Hot and Cold Vacuum Mounting of Samples

Embedding the sample in polymer or resin to give it a shape convenient for grinding, polishing and microscopy. The hot method — pressing at up to 160 °C with ±2 °C stability — is used for small, brittle and irregularly shaped samples.

Cold vacuum casting runs below 100 mbar. The vacuum draws gases out of the resin and out of the sample pores, leaving no voids, gaps or cavities — critical for porous materials and powder metallurgy products. More than 10 samples are cast per cycle.