is available with twin screw extruders for HAAKE PolyLab OS 

product information 

Heating Recirculators 


Full product information is available on line plus 

an extensive range of temperature control baths 

to meet the application requirements of diverse 

industries. 

Visit www.temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

for full product information and technical 

specifications 

...Length... 

...Split Barrel 

Poorly distributed - Poorly dispersed Well distributed - Poorly dispersed 

Poorly distributed - Well dispersed Well distributed - Well dispersed 

HeatTech 26L 


product news 

New NESLAB ThermoFlex 2500 – 



This is the third configuration 

of the ThermoFlex platform 

released by Thermo 

Fisher Scientific. 

Suitable for a diverse range of applications 

and industries: 

• Semiconductor 

• Packaging 

• Analytical instrumentation 

• Laser 

• Research 

• Medical equipment 

Key Options Include: 

Auto refill Allows for self-filling of the chiller to 

ensure that the proper level in reservoir is 

maintained, saving valuable time. 

Anti-drainback Ensures reservoir does not 

overflow when chiller is shut down. This allows 

the chiller to be installed more than 24 ft. below 

the application. 

DI resistivity internal DI filtration internal to the 

chiller is used to maintain the resistivity level 

below 3 Mohm, with an alarm at 1 Mohm. This 

minimises footprint and eliminates downtime 

needed to change the filter, while ensuring 

constant quality of DI water to your application. 

Pressure relief Easily adjustable pressure relief 

valve allows for control of the outlet pressure 

from the chiller to be regulated, ensuring your 

process performance requirements are met. 

Flow Control Utilizes a 3-way valve that allows 

you to control the amount of flow to the 

application. The process flow is measured on the 

return to the unit, ensuring the appropriate 

amount of flow is provided to the application. 

Pressure/Flow Control Allows you to control the 

pressure as well as the flow in your application. 

Utilises a pressure relief valve and monitors the 

flow through the process return and displays the 

reading on the controller. 


The NESLAB ThermoFlex 2500 is a reliable, easyto-use 

chiller optimised for the most demanding 

applications. Delivers continuous cooling capacity 

up to 2500 watts. 

Water-Cooled Uses facility water to cool the 

system, minimizing heat dissipation into the 

environment. 

Key Accessories Include: 

Installation Kit Supply and return plumbing 

available in 25 and 50 ft lengths, suitable for 

temperatures up to +80°C. 

Fluid Quality Kit Complete fluid quality system 

includes algaecide and corrosion inhibitor to 

ensure your process has optimal fluid quality. 

Ethylene Glycol Laboratory-grade ethylene glycol 

allows circulation to temperatures down to -20°C 

in a 50/50 mixture with water. Available in a 5 

gallon container. 

Propylene Glycol Laboratory-grade propylene 

glycol allows circulation to temperatures down to 

-20°C in a 50/50 mixture with water. Available in 

a 5 gallon container. 

Maintenance Kit Includes condenser air filters and 

in-line fluid filters for ease of maintenance. 

A dedicated website for temperature control has been established 

by Rheology Solutions …www.temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

The website covers the entire range of temperature control baths 

currently available to meet the diverse needs of industry applications 

across QA/QC, R&D and Production areas 


75

Product Specifications 

Setpoint Temperature Range 5°C - 40°C 

Ambient Temperature Range 10°C - 40°C 


Setpoint Cooling Capacity at 20°C 

(see graph above for cooling curves) 

60 Hz 2500W (8538 BTU) 

50 Hz 2200W (7513 BTU) 

Reservoir Volume Litres 7.2 

Footprint or dimensions 

(HxWxD) cm 73.8 x 43.5 x 65.2 

Unit Weight kg 80.3 

Pumps 

(see graph above for performance curves) 

PD 1 - Positive Displacement 

50 Hz 1.7 gpm @ 60 psi 

PD 2 - Positive Displacement 

50 Hz 3.3 gpm @ 60 psi 

Power options 230V/50Hz/1 Phase 

16A Circuit 

Compliance NRTL Certified 

to CSA and UL 

Standards; 

CE-Marked 

Specifications obtained at sea level using water as the 

recirculating fluid, at a 20°C process setpoint, 25°C ambient 

condition, at nominal operating voltage. Other fluids, fluid 

temperatures, ambient temperatures, altitude or operating 

voltages will affect performance. Thermo Fisher Scientific 

reserves the right to change specifications without notice. 



Twin-Screw Extrusion 

at a Lab Scale 


PRISM small scale extruders and ancillaries allow 

research and development at a laboratory scale. 

The twin screw extruders from 16mm to 36mm 

diameters are supplemented by purpose built 

PRISM 16 mm EuroLab twin screw extruder 

ancillaries including bench-top blenders, 

pelletisers and sheet and film take-off units. 

For complete details and product 

information, complete the information 

request form or send an email detailing 

your application requirements. 


Cooling Recirculators 


In Stock – Despatched 

within 48 hours from receipt 

of purchase order. 

CoolTech 320 refrigerated circulator - 

temperature range -28ºC to +100ºC. $3,999 

excluding GST and local delivery 

Full product information is available on line plus 

an extensive range of temperature control baths 

to meet the application requirements of diverse 

industries. 

Visit www.temperaturecontrolbaths.com 

for full product information and technical 

specifications 

CoolTech 320 


product focus 

High Speed Pellet Scan System – 

Throughput up to 250 kg/hr 


The PS200C inspection 

system from Optical Control 

Systems is used to analyse 

transparent and opaque 

pellets. 

The pellets are inspected with a high-resolution 

3-Chip CCD colour camera for impurities, foreign 

bodies, or colour deviations as well. The testing 

material is fed into the appliance through a 

hopper. The pellets are conveyed separately over 

the inspection zone. After the optical evaluation 

the contaminated pellets can be separated into a 

different container (sorting unit option). 

Measuring errors are eliminated by use of 

numerous additional optical components. 

There is no colour dependency as with many 

other optoelectronic appliances. 

A high level of efficiency is achieved by powerful 

image processing software. The synchronisation 

of the transport system with the image 

processing offers a major contribution to the 

reproducibility of the measurement results. 

Installation in the bypass guarantees production 

monitoring and rapid reaction to any occurrences. 

The system provides a variety of individual 

configurations, which guarantee an improved 

adaptation to specific requirements. 

The measurement data are stored in a test report 

to enable future analysis. The recorded images 

and measured data can be observed on a screen 

during the measuring process. The results can be 

shown and printed in tables or graphs. 

Along with a pure inspection of pellets the system 

can also be used to record, file and document. 

Each defined deviation is recorded in the 

measurement protocol via a multidimensional 

characteristics vector with an error map. 

The system can be adapted exactly to the 

respective requirements with the 

help of the extensive software packages. 


High Speed Pellet Scan System PS200C 

Applications 

• Opaque pellets 

• Coloured pellets 

• Transparent pellets 

• Material throughput up to 250 kg/hr 

Technical Data 

Camera 3 Chip CCD colour matrix camera 

Lighting High frequency synchronised 

fluorescent lamp. White light 

spectrum 

Computer Industrial CPU: Intel Pentium 4, 

up-to-date technology 

Interfaces Ethernet 10/100 M Base-T, 

Digital and analogue I/O, USB, 

MODBUS, PROFIBUS, RS232, 

BDE, SAP interface or SQL 

Remote Extender max. 100 m Service 

Control Remote control 

Software Operating System Windows XP 

Size Dimensions (l x w x h) 

650 x 770 x 770 mm 

Weight approx. 100 kg 

Connection Power supply 230 V 

values AC / 115 V AC 

Temperature 10ºC to 45ºC 

Benefits 

• Optimising the production process through 

detailed characteristics specifications 

• 24 hour online production surveillance trend 

analysis parallel to production 

VisConfig software for easy configuration of all 

parameters 

Pellet conveyor line 


77



& Information Sheets 

CD-Mode Curing Measurement 

– HAAKE MARS 




The HAAKE MARS is equipped with a self-learning 

deformation control loop based on neural network 

technology for controlled deformation (CD) 

oscillation measurements. 

The HAAKE MARS rheometer is now available 

with a support fixture for the comparative analysis 




The HAAKE MARS rheometer is equipped with a 

highly sensitive normal force sensor and a very 


In CD-Mode the deformation sine wave is 

continuously controlled, this enables the control 

loop to react almost instantaneously to changes in 

the material. A quick reaction to material changes 

is required when the mechanical properties of a 

material are measured, during a curing reaction, 

using constant strain oscillation. 

The brochure provides an example of curing 

of a dental material. A copy is available by 

requesting PS001-e 

Support fixture for the analysis of 

textile samples - Accessories for 

HAAKE MARS 





of elasticity and sensoric (haptic) properties of 

textile samples. 

The brochure provides full details on the 

fixture, tests recommended and ordering 

information. A copy is available by requesting 

P012-e 

Sample fixture for bending and 

breaking tests – Accessories for 

HAAKE MARS 

precise lift motor which allows applying controlled 

axial forces to the sample, pushing or pulling the 

material. 

A new sample fixture has been developed to 

investigate the bending and breaking behaviour of 

a wide range of materials. 

The brochure provides details on the tool, 

and adapting it to the HAAKE MARS, plus full 

ordering information. A copy is available by 

requesting P014-e 




& Information Sheets 

Tool for checking the optical 

quality of the RheoScope module 

– HAAKE MARS 







Standard Liquids 


The functionality and/or calibration of any 

measuring instrument should be checked 

regularly. Checking a rheometer or viscometer is 

usually and most easily done by measuring a 

standard liquid with a certified viscosity value. 

A standard liquid is a Newtonian fluid for which 

the viscosity value is certified for one or several 

temperature values. 

A wide range of standard liquids with different 

viscosity values and uncertainties as well as 

different reference temperatures and chemical 

structures (mineral oils, synthetic oils) are 

available. 

Standard liquids from Thermo Fisher Scientific are 

delivered with a certified viscosity at 20°C and an 

uncertainty of ±2% (±4% for E7). Standard 

liquids with viscosity values between 5 mPas and 

40000 mPas are available in 100ml or 500 ml 

containers. 

Standard liquids with other viscosity values or 

other reference temperatures as well as the 


A new tool for checking the quality of images 

acquired with the RheoScope module for the 

HAAKE MARS has been developed. 

This tool consists of a closed cell with a reflective 

upper plate and a lower glass plate, containing a 

watery solution with standard particles with 

diameters of 1.5, 4, 8 and 20 μm. 

Full information is available in the brochure 

and a copy is available by 

requesting P016-d 

delivery in other containers (e.g. 1.0 l) are 


Standard liquids with a lower uncertainty of the 

viscosity (±0.4%) and/or certified viscosity values 

at other temperatures between 20°C and 100°C 

are available from the German Calibration Service 

(DKD – Deutscher Kalibrierdienst) amongst 

others. 

Because of their lower viscosity - temperature 

dependence silicon oils are often used for 

checking simple viscometers which do not 

provide any means of temperature control. For 

this application the slight shear thinning 

behaviour of silicone oils (decreasing of the 

viscosity with increasing shear rate) should be 

neglected. 

For checking a specific viscometer or rheometer 

configuration it is important to use a standard 

liquid that matches the parameters (temperature, 

viscosity, etc.) of the routine measurements 

normally run on that instrument. 

When comparing the measured viscosity value 

with the standard liquid's certified value it is 

important to take the instruments uncertainty into 

account also. 

An information sheet is available covering 

the above text and also includes full 

ordering information. A copy is available on 

request by quoting P-015-e 


79

product news 

Higher Instrument 

Precision and Reliable 

Quality Control 

HAAKE Viscotester 1 plus and 2 plus 

Higher instrument precision 

is now requested for basic 

rheology measurement with 

handheld instruments. 

The VT 2 plus allows the 1% calibration accuracy 

needed to fulfil this requirement. 

The entire VT 1 plus and VT 2 plus series is 

the standard in quality control and combines ease 

of use with exact and reliable measurements. 

The HAAKE Viscotester 1 plus & 2 plus are quick, 

exact and reliable rotational viscometers with a 

one button operation which can be operated 

hand-held or on a stand. A digital display delivers 

clear results. Battery powered, these units do not 



require external power. These Viscotester models 

are delivered in a sturdy carrying case as a 

complete ready-to-use package with 3 measuring 

systems. 

During the past decades HAAKE Viscotesters have 

successfully proven their value wherever quick 

and reliable tests and comparative measurements 

are part of daily routine work. They have also 

been established as standard instruments for 

quality control. The new generation – HAAKE 

Viscotester 1 plus & 2 plus – continues this 

tradition and fulfils the highest demands 

regarding design and convenience. 


• Quick, exact and reliable 

• One button operation 

• LCD display 

• No mains supply needed (battery-operated) 

HAAKE Viscotester 1 / 2 plus 

Typical application fields: 

• Quick viscosity tests, e.g. for process 

optimization or machine adjustment 

• Batch control in production 

• production in control 

Typical samples: 

• Printing inks, paints, inks 

• Shampoos, creams, lotions 

• Oils, greases, pastes, lubricants 

• Sauces, thickeners 

product news 

NanoLab Compounder Package 






The Thermo Scientific 

NanoLab compounder 

package contains the tools 

to mix or compound Nano 

particles (Nano tubes) in a 

base polymer. 

Based on recommendations from users in the 

industry and Universities it is recommended to: 

• use the standard Thermo Scientific HAAKE 

MiniLab micro compounder for temperatures 

up to 350°C 

• use the control panel for quick test runs, 

trials and the cleaning 

• employ the application software to run 

defined and reproducible tests 

• compound Nano particles and do rheometry 

with counter-rotating screws 

• use the co-rotating screws for applications 

with additives requiring less shear force 

A copy of this product information brochure 

is available by request. 

HAAKE MiniLab II compounder with co- and 

counter-rotating screws 



HAAKE MiniLab – 

Compounder & Reactor 


The use of a conical twin 

screw extruder with backflow 

channel combines aspects of 

mixing and extrusion in a 

batch process. 

Tests and results of the new MiniLab micro 

compounder are discussed in the following paper. 

With a total filling volume of 7 ml and a built in 

slit capillary die the applications focus on 

compounding and reactions of small amounts of 

polymers in molten stage. 

Selecting the screw types: Co- or counter 

rotating? 

In order to open up an even wider spectrum of 

applications for the customer, the MiniLab works 

as co-rotating or as counter-rotating doublescrew 

extruder. This results in different types of 

screws. 

Simply exchanging two gear wheels in the 

gearbox changes the rotating direction of the 

screws. Figure 2 shows the co-rotating pair of 

screws. It also shows a faster compounding of 

the master batch in comparison to Figure 4. 

In the following table further characteristics of 

the used screws are summarised. 

Table 2 Characteristics of the screw types 

Co- Counter 

rotating rotating 

Resident time distribution wide narrow 

Forced extrusion - + 

Cleaning + - 

Extruder amount + 0 

Blending of sensitive products ++ 0 

High shear rates, dispersing - ++ 

Rheological measurements 0 ++ 

Required duration of blending ++ + 


HAAKE MiniLab II Complete System 

Fig. 2: Co-rotating screws: a) PE melt, b) Asaclean (PS cleaning compound) + Remafin orange duration 

of the test t = 90 s, test conditions like in Figure 4. 

A number of topics and applications have been 

presented on the HAAKE MiniLab in a combined 

product information flyer. The topics included are: 

• Toughness enhancements in poly (methyl 

methacrylate) by addition of oriented 

multiwall carbon nanotubes 

• The effect of processing variables on the 

structure and rheological properties of 

polymer/clay nanocomposites: Nylon 6/clay 

• Improving polymer blend dispersions in minimixers 

HAAKE MiniLab II Barrel Section 

A copy of this product information is 

available by request and includes the 

above mentioned topics. 


81


Process Viscometers – 

Software Options 

Marimex ViscoScope process 

viscometers measure the 

viscosity of liquids continually 

and precisely in-line. 

ViscoScope sensors do not have any moving 

parts and are maintenance free. A constant 

amplitude torsional oscillation principle is utilised 

to measure the viscosity. Various ViscoScope 

sensors and transmitters are available. All sensors 

work with all transmitters. 

All transmitters are delivered with VisConfig 

configuration software to simplify the start-up 

process. Optionally ViscoView software for PC 

compatible computers and a touch panel display 

are available as a graphical interface. 

ViscoView Software – Optional Software 

Collected data is stored in a tab delimited ASCII 

format. The file is being closed after each data 

collection, this enables the file to be copied into a 

different directory at any time. The data collection 

rate can be adjusted between 10 and 600 

seconds. The file can be imported into a 

spreadsheet like Excel, where additional 

calculations and graphical manipulations can be 

accomplished. The following parameters can be 

collected: 

• Viscosity (all available) 

• Process Temperature 

• Coil Temperature (transducer dependent) 

• Resonance Frequency (transmitter dependent) 

• External Input (transmitter dependent) 

• Date and Time 








ViscoView® data collection software for ViscoScope viscometer systems 

VisConfig software for easy configuration of all parameters 

VisConfig Software 

The VisConfig Software provides an easy interface 

for the configuration of all customer accessible 

parameters via a PC compatible computer. 

VisConfig has been configured to work with the 

ViscoScope firmware version MMX1.011. Special 

issues are available to interface to others 

firmware versions. VisConfig also provides a tool 

to check all ViscoScope Modbus addresses 

and instrument types connected to the PC. A 

single Modbus address can be reconfigured in 

the first screen. A functionality check is available 

to check the function of the sensor in air after the 

zero procedure. The result will show if the sensor 

works within known parameters. VisConfig also 

does a one time check of all measurement 

parameters and can be used to continuously 

sample selected measurement parameters – 

the last 20 samples can be observed. 



HAAKE PolyLab QC 


The HAAKE PolyLab QC 

is a new measuring mixer 

& extruder system that meets 

todays and future quality 

control (QC) needs. 

The modular torque rheometer 

can be connected to an 

interchangeable mixer, 

single-screw extruder, or 

conical twin-screw extruder. 


Concept 

• Modular torque rheometer with 

interchangeable mixer, single-screw extruder, 

conical twin-screw extruder 

• Bench or floor model 

• Control via HAAKE PolySoft software 

Backwards Compatibility 

• Hardware compatible with old mixers, 

extruders 

• Existing accessories can still be used 

• Data compatibility (importing of old data) 


• Torque range: 0 - 300Nm 

• Speed range: 0 - 200 rpm 

• Temperature control zones: 5 

• Temperature reading channels: 4 

Interfaces/Communication 

• CAN open control communication with 

temperature, motor controller 

• CAN open data communication for pressure 

and remote signals 

• USB interface to host computer (LAN as 

option) 

HAAKE PolyLab QC 

Measuring Mixers 

A typical mixer test is run at a defined rotor speed 

(shear rate). The material’s response to the shear 

is recorded as torque and displayed versus time. 

As a material’s properties are very sensitive to 

temperature, the mixer chamber is separated into 



83

Haake PolyLab QC 


As a material’s properties are very sensitive to 

temperature, the mixer chamber is separated into 

different sections. These are individually 

temperature-controlled by the HAAKE PolyLab QC. 

Optimum temperature control quality can be 

achieved by an automated recognition of the 

connected mixer. 

Although the temperature of the mixing chamber 

is constantly controlled, the material’s melt 

temperature during a test may rise due to the 

shear introduced. The melt temperature is also 

recorded during the test by a separate 

thermocouple. The recorded “Rheogram” (torque 

and melt temperature vs. time at constant speed) 

is characteristic for different material types and 

HAAKE PolyLab QC mixer - Intelligent measuring 

mixers simplify your quality control 

blends. It can be used as a fingerprint in quality 

control for outgoing and incoming product 

inspections. As changes in torque are related to 

structural changes in the material, a Rheogram 

can be used to investigate and verify reactions of 

different additive types or concentrations on the 

sample’s melting behaviour. 

Typical Investigations 

• Testing the melting and degradation behaviour 

of polymer melts 

• Quantifying viscosity when adding nano 

particles or other additives 

• Testing gelation and plastification behaviour 

of PVC dry-blends 

• Measuring the flow and curing behaviour 

of thermosetting plastics 

• Characterizing the influence of different 

additives such as carbon black, fillers 

lubricants, accelerators and sulphur for 

rubber mixtures 

• Recording the masticating and vulcanizing 

behaviour of elastomers 


• Measuring oil absorption of carbon black 

• Quantifying the absorption of DOP for PVC 

dry-blends 

• Measuring the stable torque in regard to 

individual and combined influences of fillers 

and additives such as stabilizers, lubricants 

and colour pigments 

• Testing high performance plastics to check 

processability 

• Performing electric conductivity 

measurements for rubber mixtures. 

Due to the backwards compatibility of the 

mechanical and electrical interfaces of the HAAKE 

PolyLab QC, existing mixing equipment can be 

used with a state-of-the-art torque rheometer that 

is equipped with reliable digital controls and 

operated using the modern, user-friendly Thermo 

Scientific HAAKE PolySoft software package. 

] 

m 

N 

[ 

M 

55 

50 

45 

40 

35 

30 

25 

20 

15 

10 

5 

0 

A 

B C 

0 0,8 1,6 2,4 

t [min] 

F F 

3,2 

F 

4,0 

Mixer Software 

Small laboratory mixers are traditionally used to 

mix and/or measure the viscosity of a 40-70 g 

mixture as a function of time and temperature with 

different shaped rotors. Typical examples are PVC 

dry blend mixing, PVC degradation test, 

rubber/carbon black mastification, cross linking of 

polymers, curing of resins and thermosetting 

properties. 

HAAKE PolyLab QC Single 

& Twin Screw Extruders 

Single-screw extruder 

The most common methods in processing 

polymers are screw plastification and injection 

moulding. For testing quality and processability of 

those materials, the single-screw laboratory 

extruder 19/25 QC-B is a proven tool. With over 

35 years of expertise, we’ve developed a wide 

variety of different screw designs that are 

guaranteed to provide the best performance. 

Special solutions such as chemical or wear 

resistance are also available to extrude harsh 

materials. To shape a polymer for further 

processes and tests, different dies can be adapted 

to the extruder. Rod dies and water bath for strand 

extrusion, sheet and ribbon dies in various 

dimensions to produce bands or cast films, and 

blown film dies and take off tower complete the 

testing equipment. Besides the standardised filter 

test (EN 13900-5), comprehensive rheological 

studies can be conducted. 

Applications 

• Testing of the plasticizing behaviour 

• Testing the performance of additives 

and fillers 

• Measuring of the melt temperature and 

pressure along the barrel to optimize process 

parameters 

• Provide a homogeneous and constant flow 

melt 

• Production of strands, sheets, cast and blown 

films 

PVC_Sample A M = f(t) 

PVC_Sample B M = f(t) 

PVC_Sample C M = f(t) 

• Extrusion of ceramics and feed stock 

• Melt rheology 

Conical twin-screw extruder 

For continuous compounding and plasticising, the 

Thermo Scientific HAAKE CTW 100 QC is the ideal 

extruder in the HAAKE PolyLab QC system. This is 

a counter rotating conical twin-screw compounder, 

with intermeshing screws, that will give 

well-defined residence time for faultless 

production of process-critical polymers are ideal to 

mix additives and pigments. Dies and downstream 

ancillaries are compatible with the 19/25 QC-D 

single-screw extruder. 

Applications 

• Extrusion of thermally critical materials such 

as PVC 

• Compounding of fillers and reinforcing 

materials 

• Blending of polymers 

• Pilot plant production of master batches 

• Continuous mixing of recycling materials 

• Mixing of nano clays and carbons 

• Discharge for further process states 



Haake PolyLab QC 


Compatibility of existing 

extruders 

Single-screw extruders and conical twin-screw 

extruders that are operated with the driving unit 

HAAKE Rheocord 90 or 9000, HAAKE RheoDrive 

5000 or System 40 are compatible to the HAAKE 

PolyLab QC. Laboratory extruders from other 

manufacturers can be adapted, too. 

HAAKE PolyLab QC Extruder - Powerful extruders 

continuously control your quality 

Measuring options provided 

by the HAAKE PolyLab QC 

Mixing, Kneading, 

Compounding & Plasticising 

In conjunction with measuring mixers, the HAAKE 

PolyLab QC offers a wide range of different 

applications. A typical mixer test is run at a 

defined speed (shear rate) versus time, and the 

material’s response is recorded as torque. This 

"Mixer-Rheogram" (torque, melt temperature vs. 

time at constant speed) is characteristic for 

different materials or blends and is often used as 

a "fingerprint" in quality control for incoming or 

outgoing product inspection. 



• Testing the melting and degradation behaviour 

of polymer melts 

• Quantifying viscosity when adding nano- 

particles and other additives 

• Testing the gelation and plasticizing behaviour, 

and the thermal stability of PVC dry-blends 

• Measuring the flow and curing behaviour of 

thermosetting compounds 


behaviour of elastomers 


measurements during the mixing process 

] 

m 

N 

( 

] 

r 

a 

b 

[ 

M 

p 

400 

350 

300 

250 

200 

150 

100 

50 

0 

2,5% Nanoclay no filler 

5% Nanoclay 

t_res: 30sec. 

140 150 160 170 

t [min] 

180 190 

Melting, Conveying, 

Compressing, Compounding 

Extruders are melting, conveying and 

compounding polymers under temperature, 

pressure and shear. The extruded polymer is 

pressed through a die to form a solid material 

such as a profile, sheet, film, strand or fibre. The 

extrusion process is characterized by monitoring 

processing power (torque), temperature, pressure 

and throughput. Special rheological dies (slit, rod) 

allow the determination of shear viscosity at 

defined shear rates. 

HAAKE PolyLab QC Measurements - Measuring 

options provided by the HAAKE PolyLab QC 

y 

t 

i 

s 

o 

c 

s 

i 

V 

10000 

1000 

100 

Oscaillation (RS Rheometer) 

Typical Measurements 

• Simulation of production processes like blown 

film, wire coating, profile extrusion 

• Testing individual and combined influences of 

additives (stabilizer, lubricant) and functional 

additives (antioxidation, UV-stabilizers, 

pigments and fillers) 

• Investigating the extrudability of newly 

developed materials 

• Manufacturing films, sheets, strands and 

profiles for optical, mechanical and 

weathering tests 

• Small scale production 

Data File 

M = f(t) 

n = f(t) 

p1 = f(t) 

TM9 = f(t) 

• Measuring rheological behaviour (dynamic 

viscosity) 

• Compounding and blending of polymers, fillers 

and additives 

• Dispersion and exfoliation of nano-fillers in 

a polymer matrix 

Flow curve LLPDE 

Online capillary rheology with HAAKE PolyLab QC 

is performed using a well defined die geometry 

(slit or capillary) on an extruder. The shear stress is 

derived from the pressure drop in the die (CAN 

pressure transducer signals) and the shear rate 

from the weight of the extrudate in a defined 

period of time. 

Slit-Capillary (Rheocord) 

Rod Capillary (Rheocord) 

10 

0,01 0,1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 

Shear rate 


85


The OP5 Online Rheometer 


A system for plant optimisation 

and improved product quality. 

The function of the OP5 from Optical Control 

Systems (OCS) is to make certified measurements 

of the Melt Index and/or Polydispersity of small 

solid polymer samples. The primary duty of these 

measurements is overall control of many types of 

polymerisation processes. This ensures that the 

product can be made to specific formulations. The 

secondary duty is Quality Control in final product 

selling specification and in batch control. The OP5 

is logically situated in the plant analysis laboratory, 

which ensures best reliability and maintainability 

for these calibrated, precision measurements. 

Representative samples are therefore transported 

from various locations of the polymer 

manufacturing plant at the call of each analyser. 

Process Control and QC are full time activities, 

which require, as a minimum, one sampling point 

for each analyser. 

Representative samples are extracted from each 

reactor stage and from the finished product. In 

simple plant configurations, such as LDPE, PS, 

PET and Nylon this usually means one OP5 but in 

complex plants such as PP, HDPE and LLDPE two 

or more OP5 analysers would be required. The 

complex plants have powder samplers, which have 

degassing and catalyst deactivation stages close 

the analyser. At the plant end, these samplers can 

extract at the main discharge valve(s) of the 

reactor or at the primary de-gassing vessel, etc. 

according to the plant configuration. In the case of 

the pellet samples, these would normally be 

supplied from central (OCS) source, and in such 

cases the supply to the rheometers carries a 

priority to minimise the sampling delay time. 


Melt flow measurements are performed after the 

solid sample is melted and conditioned to the 

appropriate test temperature. In the OP5 the 

melting process minimises any changes to the 

structure of the polymer but making a very rapid 

transition from solid to liquid, which substantially 

obviates shear damage, cross-linking, thermal 

degradation and other degradation processes. This 

sample preparation removes the last traces of any 

trapped air or gas and overall makes an important 

contribution to making the sample at the point of 

measurement fully representative of the process. 

In this unique way the OP5 makes control through 

rheology as reality. 

The melt flow is regulated by a sealed gear pump, 

which transports a metered quantity through a 

shaped die which has the normal MI die L/D. The 

shaping of the die is to minimise the delay in the 

slow moving polymer near the walls, without 

deviating the actual rheology relationships too far 

from the standard MI die. 

Measurements of pressure and flow rate are used 

to derive the standard Melt Index. Many features 

of the apparatus for measurements are covered in 

the patents. The patent, Melt Flow determination in 

Polymer process, has the following grants, EU 989 

45440, GB 233 4958 and US 09/622558. These 

patents also have integrated process control 

application. Systematic correlations are applied to 

compensate for the relationship between the OP5 

die and the lab test die (both ASTM D1283 and 

ISO 1133 tests use the same die form). The 

corrections derived from these correlations are 

specific to the actual polymer process and the 

local test methodology used to make the test. This 

is because each plant produces subtly different 

polymer structures and the manual test method 

result varies with operator and procedures. Once 

established the corrections 


Performance Features 

• Controls - Menu-driven Windows interface 

and easy customisation 

• Access - Password protected to 5 levels 

• Optimum location - Use of laboratory 

environment to ensure high run time and 

accessibility for calibration and any 

maintenance 

• Low delay time - Fast sampling, sample 

preparation and measurement results in delay 

time more than adequate for control 

• Accuracy - Calibration is established by 

Porpoise Transfer Standard Optional 

full-time statistical process control packages 

• Full-time calibration - A statistical calibration 

system that conforms OP5 to the ISO 1133 or 

ASTM D1283 standards full time 

• Tables - Tabular display according to 

individual cycle measurements of 

temperatures, Pressure, flow rate, consumed 

weight of material, test results 

• Set points - Tabular display of all set points 

• Real time display - Continuous trend display 

of MI with tramlines and product name 

overlays. Additional trend displays, 

temperatures, pressures, mass flow, total 

mass flow 

• Recipe control of cycle and conditions - 

Operator control via menu of parameters, 

sequences and user Product Names 

• Sample size control - Adaptive sample sizing 

to minimise delay of measurement 

• Statistical analysis packages - User friendly 

calculations of averages, standard deviation, 

Cpk and other process variables. Export 

facilities 

• Alarms - External alarm interface 

• Open database - All records can be converted 

into any standard file format 

Scope Of Application 

• Powder or pellets from polymer processes 

• Powder ex-reaction 

• Pellets post extrusion 

• Samples transported to Laboratory via 

OCS-Porpoise systems 

Benefits 

• Integrated process control through Porpoise 

measurement technology 

• Improvement of process efficiency 

• Improvement of quality at source – All product 

made to recipe 

• Improvement of quality selection facility 

• Measurements certified to ISO 1133 or ASTM 

D1283 standards 

• High availability, high reliability 

• Low maintenance budget, low time to repair 

• Third party certification of product via SGS 

• Elimination of customer complaints 

• Fast return of investment 

• Perfect for all polymer processes 


The OP5 Online 

Rheometer 


do require regular verification, which is supplied 

through the OP5 operating software. The IPR of 

the operations are described in the EU CTM, 

Registration Certificate No 002729309. The 

methodology of calibration and measurement 

gives the OP5 class leading accuracy, which can 

be used to certify the finished product and thus 

completely replace routine testing using the Lab 

Melt Indexers. It is normal to certify these 

calibrations through a third party specialist. SGS, 

who are respected globally for such duties, have 

contract approval with major polymer producers 

for such onerous tasks. 

The OP5 measurement of Melt Index is performed 

in a batch process, termed a cycle. The MI result 

is based on a tiny part of the sample, which gives 

the OP5 a pin point accuracy. The result shows 

every small variation in the polymer product and 

which can be used to steer polymer reactions in a 

way not possible by long term averaging or less 

than adequate sample preparation. The MI result 

can of course be used for Quality Control but the 

finely resolved and accurate measurements will 

bring a better precision and thus maximise the 

added value of the production. 

Typically the OP5 samples every 5 minutes to fit in 

with the cleaning – measurement-sequence. The 

delay of measurement is slightly greater than cycle 

time of the sequence. Although the cycle has been 

optimised for accuracy but by using the necessary 

cleaning part of the cycle, the delay is made nearly 

independent of sample MI value. The real time 

delay (7-15mins) between the reaction and the 

measurement, which includes any sampling and 

sample preparation delay, is comfortably below 

process requirements whether it is used for 

reaction control and QC. In fact provided the delay 

is adequate, process control and QC places a very 

strong requirement on full-time calibration and 

best accuracy. 

The unique features of the OP5 equipment open 

up the huge opportunity of process control through 

rheology. 



HAAKE RheoStress 6000 – 

The Universal Rheometer 


The HAAKE RheoStress 6000 

is the new generation of the 


RheoStress series that is 

focused on standard 

application in R&D and QC. 

The HAAKE RheoStress 6000 is fully compatible 

with existing accessories of previous RheoStress 

models including temperature control units, 

measuring geometries and application oriented 

measuring cells. 

A variety of temperature control units is available 

to reliability and accurately handle temperatures 

ranging from -80ºC up to 500ºC 

A variety of temperature control units is available 

to reliability and accurately handle temperatures 

ranging from -80ºC up to 500ºC 

Peltier, electrical or liquid temperature control unit 

for coaxial cylinders, plate/plate and cone/plate as 

well as special measuring geometries. 

A number of application oriented accessories are 

available: 

• Pressure cell for use in crude all, drilling 

fluids, food 

• UV cell for use in coatings, dental material, 

contact lenses 

• Measuring cell for construction materials for 

use with cementitious pastes and mortars and 

samples with large particles 

• Double cone geometry for use with low 

viscous material where a small quantity is only 

available or where there is a tendency of 

evaporation 

• Disposal measuring geometries for samples 

which are difficult to remove such as 

cross-linking and curing material 

• Universal holder for individual containers for 

paints, inks and food 

• 3 point bending tool for food 

The HAAKE RheoStress 6000 offers: 

• CR (controlled rate) mode: Optimised speed 

control loop and a low motor inertia (I=10 

_Nms2) for fast speed steps within few 

milliseconds without significant overshoot 

• CS (controlled stress) mode: Advanced 

patented air-bearing technology plus accurate 

torque correction (MSC = Micro Stress 

Control) for measurements at low torque limit 

• CD (controlled deformation) mode: Self- 

learning deformation control loop based on 

neural network technology for fast parameter 

adaptations 

• Combinations of measuring modes: Flexible 

software and firmware for creative job 

definitions 

• Normal force measurements: Robust and very 

sensitive normal force sensor based on 

extremely sensitive and robust strain gauges 

for measurements between – 50 N and 

+ 50 N 


87

HAAKE 

RheoStress 

6000 

Optional display/control 

unit. Monitoring data 

online even without a PC. 

The display/control unit of the 

HAAKE RheoStress 6000 

facilitates manual operation of lift 

movement and gap setting as 

well as starting measuring and 

evaluation jobs with or without 

PC. The colour display monitors 

rheological and instrument- 

specifi c data online. 

Glass plate with high 

resistance against chemicals 

for easy cleaning 

* DE 10 2004 050 753 A1; US 7,181,956 B2 

Thermo Scientific HAAKE RheoStress 6000 Specifications 

Min. torque rotation CS 200 nNm 

Min. torque rotation CR 200 nNm 

Min. torque oscillation CS 200 nNm 

Min. torque oscillation CD 200 nNm 

Max. torque 200 mNm 

Torque resolution 0.5(a) nNm 

Motor inertia 10 μNms2 Angular resolution 12(b) nrad 


Min. angular velocity CS 10 -7 min -1 

Min. angular velocity CR 10 -5 min -1 

Max. angular velocity 1500, 4500(c) min -1 

Min. oscillation frequence 10-5 Hz 

Max. oscillation frequence 100 Hz 

Min. Normal force 0.01 N 

Max. Normal force 50(d)N 

Fixed measuring head 

consisting of: 

• Drag cup motor with the 

lowest available inertia 

(10μNms 2 ) 

• High resolution optical 

encoder (12 nrad) 

• Patented 4th generation air 

bearing system* 

• Temperature compensated 

normal force sensor based 

on strain-gauge technology 

for positive and negative 

normal force measurements 

Adapter for upper 

measuring geometries 

Recepient of temperature 

control units and application 

oriented measuring cells 

Compact design by one 

column aluminum frame 

with integrated control 

and power electronics 

Normal force resolution 0.001 N 

Min. lift speed 0.2 μm/s 

Max. lift speed 7 mm/s 

Lift positioning accuracy 0.5 μm 

Temperature range -80 to +500(e) °C 

Dimensions (W x D x H) 400 x 400 x 780 mm 

Weight 42 kg 

(a) at the lowest torque (b) internal resolution (c) high shear option 

(d) in both positive and negative direction (e) depending on temperature control unit 


• new product brochures 

HAAKE Viscometers 


Basic principles in rheology, 

selecting a viscometer 

Viscometry 

Measuring instruments for the determination of 

the flow behaviour of fluids are called viscometers. 

Viscosity is a material property which is dependent 

on different parameters such as mechanical stress 

and strain, time as well as temperature and other 

ambient conditions. 

Flow behaviour 

In rheology we differentiate between so-called 

Newtonian and non- Newtonian materials. 

Newtonian materials are characterized by a 

viscosity which may depend on temperature but is 

independent of the shear rate (and shear stress). 

In contrast, the viscosity of non- Newtonian 

materials depends on the shear rate. For most 

non- Newtonian materials the viscosity decreases 

with increasing shear rate. This behaviour is called 

shear thinning, or pseudoplastic. A material which 

viscosity increases at increasing shear rates is 

called shear-thickening or dilatant. 

Materials that do not flow until the applied shear 

stress surpasses a certain value are said to have 

a yield-stress. 

Rotational viscometers 

Using a rotational viscometer, the viscosity is 

calculated from the measured torque and 

rotational speed as well as the dimensions of the 

measuring geometry. If the measuring geometry 

fulfils certain requirements (e.g. small gap), which 

is the case for coaxial cylinder, plate/plate and 

cone/plate measuring geometries (DIN 53018, DIN 

53019...), the absolute value of the viscosity can 

be calculated. 

If the dimensions of the measuring geometry are 

not well defined, only a relative value for the 

viscosity can be determined. In this case, the 

measured viscosity value not only depends on the 

ambient conditions, but also on the test method, 

i.e. the measuring geometry. 

Falling ball viscometers 

The falling ball viscometer is a conventional and 

highly accurate instrument for the determination of 

the absolute value of the viscosity of a Newtonian 

material. The viscosity can be calculated from the 

falling time of the ball, the density of the ball as 

well as the diameter of the tube and the ball. 

Shear Rate 

The brochure provides full product specifications, accessories and measuring sensor systems available. 

A full copy of the Viscometer brochure is available on request. 


Overview of HAAKE 

Viscometers 

Model HAAKE Viscotester 

1 plus & 2 plus 

Measurement Relative 

Standards - 

Viscosity Viscometer 1 plus: low 

Viscotester 2 plus: medium 

Model HAAKE Viscotester 

6 plus & 7 plus 

Measurement Relative 

Standards ISO 2555 

Viscosity L – Version: Low to medium 

R – Version: medium to high 

Model HAAKE Falling Ball 

Viscometer type C 

Measurement Absolute* 

Standards Din 53015, ISO 12058 

Viscosity Low to high 

Model HAAKE Viscotester VT550 

Measurement Absolute** 

Standards DIN 53018 / 53019, 

ISO 3219 

Viscosity Low to high 

*For Newtonian substances 

**Using absolute measuring geometries 


89

• new product brochures 


- Open System 


Measuring Mixer and Extruder 

System from Thermo Scientific 

The HAAKE PolyLab OS provides process relevant 

material data including: 

• Melting behaviour 

• Influence of additives 

• Shear stability 

• Temperature stability 

• Melt viscosity 

The torque rheometer supports process modelling 

activities such as: 

• Compounding polymers with additives to 

reduce flammability, viscosity, etc. 

• Scale-up extrusion processes by using 

different L/D ratios to extrapolate to your 

master process line. 

• Simulating master processes using only as 

little as 50 g of material to optimise extrusion 

or mixing in respect to temperature and shear 

profile 

• Extrusion of strands, profiles or films in 

combination with rheological or optical 

measurements 

HAAKE POLYLAB OS-SYSTEM 

Controller 

PC / Software 


Mixer 

Single-Screw 

Extruder 

This allows you to optimise your process 

parameters, create test specimens or perform 

quality control on incoming and outgoing goods for 

viscosity, dispersion or plasticising behaviour. 

The brochure provides full product specifications, 

accessories and measuring sensor systems 

available. A full copy of the HAAKE PolyLab OS 

brochure is available on request. 

Twin-Screw 

Extruder 

Additional Analyzing 

Sensors 

Feeding 

Rotors 

Systems 

Screws Dies Postex 


– Measuring Mixer 


• Testing the melting and degradation 

behavior of polymer melts 

• Quantifying viscosity when adding 

nano-particles or other additives 

• Testing the gelation- and plasticizing behavior 

of PVC dry-blends 

• Measuring the fl ow- and curing behavior of 

thermosetting plastics 

• Characterizing the infl uences of different 

additives such as carbon black, fi llers, 

lubricants, accelerators or sulphur for rubber 

mixtures 


behavior of elastomers 

• Measuring the oil absorption of carbon black 

• Quantifying the absorption of DOP for PVC 

dry-blends 

• Measuring the stable torque in regard to 

individual and combined infl uences of fi llers 

and additives such as stabilizers, lubricants 

and color pigments 

• Testing high performance plastics to check 

processability 


measurements for rubber mixtures 


• product news & industry applications 

New device for rheological measurements - 

A measuring cell for special mortars 

Reproduced with the permission of BFT International – Concrete Plant & Forecast 

Technology (P 552, 01/08). www.bft-online.info 



Both quality and quantity of 

rheological tests are mainly 

determined by the available 

range of measuring cells. 

In this field, unmet needs exist 

especially with respect to 

building materials testing. 

This article describes one of 

these cells that are suitable 

for highly flowable mortars. 

This so-called basket cell 

enables fluid-in-fluid shear, 

and thus suppresses wall 

shear effects. The basket cell 

has been designed as a double 

annular gap cell ensuring high 

performance at low yield 

stresses. 

Working principle 

Under the assumption that solids of revolution can 

be used to create an appropriate shear area (see 

DIN 53018 or 53019), it must be observed, as a 

restrictive condition, that aqueous fluid may 

segregate at the interfaces when subjected to 

compression and/or shear. From a processing 

point of view, this is often a useful characteristic of 

mortars. However, this behavior results in the 

well-documented wall shear in the measuring cells 

referred to above, and thus leads to a distortion of 

measurement results. This effect may be limited 

by providing the measuring cells with a special 

surface texture, such as a ribbed pattern. Another 

possible solution could be to replace the adhesive 

fluid-wall bond with a cohesive bond. When 

pursuing this idea further, at least the critical cell 

walls would have to be replaced with fluid walls. 

Following a large number of various experiments 

to create such cell walls, i.e. a “fluid-in-fluid 

shear” using external fields of force and the 

correspondingly high effort, the experience gained 

has been used to identify an easy-to-implement 

compromise solution. The setup comes very close 


to fluid-in-fluid shear if the intended fluid wall is 

established by means of a filigree framework. If a 

cylindrical framework is chosen – which would 

inevitably create an inner and outer fluid wall leaf, 

it would appear logical to also look for a solution 

similar to a double annular gap cell. 

Measuring cell design 

The double annular gap geometry is a favorable 

design not only on the basis of the considerations 

outlined above. It is also a suitable option because 

of the anticipated low limit yield stresses that 

result from the stability criterion [1] for 

self-compacting mortars (SCM). 

Mitnehmer-Nut 

D 1 

D 4 

‹berlauf-Tasse 

Co-axial double gap measuring cells are not a new 

invention. For example, DIN 54453 recommends 

the use of such a cell to determine the dynamic 

viscosity of anaerobic adhesives. While the cell's 

basic design is retained, its inner cylinder forming 

the double gap is replaced with the framework 

referred to above. As a result, the new measuring 

cell consists of an annular gap vessel – as shown 

in Fig. 1 – and the basket-like framework forming 

the sensor (Fig. 2). The framework is enclosed by 

a disc-shaped keyseat at the top and stiffened by 

an annular insert at the bottom. Following the infill 

of mortar into the annular gap vessel, the sensor 

will be moved coaxially, at low speed, to its 

measurement position. The fluid displaced during 

immersion can run off through the leveling 

openings of the sensor to fill the overflow 

receptacle of the annular gap vessel. The effective 

shear height L is determined by the immersion 

depth of the basket into the “fluid bath” in the 

annular gap space. 

This cell setup has been subjected to numerous 

tests, in particular with respect to determining 

relative gap widths and framework designs. In 

order to ensure a sufficiently stable bottom flow in 

the gap against the impact of inertial forces, an 

instrument drive similar to the Hatschek device 

was used. 

Above Left: (Fig.1) Section of the fluid-filled annular gap vessel of the measuring cell. 

Above Right: (Fig. 2) Photo of the measuring cell sensor (1) Coupling adapter (2) Mesh lining 

(3) Openings for fluid leveling 

L 

On this basis, diamond-shaped framework mesh 

structures were found to be particularly 

well-suited. These also allow for particle 

incorporation while ensuring a strong bond 

between the inner and outer fluid interface of the 

mortar attached on both sides. 

D 3 

For mortars with a maximum particle size (mesh 

aperture) of 2 mm and a permissible oversize of 

up to 2.5 mm, tests involving various wall 

distances in the range 32≤ (4Δ ≈ D4 - D1) ≤8dK,max 

demonstrated extreme measuring fluctuations, up 

to a total standstill of the cell, only at the lowest 

distances. This effect was caused by a more or 

continued on page 92 


91 

1 

2 

3 

L

New service 

for rheological 

measurements 


less significant wedging of the natural particles 

used. The wall distance ultimately chosen to 

determine the main dimensions equals 

Δ ≈ 3dK,max, and is usable only in conjunction with 

the framework design shown in Fig. 2. 

Further design features were determined on the 

basis of a rather pragmatic approach. These 

include the position and design of the overflow 

receptacle and the minimization of the total weight 

of the annular gap vessel. These features also 

include the sensor immersion depth, which was 

determined at T [mNm] =τ [Pa] on a preliminary 

basis to enable a quick overview in the course 

of individual measurements. 

Prior to its use, the measuring cell must be 

calibrated. It is always advisable to calibrate the 

cell together with the other instruments available. 

Findings and outlook 

According to the experimental results obtained to 

date, the basket cell is suitable for all highly 

flowable fluids that are characterised by several 

phases, such as self-compacting mortars, grouting 

mortars, float finishes and fillers, as well as 

cementitious binder glues, ceramic slips, slurries 

of all types, and paints. Solutions can also be 

subjected to testing. As a prerequisite to any 

rheological materials testing, the object to be 

tested must be stable. This is also required for the 

setup described in this article. 

The experience gained in the course of 

development, testing and application enables 

continuous improvement of the basket cell 

depending on the specific requirements. 

This includes both the main dimensions of the 

measuring cell determined by varying maximum 

particle sizes and the adjustment of the framework 

structure to special modes of application. 

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Ruprecht Vogel 

Malerstieg 6 

99425 Weimar / Germany 

r.vogel@vogel-labor.de 

References and 

further information 

[1] Vogel, R. Ein Stabilitätskriterium für Selbstverdichtenden 

Beton, BFT Betonwerk+Fertigteil-Technik 12 (2005), S.42 

bis 49 . 

[2] Vogel, R.; Riedel, M. Untersuchungen mit dem 

Rotationsviskosimeter RHEOTEST 2 zur Abgrenzung des 

Einsatzbereiches ,Silikattechnik 41 (1990), Heft 2, 

S.59...64 

[3] Vogel, R. Stabilität und Fließverhalten von Selbstverdichtendem 

Beton, Vortrag Ibausil Weimar Sept. 2006, Druck Bd.2, 

S.1047...1058 

[4] Vogel, R. Fließen von Selbstverdichtenden Beton – Das 

Fließgesetz; www.vogel-labor.de (Mitteilung 04/6) 


• product highlight – industry application 

The industry choice for 

viscosity measurements 

of mineral slurries & 

suspensions 



Viscotester model VT550 

viscometer is suitable for 

viscosity measurements of 

particular suspensions using 

standard sensors to provide 

relative or absolute results 

which are highly reproducible. 

The HAAKE VT550 viscometer: 

• Provides the data to allow accurate 

calculations for pumping slurries and 

suspensions 

• Can be operated manually by the key pad 

or PC controlled 

• Measures yield points using Controlled 

Deformation (CD) mode 

• Measures inhomogeneous materials with 

particles in mm size 

• Records flow curves automatically to monitor 

the flow behaviour of a liquid or paste 

• Has interchangeable rotors to extend the 

measuring range and application 

• Can be upgraded to a coaxial- or cone and 

plate viscometer. 

The HAAKE VT550 provides results on viscosity 

and yield point which allows you to: 

• Correctly size pumps 

• Minimise wear in pipes & fittings 

• Identify start-up energy requirements for 

pumping 

• Predict the longevity of hydraulic transport 

equipment 

• Design better disposal systems 

HAAKE ViscoTester VT550 



Food Industry feature 









within the food industries. 

Services 



the food industry, these include: 

• Food and Beverage Material Characterisation 

- Introduction to the influences of rheological 

and process parameters. Rheo 025TP 

• Comparison of Rheological Techniques for 

the Characterisation of Semi-Solid Foods. 

(Rheo 027TP) 


• Application of Liquid and Solid Rheological 

Technologies to the Textural Characterisation 

of Semi-Solid Foods. (Rheo049) 

• QC Measurements for Liquid Food Products 

and Packaging. (Rheo051) 


of Mouthfeel. (Rheo253) 


of Shelf Life. (Rheo254) 


of Processability. (Rheo255) 


of Cohesiveness, Cohesion Strength and 

Cohesive Quality. (Rheo256) 


& Viscosity. (Rheo358) 


(Rheo360) 

• Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure Yield Stress. 

(Rheo362) 


Solutions for the Food Industry is available. Copies 

of the technical papers and the solutions kit are 

available on request from Rheology Solutions. 

special issue 

Products 

Rheological parameters are reliable pointers for 

food performance and are critical factors for 

processability and product quality. 


and product performance within the food 

industries. 

There are a range of instruments and measurements 

that can be used to quantify rheology 

related challenges (processes or consumption) 

some of which may be described by the following 

terms: 

• adhesion • build 

• cohesion • cover 

• crispiness • elasticity 

• mouthfeel • spread 

• stringiness • viscosity 

• and many more 

Rheology Solutions will be exhibiting at Foopro 

(stand no. 6084) in Sydney in July 2008, and 

following is an overview of the products and 

services that will be available at the stand and 

fully operational during the exhibition. 


93

• product focus 

Process Viscometer 

The Marimex range of 

ViscoScope process 

viscometers measures the 

viscosity of liquids continually 

and precisely in-line. 

The ViscoScope provides continuous measurements 

during food processing to ensure 

manufacturing is always monitored and 

adjustments are able to be made to keep the 

product within its viscosity specification range, 

eliminating waste and out of specification 

products. 

The Marimex range of ViscoScope systems 

provide maintenance free viscosity 

measurement for in-line applications within 

the food industry. Installations in the food 

industry currently include: Chocolate, Dairy, 

Gelatin, Pectin, Pipeline monitoring, Slurries, 

Spray dryers and the Sugar industry. 

Features include: 

• Smooth rugged sensor 

• Virtually no moving parts 

• High precision, no operator required 



• Factory calibrated with NIST traceable oils – 

in house calibration not required 

• Flexible mounting – works in any direction 

• High temperature capability to 450°C 

• High pressure capability to 5,000 Psig/350 bar 

• Flow rate fluctuations do not have any 

influence on accuracy of data 

• LAN diagnostic systems control 


Viscotester series provide 

accurate viscosity results for 

QA/QC in the laboratory ensuring 

quality control throughout 

the manufacturing process. 

The HAAKE Viscotester 6L plus is a classic 

rotational viscometer for QA/QC applications and 

provides fast determination of viscosity as defined 

in ISO 2555 and many ASTM standards. 

The Viscotester VT6L plus is one in the range of 

HAAKE viscometers suitable for viscosity testing 

applications within the food industry. 

ViscoScope viscometers manufactured by 

Marimex Industries (Germany) are available for 

process applications up to 450ºC and 350 bar. 

The sensor has torsional oscillation rotation 

and is constructed without any moving parts 

avoiding any cross contamination with the 

material being measured. 

The sensor can be mounted in any orientation in 

reactors, vessels and pipes for measuring in batch 

and continuous processes. 

All measurements are precise, reliable and 

reproducible making the ViscoScope ideal for all 

applications within the food industry. 

Marimex ViscoScope in-line measurement system 

provides continuous viscosity results and has been designed 

for maintenance free operation in process applications 


Rotational Viscometer 


Model Viscotester 6L plus 

Viscosity range 3 – 6,000,000 mPas 

Accuracy +/- 1% full scale 

Reproducibility +/- 0.2% 

Standards ISO 2555 (+ others) 

ASTM 115, 789, 1076 

Features 

• RS232 interface for data transfer to a PC 

for evaluation 

• Digital display with viscosity, torque, speed 

and spindle readout 

• Supplied complete with spindles, stand 

& carry case 

Options 

• Model VT6R plus which differs in the torque 

by a factor of 6, i.e.: 20 - 40 000 000 mPas 

The VT6L plus offers great value for money, high accuracy, 

ease of use, good design and software options 



Extensional Rheometer 



CaBER 1 is a Capillary Breakup 

Extensional Rheometer which 

measures the extensional 

properties of samples to 

optimise filling and spatter 

behaviour during filling 

processes. 

Knowledge of the elongational behaviour of fluids 

is important for both industrial and basic research 

purposes. Complex flows that contain strong 

extensional components occur in many industrial 

processes and applications. Some examples are 

extrusion flows, coating flows, contraction flows 

and fibre spinning flows. Most materials exhibit 

very different responses in an extensional flow 

compared to a shearing flow. The thinning and 

breakup of a fluid filament that is analysed with 

the HAAKE CaBER 1 instrument provides valuable 

information about the materials physical properties 

that rotational rheometers simply can not provide. 

Model CaBER 1 

Hencky Strains: up to 0 = 10 

Strain Rate Range: Imposed strain rate 

0.01 < 0 < 300 s-1 Fluid strain rate 

10-5< 0 < 10 S-1 Shear Viscosity Range: 10 - 106 mPas 

Plate Diameter: 4 < Dplate < 8 mm, 

standard = 6mm 

Temperature Range: 0 - 80ºC 

Diameter Resolution: 8 μm 

System Response Time: 10 ms 

Features 

• Computer controlled 

• Class 1 laser micrometer 

• Easy to operate and easy to load samples 

and clean 

• Linear motor drive with variable speed 

• Closed temperature-controlled sample 

chamber 

• Automatic repeated testing 

• Exchangeable geometries 

• User defined strains 

• Sample volume


Heating Bath Circulator 


Thermo Fisher HeatTech 26L 

heating bath circulator operates 

from ambient to +100ºC. 

It is a reliable and economical unit that provides 

flexibility to laboratories as either a fluid bath or 

circulator. 

Features 

• Large bath area accommodates more 

samples 

• Quiet system 



• Safety level for fluid and temperature 



Refrigerated Bath Circulator 


Thermo Fisher CoolTech 320 

refrigerator bath and circulator 

operates at -28ºC to +100ºC. 

A versatile and economical 

option for laboratory cooling. 

Features 




• CFC-free refrigerant system 

• Safety level for fluid and temperature 


Model HeatTech 26L 

Temperature Range Ambient to +100ºC 

Temperature Accuracy +/- 0.02ºC 


Pump Pressure (max) 300 mbar 

Pump Flow Rate (max) 12.5 lpm 

Bath Volume 26 L 

Order Today - 

delivery ex stock 

$2,399 


Model CoolTech 320 

Temperature Range -28ºC to +100ºC 

Temperature Accuracy +/- 0.02ºC 

Heater Capacity 2.0 kW 

Cooling Capacity @ 20ºC 320W 

Pump Pressure (max) 300 mbar 

Pump Flow Rate (max) 12.5 lpm 

Bath Volume 4.5 L 

Order Today - delivery ex stock 

$3,999 


A versatile and economical option for laboratory cooling 

A reliable and economical unit that provides flexibility to laboratories as either a fluid bath or circulator 




Food industry 

feature & 

product focus 


Rheology Solutions offer material characterisation 

solutions to measure, monitor and provide 

reproducible data for quality control, development 

and product applications that will improve 

performance with the food industries. 

A four page overview of products and services 

specifically available for food industry applications 

has been produced. 


Bath 

recirculators 


The Thermo Scientific NESLAB RTE and EX Series 

of bath circulators brochure have been updated to 

incorporate more product and technical information. 

The NESLAB RTE Series of bath circulators cool 

and heat from -25ºC to +200ºC and the NESLAB 

EX Series of bath circulators heat from ambient to 

+200ºC. 



Material 

characterisation 

for polymers 

No matter what stage of the polymer’s life cycle, 

eliminating waste and keeping production levels at 

peak capacity are crucial to ensuring profitability 

in today’s highly competitive environment. 

This brochure from Thermo Scientific provides a 

comprehensive overview of products to cover: 

• R&D of new polymers 

• Lab scale process, pilot plant and small 

scale production 

• Quality control 


Extrusion & material 

characterisation for drug 

development & production 



In material characterisation rheological properties 

are of the utmost importance for the determination 

of the best drug format. The ability to analyse and 

describe the material’s mechanical or formulation 

properties can have a direct impact on precise 


dosing and optimisation of the manufacturing 

process. 

This brochure from Thermo Scientific provides a 

comprehensive overview of products to cover: 

• Extrusion technology 

• Material characterisation 


97


Using Refrigerated Circulators with Rotary 

Evaporators – Environmentally Friendly Solution 


Rotary Evaporators are widely 

used in various R&D and QC 

laboratories and also in 

academia. 

The main use of rotary evaporators is solvent 

recovery from various mixtures by single step 

distillation and they are sometimes used for 

organic chemistry syntheses under controlled 

temperature and vacuum. 

The basis of this procedure is the evaporation and 

condensation of solvents using a rotary evaporating 

flask under vacuum. Distilling products under 

vacuum increases the performance and helps to 

protect the products. Condensers are cooled using 

tap water circulation or alternatively by cooling 

recirculators. 

To achieve optimal distillation conditions, the 

distillation energy supply by the heating bath must 

be removed by the condenser. To ensure this, 

operate the instrument according to the following 

rule of thumb: 

Cooling water: max. 20ºC 

Vapour: 40ºC 

Bath: 60ºC 

This rule can also be applied to lower bath 

temperatures, for example: 

Cooling water: max. 0ºC 

Vapour: 20ºC 

Bath: 40ºC 

This is achieved by: 

• Setting the bath temperature 

• Setting the cooling water temperature. When 

the cooling water is tap water, the temperature 

is sometimes (especially in summer) 

above 20ºC. With the Thermo Scientific EZ 

Cool 80 refrigerated recirculating bath 

connected to the system it is easy to set the 

cooling medium temperature to the desired 

value between -10ºC to +20ºC. 

• Allowing cooling tap water to flow through the 

condenser at approximately 40 – 50 l/h. With 

the EZ Cool 80, the recirculator flow is 720 

l/hr (without loosing the cooling medium), 

providing a better, stable and efficient heat 

transfer. 


• Defining the operating vacuum in such a way 

that at the vacuum, the boiling point of the 

solvent equals the vapour temperature. Refer 

to the solvent tables provided in the rotary 

evaporator manual. 

Advantages associated with bath temperatures of 

60ºC and below: 

• The evaporating flask can be replaced without 

risk of burns 

• The evaporation rate of the water from the 

heating bath is low (low energy loss) 

• The heating bath energy is used at a good 

degree of efficiency 

Other Advantages using the EZ Cool 80: 

• Environmentally friendly working conditions 

since no waste of tap water at 40 – 50 l/h 

• Four pre-set temperatures enables the 

practical switch of solvents which evaporate 

at significantly different temperatures 

• Ability to distil solvents with boiling points 

under room temperature, provided that the 

receiving flask is also thermostated in a 

cooling bath 

• The spiral of the condenser is always clean 

Ono 426-1624 

$3,450 


Thermo Scientific EZ Cool 80, recommended for 

Rotary Evaporators –the environmentally friendly 

solutions 

Prepared by: Onur Cebeci, Chemist, Anamed & 

Analitik Group, Chemistry Technologies Department, 

Turkey. References were taken from the 

Rotavapor Operation manual, Buchi Labortechnik 

AG, Swtzerland. 


• product news & industry applications - product accessories 

Universal container holder for HAAKE MARS 

and RheoStress 6000 


A universal holder for sample containers which 

can be used for the HAAKE MARS and the 

RheoStress 6000 (as well as all of its predecessors) 

has been developed. Thanks to the three 

individually adjustable clamps, sample containers 

like glass jars, cans, beakers, cups, etc., can be 

mounted solidly onto the rheometer. This allows for 

the insertion of a (vane) measuring geometry into 

the sample without comprising its structure. 

A copy of this brochure is available by requesting 

P018e 

The rotational viscometers HAAKE Viscotester 6 & 

7 plus are described in the standard ISO 2555. In 

comparison to the HAAKE Viscotester 6, the 

HAAKE Viscotester 7 is equipped with a temperature 

sensor and a serial interface. Both models are 

available in two versions: whereas the ‘’L’’-version 

is suitable for measurements on low and medium 

Fig. 1 (above): Universal container holder with 

three adjustable clamps (left), 

Fig. 2 (right): Universal clamp holder with a peanut 

butter glass jar mounted on the HAAKE MARS 

with a vane rotor FL22 (right) 


Adapters for HAAKE Viscotester models 6 

and 7 plus for measuring range extension 

and sample temperature measurement (optional) 


viscose samples (3 up to 6.000.000 mPas) the 

‘’R’’-version can be used for medium and higher 

viscose materials (20 up to 40.000.000 mPas). 

Using a low viscosity adapter (UL) the lower 

viscosity limit can be extended. Reproducible 

viscosity measurements can be performed down 

to 1.0 mPas using the L-version respectively 6.4m 

Pas for the R-version. It has to be taken into 

account that high rotational speeds are needed for 

measurements of very low viscosities and Taylor 

vortices cause hereby can have a negative 

influence on the experimental results. 

For samples, which are available in small amounts 

only, a small sample adapter can be used. 

Depending on the Viscotester version used 

different sets of cylindrical spindles are available 

which have to be ordered separately. 


P020-e 


UV curing cell for an individual arrangement 

of optical components 


In order to measure a given sample’s rheological 

properties before, during and after controlled 

exposure to UV radiation, a cylindrical UV curing 

cell has been developed for the HAAKE MARS, 

HAAKE RheoStress 6000 rheometers and the 

respective predecessor models. 


The cylindrical UV curing cell has an outer 

diameter of 48 mm and fits into fluid or electrically 

controlled cylindrical temperature control units. 

Any UV light source can be connected via light 

guide (outer diameter 24.5 mm). The 

UV light source should be capable of providing 

different intensities in order to measure the 

dependence of the curing behaviour as a function 

of the light intensity applied. Moreover, the light 

source should be equipped with a timer, a manual 

control switch or a foot-operated switch as well as 

a trigger input facilitating control of the light 

source via the rheometer’s measuring software. 


P-022e 


99


Vane rotors for pressure cells for HAAKE MARS 

and HAAKE RheoStress 6000 


Different vane rotors have been developed for 

pressure dependent measurements on samples 

containing particles. Each rotor consists of 4 

blades mounted around a shaft, which is equipped 

with two sapphire bearings. 

With these bearings the rotors can be precisely 

centred on two steel pins inside the pressure cell. 

The vane rotors differ in the size of the blades. The 

• SER – Extensional rheology system 

for HAAKE MARS 


The SER system is a new accessory for the HAAKE 

MARS with CTC oven which transforms a 

(rotational) shear rheometer in an extensional 

rheometer for melts and semi-solids. 

The measuring principle of the SER system, which 

was developed by Dr. Martin Sentmanat (Xpansion 

Instruments), is based on clamping the sample on 

two counter rotating windup drums. With the SER 

system a truly uniform extensional deformation in 

the sample is achieved. In additional to the uniaxial 

extension, the SER tool can be used for solid 

tensile testing, pear and peel testing, as well as 

friction testing. 

biggest vane rotor FL 25/90 has a diameter of 25 

mm and a blade height of 90 mm. This rotor is 

particularly suitable for measurements on low 

viscous samples. 

For measurements on samples with higher 

viscosities vane rotors with a blade height of 8.8 

mm are recommended. For choosing the suitable 

rotor the diameters of the suspended particles 

have to be taken into account. As a rule of thumb 

the minimum width of the gap between the rotor 

blades and the inner wall of the pressure cell 

The operating temperature range of the SER tool 

covers 0ºC to +250ºC. 

The combination of convection and radiant heating 

in the CTC guarantees fast temperature changes 

and an even temperature distribution within the 

sample. 

The SER system is fully integrated in the HAAKE 

RheoWin measuring and evaluation software. 

Measurements can be made in both controlled 

extensional rate and controlled tensile stress 

mode. The extensional properties of the sample 

are calculated automatically and presented directly 

in the software. 


P-019e 

• Tribology cell for HAAKE Rheometers 

For the rheometers HAAKE MARS, RheoStress 

6000 and predecessor models identical in 

construction and equipped with a normal force 

sensor, a measuring cell has been developed for 

testing the tribological behaviour of bearing 

materials. 

The tribology cell described here consists of a 

lower and an upper part. Both are made of 

stainless steel. The lower measuring geometry is 



designed as a reservoir. 

Measurement of the friction of bearing materials 

with and without lubricant can be performed. To 

measure the influence of a lubricant the reservoir 

can be filled with the lubricant to be tested. 

The upper measuring geometry is equipped with 

a flexible shaft, which ensures the concentric 

position of a ball with a diameter of ½” in the 

measuring cell. Usually steel bearing balls are 

used but other materials like e.g. ceramic are 

also possible. 

should be 3 times larger than the biggest 

suspended particles. 

The inner diameter of the pressure cell D100/200 

is 40 mm. For example, using a FL36/8.8 vane 

rotor the measuring gap between the rotor and the 

inner side of the pressure cell is 2 mm. Therefore 

a suspension with particles with a maximum size 

of 0.6 mm can be measured. For bigger particles 

a rotor with a smaller diameter has to be selected. 


P-021e 

Fig. 1 (left): SER tool integrated in Controlled 

est Chamber 

Fig. 2 (right): Schematic setup of the SER tool 

Replacing the ball is easily and quickly done, 

to perform every test with a fresh ball as 

recommended. For temperature dependent tests 

between - 40°C and +200°C the lower measuring 

geometry can be adapted on a modified 

measuring plate cover for a Peltier temperature 

control unit. Also the measuring cell can be 

integrated into the Control Test Chamber by 

adapting the lower measuring geometry onto 

a suitable holder. 


P-023e 



Extended product range - recirculating chillers 


Two models have been added to 

the Thermo Scientific NESLAB 

ThermoFlex range. The range now 

extends to 3500 W and 5000 W 

cooling capacity at 20ºC. 

The NESLAB ThermoFlex range is reliable, easy to 

use chiller and is suitable for diverse applications 

across all industry areas within QA/QC, R&D and 

production applications. 

The range offers 1400W, 2500W, 3500W and 

5000W of cooling capacity and is the ideal chiller 

for demanding cooling applications within the 

polymer industry. 

Options - Fluid Recirculation 

• Pressure Relief – Allows for regulation of the 

chiller’s outlet pressure and is available as an 

internal or external option. 

Thermo Scientific NESLAB ThermoFlex range 

• Flow Control with Flow Readout – Controls flow 

to the application and displays on the controller. 

• Pressure Relief with Flow Readout – Pressure 

relief valve allows for regulation of the chiller’s 

outlet pressure and displays on the controller. 

• Auto Refill – Allows for automatic refilling to 

Cooling Capacity for NESLAB ThermoFlex 900/1400/2500 Cooling Capacity for NESLAB ThermoFlex 3500/5000 

cooling capacity 

12000 

10000 

8000 

6000 

4000 

2000 

3500 

3000 

2500 

2000 

1500 

1000 

500 

2500 @ 60 Hz 

2500 @ 50 Hz 

1400 @ 60 Hz 

1400 @ 50 Hz 

900 @ 60 Hz 

900 @ 50 Hz 

BTU/Hr Watts 

°C 

10 20 30 40 

°F 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 

temperature setpoint 

cooling capacity 

24000 

20000 

16000 

12000 

7000 

6000 

5000 

4000 

3000 

8000 

2000 

4000 1000 

5000 @ 60 Hz 

5000 @ 50 Hz 

3500 @ 60 Hz 

BTU/Hr Watts 

3500 @ 50 Hz 

°C 

10 20 30 40 

°F 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 

temperature setpoint 

ensure the proper fluid level is maintained. 

• Anti Drainback – Prevents the reservoir from 

overflowing when a chiller is installed below 

the application. 

• DI Water – Maintains fluid resistivity and is 

available as an internal or external option. 

ThermoFlex 900 ThermoFlex 1400 ThermoFlex 2500 ThermoFlex 3500 ThermoFlex 5000 

Setpoint Temperature Range +5°C to +40°C +5°C to +40°C +5°C to +40°C +5°C to +40°C +5°C to +40°C 

Ambient Temperature Range +10°C to +40°C +10°C to +40°C +10°C to +40°C +10°C to +40°C +10°C to +40°C 

Temperature Stability ±0.1°C ±0.1°C ±0.1°C ±0.1°C ±0.1°C 

Setpoint Cooling Capacity 50 Hz at +20°C 750 W / 2561 BTU 1170 W / 3996 BTU 2200W / 7513 BTU 3050 W / 10416 BTU 4400 W / 15027 BTU 

Reservoir Volume 7.2 liters 7.2 liters 7.2 liters 7.2 liters 7.2 liters 

Physical Dimensions 69.4 x 36.0 x 62.4 cm 69.4 x 36.0 x 62.4 cm 74.1 x 43.8 x 67.6 cm 101.6 x 49.4 x 79.0 cm 101.6 x 49.4 x 79.0 cm 

P1 - Positive Displacement Pump 50 Hz 1.7 gpm @ 60 psid 1.7 gpm @ 60 psid 1.7 gpm @ 60 psid 1.7 gpm @ 60 psid - 

P2 - Positive Displacement Pump 50 Hz 3.3 gpm @ 60 psid 3.3 gpm @ 60 psid 3.3 gpm @ 60 psid 3.3 gpm @ 60 psid 3.3 gpm @ 60 psid 

P3 - Centrifugal Pump 50 Hz 10 gpm @ 20 psid 10 gpm @ 20 psid 

P4 - Centrifugal Pump 50 Hz - - - 15 gpm @ 34 psid 15 gpm @ 34 psid 



101


Polymer Industry feature 








within the polymer industries. 

Services 



the polymer industry, these include: 

• Quality Control in the Polymer Industry. 

Introduction to cutting edge technologies and 

their application in the polymer industry. 

Rheo 023 

• Rheology for the Rubber and Elastomer 

Industries. Introduction to the influences of 

rheological and process parameters and 

methods for their measurement. Rheo 024 

• Tim’s Top Tips – Explanation and Evaluation 

of Compounding. Rheo 289 




of Processability. Rheo 290 


of Shark Skin. Rheo 291 


of Die Swell. Rheo 292 


and Viscosity Curves. Rheo 364 


Rheo 366 

• Tim’s Top Tips - How to Measure Yield Stress. 

Rheo 368 


Solutions for the Polymer Industries is available. 

Copies of the technical papers and the solutions 

kits are available on request from Rheology 

Solutions. 

Products 

Polymer processing includes unit operations such 

as compression, injection and blow moulding and 

extrusion through a variety of dies. Specifically for 

the polymer industries, materials characterisation 

is of critical importance (including fluid related 

issues like sedimentation, time related structural 

decay or build-up and post-cure issues like 

strength of compression or extension) for 

prediction and management of sharkskin, melt 

special issue 

fracture, calendering, die swell, melt homogeneity 

and short- and long-term dimensional stability of 

extrudates or moulded parts. These processes 

depend on fluid rheological parameters such as 

viscosity, viscoelasticity, creep and recovery, and 

solid material properties such as behaviour under 

various compressive and extensional loafing 

conditions. Extensional flow properties dominate 

processes where stranding occurs and influences 

time, quality and energy requirements. 

Material characterisation parameters are reliable 

pointers for polymer performance and are critical 

factors for processability and product quality. 


and product performance within the polymer 

industries. 

Rheology Solutions exclusively offers a range of 

instruments and equipment that can be used to 

quantify rheology related challenges specific for 

polymer applications. 

Rheology Solutions will be exhibiting at Ausplas 

2008 (stand no: 100) in Melbourne during October 

2008, and also at 30 APS (stand no: 13) in 

Melbourne during November 2008, and following 

is an overview of the products that will be 

available at the stand and operational. 



Modular Torque Rheometer 

with Measuring Mixer 



PolyLab QC with Rheomix 600 

will be shown for the first time 

in Australia in October. 

The HAAKE PolyLab QC is a new modular torque 

rheometer which can be connected to an 

interchangeable measuring mixer, single screw 

extruder or conical twin-screw extruder. 

A typical mixer test is run at a defined rotor speed 

(shear rate). The material’s response to the shear 

is recorded as torque and displayed versus time. 

Although the temperature of the mixing 

chamber is constantly controlled, the material’s 

melt temperature during a test may rise due to 

the shear introduced. The recorded “Rheogram” 

(torque and melt temperature vs. time at constant 

speed) is characteristic for different material types 

and blends. It can be used as a fingerprint in 

quality control for outgoing and incoming product 

inspections. As changes in torque are related to 

HAAKE PolyLab with extruder shown as a bench 

model unit 


structural changes in the material, a Rheogram 

can be used to investigate and verify reactions 

of different additive types or concentration on 

the samples melting behaviour. 

The HAAKE PolyLab QC Rheomix 600 is used to 

investigate: 

• The melting and degradation behaviour of 

polymers 

• Viscosity when adding nano particles or other 

additives 

• Gelation and plastification behaviour of PVC 

dry-blends 

• Flow and curing behaviour of thermosetting 

plastics 

• The influence of different additives such as 

carbon black, fillers, lubricants, accelerators 

and sulphur for rubber mixers 

• Masticating and vulcanising behaviour of 

elastomers 

• Oil adsorption of carbon black 

• Adsorption of DOP for PVC dry blends 

• Torque in regard to individual and combined 

influences of fillers and additives 

• Processability of plastics 

• Electric conductivity measurements for rubber 

mixers 

HAAKE PolyLab QC with Rheomix 600 Floor 

Model 



with Twin-Screw Extruders 



PolyLab QC with the HAAKE 

CTW 100 QC twin-screw 

extruder is used for continuous 

compounding and plasticising is 

the ideal extruder in the HAAKE 

PolyLab QC system. 

This is a counter rotating conical twin-screw 

compounder, with intermeshing screws, that will 

give well-defined residence time for faultless 

production of process-critical polymers. 

The gentle but intensive dispersing capabilities are 

ideal to mix additives and pigments. Dies and 

downstream ancillaries are compatible with the 

19/25 QC-D single-screw extruder. 

Applications 

• Testing of the plasticising behaviour 

• Testing the performance of additives and fillers 

• Measuring of the melt temperature and 

pressure along the barrel to optimise process 

parameters 

• Provide a homogeneous and constant flow melt 

• Production of strands, sheets, cast and blown 

films 

• Extrusion of ceramics and feed stock 

• Melt rheology 

Features 

• Rod dies & water bath for strand extrusion 

• Sheet & ribbon dies 

• Blown film dies & take off tower 

• Filter test 

The HAAKE PolyLab QC is available as a bench 

or floor model . 


103



with Single-Screw Extruder 


The most common method in processing polymers 

are screw plastification and injection moulding, 

and The Thermo Scientific HAAKE PolyLab QC with 


Modular 

Twin-Screw 

Extruder 


The PRISM EuroLab 16 mm 

operates with sample batches 

of 50 g up to outputs of 

10 kg/h., the bench mounted 

16 mm twin-screw extruder 

is the heart of a complete 

compounding and sample 

preparation system. 

The segmented screw configuration with modular 

barrel design give flexibility for the full range of 

polymer processes. 

A horizontally split barrel, up to 40:1 L/D, has a 

lift-off top half for easy access to the screws, and 

the screws themselves have a simple removal 

device for cleaning and configuration changes. 

Thermo “fuzzy logic” heater controls save energy. 

The segmented top barrel half is constructed in 

modules and is easy to reconfigure. Barrel 

segments are available for feeding solids and 

liquids or for venting. Secondary feeders and 

vacuum pumps can form part of the system. 

A rugged colour touch screen interface incorporates 

data acquisition as standard, with an option 

to download to a remote computer for archiving 

and analysis. The controls include recipe storage 

to programme set points for repeatable process 

conditions. 

During October in Melbourne at Ausplas, the 

PRISM EuroLab 16 mm system will be operational 

extruding and pelletising a range of plastic 

samples. 


single-screw extruder is the ideal torque 

rheometer for this application. 

For testing quality and processability of those 

materials, the single-screw laboratory extruder 

19/25 QC-B is a proven tool. 


To shape a polymer for further processes and 

tests, different dies can be adapted to the 

extruder. Rod dies and water bath for strand 

extrusion, sheet and ribbon dies in various 

dimensions to produce bands or cast films, and 

blown film dies and take off tower complete the 

testing equipment. 

Thermo Fisher PRISM EuroLab 16mm 

Twin Screw Extruder 

Barrel Length L/D 25:1 25:1 40:1 40:1 

Barrel Bore Diameter mm 16 16 16 16 

Screw Diameter mm 15.6 15.6 15.6 16.6 

Channel Depth mm 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 

Centre-line Spacing mm 12.5 12.5 12.5 12.5 

Centre-line to Radius ratio 1.56 1.56 1.56 1.56 

Maxiumum Screw speed rpm 500 1000 500 1000 

Motor Power at Maximum Speed kW 1.25 2.5 1.25 2.5 

Torque per shaft Nm 12 12 12 12 

Torque/(C-line3 ) Nm/cm3 6.1 6.1 6.1 6.1 

Barrel zones 6 6 10 10 

Heater rating W 5x350 5x350 9x350 9x350 

Die heater rating W 250 250 250 250 

Extruder Dimensions 

Scale-up data 

L x W x Hm 1.5 x 7 x1.5m 1.5 x 7 x1.5m 1.5 x 7 x1.5m 1.5 x 7 x1.5m 

Internal Free Volume cm3 68 68 109 109 

Peripheral Surface Area cm2 316 316 505 505 

Surface Area per Unit Free Volume m2/1 0.47 0.47 0.47 0.47 

Typical output 

Services 

kg/h 0.5 to 5 0.5 to 10 0.5 to 5 0.5 to 10 

Electrical power Volt/ph/amp 220V/1ph/20A 400V/3ph/20A 220V/1ph/25A 400/3ph/25A 

Cooling Water 20ºC Litres/min 5 5 5 5 


Optical Control Systems PS25C 

Pellet Inspection system 


Web Inspection 

System 


The OCS Web Inspection 

System FSP600 is a modular 

surface inspection system 

for use in production. 

The modular concept permits the use of several 

cameras working in parallel so that optimum 

adaptation can be achieved. The FSP600 is 

suitable for transparent, translucent and opaque 

films, sheets, coated web material, industrial 

textiles, paper and non wovens. The system will 

detect holes, thin spots, bubbles, contamination 

and gels, foreign particles, black specks, 

scratches, die lines, burst bubbles, repeated 

defects, insects, burns and folds. 

Fields of application 

• Films (transparent, translucent, opaque ...) 

• Sheets • Coated web material 

• Industrial textiles • Paper 

• Non wovens 



Pellet Scanner 


The OCS Pellet Inspection 

PS25C will be operational 

during the Ausplas 2008 in 

October in Melbourne 

inspecting a variety of 

transparent and opaque pellets 

for impurities, foreign bodies, 

and/or colour deviations. 

Applications 

• Opaque pellets 

• Coloured pellets 

• Non-transparent pellets 

• Transparent pellets 

Technical Data 

Resolution from 20 μ 

• Camera - 3 CCD chip colour matrix camera 

• Lighting - High Frequency synchronised 

fluorescent lamp. Power consumption: 

22 W. White light spectrum 

• Computer - Industrial CPU Pentium, up-to-date 

technology 

• Interfaces 0 Ethernet 10/100 M Base-T, Digital 

and analogue I/O, USB, MODBUS, PROFIBUS, 

RS232, OPC, DDE, SAP interface or SQL 

• Remote control - Extender max. 100 m. 

Service Remote control 

• Software - Operating system Windows XP 

• Size - Dimension (l, w, h) 50 x 50 x 80 cm , 

Weight approx. 30 kg 

• Connection values - Power 230 V AC / 50 Hz 

• Temperature - +10°C – +40°C 

Optical Control Systems 

FSP600 Web Film Inspection System 

Types of defects 

• Holes • Thin spots • Bubbles • Contamination & gels 

• Foreign particles • Black specks • Scratches • Die lines 

• Burst bubbles • Repeated defects • Insects • Burns 

• Folds 


105

heotalk biennial 07-08 

Information Request Form 

Name: .................................................................................................................................... Title: ........................................................................... 

Company: ............................................................................................................................... Department: ............................................................... 

Street: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 

Suburb: ................................................................................................................................... State: ................................... Postcode: ................... 

Telephone: ....................................Fax: .................................... Email: ........................................................... please send me future issues by email 

From the Biennial 07-08 issue of RheoTalk, I am interested in the following: 

• Application Notes 

Tim’s Top Tips – How to Measure... Series 

Mineral Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Food Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Polymer Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Surface Coating Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Allied Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Building & Construction Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Chemical & General Manufacturing Industries (please select) Thixotropy Yield Stress Flow & Viscosity 

Tim’s Top Tips – Explanation & Evaluation... Series 

Tim’s Top Tips for Food Industries (please select) Mouthfeel Shelf Life Processability Cohesiveness 

Tim’s Top Tips for Surface Coatings (please select) Shelf Life Flow & Levelling Misting Mixing & Blending 

Tim’s Top Tips for Polymer Industries (please select) Compounding Shark Skin Processability Die Swell 

Rheology Solutions Information Kits (please select) Mineral Industries Food Industries Surface Coatings Polymer Industries 

Chemical & General Manufacturing Construction & Building 

Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics & Allied Industries 



A New Approach to Rheological Modelling of an Electrostatic Ash & Water Mixture - Quadratic Law - RF-300902-SI-01 

A New Definition on Reactor Temperature Control with the Highly Dynamic HAAKE DynaMax System - TC06-01 

A Numerical Study of Temperature & Shear Flow in a Transiently Loaded Lubricant Film - RS-180902-SE-01 

Application of Liquid and Solid Rheological Techniques to the Textural Characterisation of Semi-Solid Food - Rheo049 

Breaking Strength of Chocolate - V222 

Cellulosic Derivatives in Capillary Break-up. Influence of the MWD & Gel Particles - V219 

Comparison of Rheological Techniques for the Characterisation of Semi-Solid Foods - Rheo027TP 

Characterisation of the Thixotropic Behaviour of Semi-Solid Foodstuffs - RF-110902-JO-01 

Correlation Between Mixer Tests & The Extrusion Behaviour of PVC Dry Blends - LR60 

Correlation of Misting During Printing with Extensional Rheological Investigation on Offset Printing Inks - V208 

Dynamic Master Curves of Polymer Modified Asphalt From Three Different Geometries - RF-110902-JO-01 

Evaluating the Plasticisation Process of Different Soft-PVC Samples - LR59 

Experimental Influences on the Casson-Viscosity. The Casson Yield Point for Chocolate Testing - V129 

Food & Beverage Material Characterisation - Introduction to the Influences of Rheological and Process Parameters - Rheo025TP 

High Quality Pharmaceutical Films - OCS007 

Please post or fax this form to: 

Rheology Solutions Pty Ltd - PO Box 754, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, 3340 

Phone: 03 5367 7477 • Fax: 03 5367 6477 • Email: info@rheologysolutions.com • Website: www.rheologysolutions.com 

RHEO405



Name: .................................................................................................................................... Title: ........................................................................... 


Street: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 






How to Select the Most Suitable Sensor for Your Application - V166 

Improved Torque Sensitivity & Normal Force Resolutions for Routine Measurements - V231 

NanoComposites - Examples on Compounding of Nanoclay Blends in Twin Screw Extruders - LR62 

New Measuring Cell for UV Assisted Thermal Curing at Elevated Temperatures - HA047 

Online Close-Loop Monitors Four Cast Film Extruders During Production - OCS008 

Online Quality Control of Polymers & Extruded Films - OCS004 

Overview of Rheology-Based Process Challenges for the Mineral Processing Industries - Rheo014 

Pharma MiniLab - Small Scale Compounder for Pharmaceutical Research - LR53 

QC Measurements for Liquid Food Products and Packaging - Rheo051 

Rheological & Microstructural Analysis of a Model Rennet Casein Gel as Influenced by Cooling Rate - RF-200902-US-01 

Rheological Analysis of Powder Coatings - Paint & Resin Issue 3-2007 

Rheological Analysis of Powder Coatings - V157 

Rheological Behaviour of Automotive Paint Systems - Rheo008TP 

Rheological Characterisation of Asphalt Binders - V-225 

Rheological Characterisation of Tooth Paste - V142 

Rheological Characterisation of Tooth Paste - COSSMA Article 9/2007 

Rheological Investigation of Three Rubbers with Different Shore Factors with Respect to Their Shape Stability Before Curing - V169 

Rheological Methods for Determining Molecular Weight & Molecular Weight Distribution - V230 

Rheological Properties of Fresh Building Materials - V217 

Rheology as a Tool for Immiscible Polymer Blends Characterisation: Interfacial Tension & Compatibilisation - RS-110902-BR-01 

Slurry Rheology & Pipeline Transport Properties, an Overview - Rheo013 

Small Scale Catheter Production - LR58 

Solvent Trap & Double Cone System for Reproducible Results in Rheological Measurements of Low Viscous Volatile Fluids - V229 

Test Methods for Characterisation and Optimisation of Recycling Polymers - LR45 

The Influence of Thickeners on the Application Method of Automotive Coatings and Paper Coatings - Rheological Investigation - V206 

The Rheological Properties of a Copper Concentrate Slurry: From Surface Chemistry to Pipeline Transport - RF-300702-AU-01 

Thickening of Electrostatically Stabilised Latices by Ethyl Acrylate-Methacrylic Acid Copolymers with Various Molecular Weight - V026 

Uncompromising Eyes - OCS005 

Wet-Shotcrete of Refractory Castables - RS-290802-BR-02 

What Happens When Rheological Properties Change? Looking into Theological Properties with Simultaneous Collection of Microscopic Images - V228 

New Die Design for the Characterisation of the Extensional and Shear Properties of Polymers for Laboratory and On-Line Use - LR39 

A Collaborative Study of the Structure and Rheological Properties of EVOH/SMA Blends Produced by Reactive Extrusion - LR42 

Continuous On-Line Rheometry for Industrial Slurries - RF-200902-AU-01 

Rheological Properties of Bitumen Modified with Polyethylene and Polyethylene Based Blends - RF-190902-ES-01 




RHEO405



Name: .................................................................................................................................... Title: ........................................................................... 


Street: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 





Small Scale Compounders for Pharmaceutical Research - PRISM004 

Measuring Coatings - HA030 

Rheological Measurements in the Coatings Industries - The Last 60 Years - Rheo050 

Recent Developments in Bench-Top Twin-Screw Compounders - LR51 

Quality Control in the Polymer Industry. Introduction to Cutting Edge Technologies and Their Application in the Polymer Industry - Rheo023 

Rheology for the Rubber and Elastomer Industries. Introduction to the Influences of Rheological and Process Parameters and Methods for their 

Measurement - Rheo 024 

• Products 


NESLAB CC Series of Immersion Coolers NESLAB EX Series of Bath Circulators 

NESLAB HX Series of Process Chillers NESLAB RTE Series of Bath Circulators 

NESLAB ULT Series of Ultra Low Refrigerated Bath Circulators NESLAB ThermoFlex Series of Recirculating Chillers 

Temperature Control Range from NESLAB (please specify temperature range, application) ........................................................................................ 

Marimex ViscoScope In-Line Viscometer Marimex VA-330M In Line Slurry Sensor 

Marimex ViscoView Software for Process Viscometer Optical Control Systems CR7/CR8 Chill Roll and Winding System 

Optical Control Systems FSA100 Film Surface Analyser Optical Control Systems FSP600 Wide Web Inspection System 

Optical Control Systems GM1 Gloss Meter Optical Control Systems HM1 Haze Meter 

Optical Control Systems OP5 Online Rheometer Optical Control Systems PA-66 Pellet Analyser 

Optical Control Systems PS-200C Online Pellet Scan System Optical Control Systems PS-25C Pellet Scan System (Colour Camera) 

Optical Control Systems PSSD Pellet Size and Shape Distribution System Optical Control Systems PT-2C Powder Testing System 

Optical Control Systems ST4 Sample Testing Unit Optical Control Systems APLAIRS Online FT-IR Spectrometry 

Schleibinger BT2 Compact Rheometer Schleibinger Building and Construction Materials Testing Systems 

Schleibinger Shrinkage/Expansion Unit Schleibinger Viscomat NT Rotational Viscometer 

PRISM EuroLab 16mm Twin Screw Extruder PRISM Pharma TSG 

PRISM PharmaLab 16 Extruder Continuous Granulation for Pharmaceutical Industry 

PRISM Extruder Accessories PRISM Twin Screw Extruder Range (please specify application) 

Thermo CoolTech 320 Cooling Circulator ....................................................................................................... 

Thermo HeatTech 26L Heating Circulator HAAKE CaBER 1 Extensional Rheometer 

HAAKE Disposable Plate/Plate Geometry 

HAAKE MARS Modular R & D Rheometer 

HAAKE MARS Accessories 

HAAKE Falling Ball Viscometer Type C 

CD-Mode Curing Measurement (PS001-e) Cone/Plate Exchangeable Geometries (P005-e) 

Measuring Cell For Rheology of Building Materials (P006-e) New Solids Clamp (P004-e) 

Rheological Measurement with Optical Analysis (P016-e) RheoScope Module 




RHEO405



Name: .................................................................................................................................... Title: ........................................................................... 


Street: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 




• Products 


Sample Fixture for Bending & Breaking Tests (P014-e) Sample Loading Tool (P002-e) 

SPIP Image Analysis Software for RheoScope Module (P009-e) Standard Liquids (P015-e) 

Support Fixture for the Analysis of Textile Samples (P012-e) Trimming Tool (P003-e) 

UV Curing Tool for CTC Oven (P017-e) Tribology Cell (P023-e) 

Vane Rotors for Pressure Cells (P021-e) SER Extensional Rheology System (P019-e) 

Universal Holder (P018-e) CR-Mode - Low Shear Rates (PS002-e) 

UV Curing Cell (P022-e) HAAKE RheoStress RS6000 Universal Rheometer 

HAAKE RheoStress RS6000 Sensor Systems HAAKE RheoStress RS6000 Accessories 

UV Curing Cell (P022-e) Double Cone Geometry 

Universal Holder (P018-e) Vane Rotors for Pressure Cells (P021-e) 

Measuring Cell for Construction Materials(P006-e) Disposable Measuring Geometries (P010-e) 

Tribology Cell (P023-e) HAAKE RheoStress 1 Controlled Stress Rheometer 

HAAKE RheoWin Software HAAKE RotoVisco 1 Controlled Rate Viscometer 

HAAKE Viscotester 550 Rotational Viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 550 Sensor System 

HAAKE Viscotester VT1/VT2 Plus Hand Held Battery Operated Viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 6 Plus Rotational Viscometer 

HAAKE Viscotester 7 Plus Rotational Viscometer HAAKE Viscotester 7 Plus Accessories 

Thermal Printer (P011-e) Adapters (P020-e) 

Sensor System for Viscometer/Rheometer (please specify model) ............................................................................................................................ 

Temperature Control for Viscometers & Rheometers HAAKE DC10-K10 Refrigerated Circulator 

HAAKE C/DC Range of Circulators HAAKE DynaMax Viscometer Range Temperature Control Platform 

HAAKE EZ Cool 80 Heating/Cooling Circulator HAAKE Fogging Test Equipment 

HAAKE Phoenix Heating Circulator HAAKE Phoenix Refrigerated Bath 

HAAKE TC-Line Water Recirculators HAAKE Temperature Control Catalogue 

HAAKE MiniJet Injection Moulding Machine HAAKE Pharma MiniLab Micro Rheology Compounder 

HAAKE MiniJet II Piston Injection Moulding System / Sample specimen preparation instrument 

HAAKE MiniLab Micro Rheology Compounder & Reactor (20070712 - reference) 

HAAKE MiniLab II Micro/NanoLab Compounder for small sample amounts 

HAAKE PolyDrive Single Screw Extruder HAAKE PolyLab OS Torque Rheometer 

HAAKE PolyLab OS Docking Station HAAKE PolyLab OS Upgrade Package 

HAAKE PolyLab OS with Extruder HAAKE PolyLab OS with Mixer 

HAAKE PolyLab QC Torque Rheometer HAAKE PolyLab QC with Measuring Mixer Rheomix 600 

HAAKE PolyLab QC with Single Screw Extruder HAAKE PolyLab QC with Twin Screw Extruder CTW 100 

Food Industry Feature & Product Focus Comprehensive Materials Characterisation for Polymers 

Extrusion & Material Characterisation for Drug Development & Production Polymer Industry Feature & Product Focus 




RHEO405



Name: .................................................................................................................................... Title: ........................................................................... 


Street: .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 




• Services 

Calibration & Service. Please provide details on model of product and serial number: ................................................................................................ 

• Comments: 


.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 

Please remove me from future RheoTalk mailings Please add me to future RheoTalk mailings 




RHEO405

Download - Rheology Solutions

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?