Thermal analysis is used within polymer and electronics materials development to characterize new materials and verify the performance of existing ones. With a range of techniques to choose from, essential characteristics like glass transition, thermal expansion, and shrinkage, softening points and crystallization temperatures can be accurately and quickly determined before the material is used within its final application.
Therefore, thermal analysis instruments have become part of the materials development process for many companies involved in polymer technology. Hitachi’s range of thermal analyzers, including the TMA7100, DMA7100, NEXTA STA and NEXTA DSC, are designed with the sensitivity and accuracy needed for materials development, yet are reliable and easy to use for everyday production quality control.
Ningo Jujia, based in China, specialize in the development and production of liquid crystal polymer products (LCP). The LCP films they develop are used in demanding applications such as 5G mobile phones and aircraft. It is essential to determine fundamental characteristics of the LCP film; for example, will the film expand, contract, or otherwise deform over the typical internal temperatures and physical shocks a mobile phone is likely to encounter over many years of use.
“By using the TMA7100 we have significantly shortened our development cycle and delivered qualified products to our customers ahead of schedule.”
Of particular importance to a polymer film’s performance is the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and Jujia’s need to measure this characteristic was core to their materials development. Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is the technique that’s used for CTE measurements. After researching several TMA instruments, Jujia settled on Hitachi’s TMA7100 thermomechanical analyzer due to its accuracy and sensitivity thanks to ultra-low noise over a wide temperature range.
“The stable performance of Hitachi’s products and the professional service of the team made us choose their product. Prior to the introduction of Hitachi’s TMA7100 equipment, we did not have valid data to guide the development and improvement of CTE of LCP films. By using Hitachi’s equipment, we soon made a breakthrough in development and delivered qualified products to our customers.”
You can read the full case study, including examples of CTE results for different samples by clicking the link below.
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