Resin

Resins are formulated systems with highly dynamic behaviors, often multiphasic, reactive and unstableWhether they are thermosetting, thermoplastic, UV-reactive or hybrid, their transformation involves coupled physical and chemical phenomena which determine both their processability and their final functional performance.

At RHEONIS, we intervene on the analysis, characterization, understanding and control of these complex behaviors, by integrating the cross-effects of mechanical, thermal, chemical, surface, time and environmental stresses.

Our missions: characterize, understand, control and make reliable

We support your R&D, process, industrialization or quality teams in resolving complex issues such as:

• Implementation defects : changing viscosity, poor wetting, bubbling, threading, irregular flow, etc.
• Crosslinking or polymerization instabilities : thermal sensitivity, variable kinetics, poor homogeneity, etc.
• Membership or compatibility issues with varied substrates
• Final performance uncertainties : mechanical, thermal, chemical resistance, premature aging, etc.

Supported Resin Types

We intervene on a wide range of resin families, raw or formulated, in liquid, pasty or preformed solid phase:

Thermosetting resins:

• Epoxy, two-component polyurethanes, unsaturated polyesters, vinylesters, aminoplasts, phenolics
• Used in gluing, potting, coating, composite, casting, injection, coating, etc.

Reactive thermoplastic resins:

• PA, PBT, PC, PEBA, PVDF, etc., in liquid or molten form
• Studies during critical phases of molding, extrusion, reforming, injection, bonding

UV/EB/Radiation Curable Resins:

• Acrylics, urethane-acrylates, siloxane-acrylate hybrids, etc.
• Monitoring of behavior in liquid phase and under irradiation

Solvent-based, water-soluble, or emulsion resins:

• Vinyl adhesives, latex, polyurethane dispersions, alkyds, modified silicones, etc.
• Coupled evaporation/crosslinking/adhesion analysis

Hybrid or complex systems:

• Resins with mineral or organic fillers, multi-component systems, composites, prepolymers, mastics, technical varnishes, etc.

Our specific services

Advanced physico-functional characterization

We measure the key properties of resins according to their state (liquid, paste, gel, solid), their evolution over time, or under stress:

• Rheology : dynamic viscosity, lifetime, gel point, thixotropy, pseudoplasticity
• Thermal : behavior under temperature ramp, Tg, exothermicity, vitrification
• Mechanics : elasticity, creep, rupture, toughness (after hardening)
• Tribology / membership : wetting energy, wettability, friction, substrate compatibility
• Physical chemistry : evolution of polymerization (IR, functional monitoring), conversion rate, sensitivity to humidity or oxygen

Objective: to produce usable data for formulation, process adjustments, or quality control.

Development of specific test protocols

We design custom-made experimental devices, allowing you to reproduce your industrial implementation contexts:

• Injection, dosing, application, bonding, spreading, crosslinking, polymerization
• Studies in closed, humid, heated, IR/UV environments, on various substrates (metals, plastics, wood, glass, etc.)
• Tracking coupled physical and chemical transitions, in real time or delayed

Objective: to observe critical behaviors under relevant conditions, and understand their origin.

Diagnosis of malfunction or instability

We intervene in the event of:

• Crosslinking failure (kinetics too slow or too fast, incomplete polymerization)
• Inter-batch variability or instabilities linked to the environment (humidity, temperature, mixture, etc.)
• Adhesion problems, bubbling, peeling, blistering, shrinkage, cracking
• Premature aging or insufficient mechanical strength

Objective: to identify the precise physical or physicochemical causes and propose concrete and sustainable courses of action.

R&D and industrialization support

• Selection or adjustment of formulations for a target behavior (viscosity, lifetime, thermal resistance, etc.)
• Evaluation of process robustness in the face of variations in materials, conditions, time, etc.
• Support for scaling up or change of site
• Qualification of suppliers or raw materials

Objective: secure your developments, reduce trial and error, and make production ramp-up more reliable.

Our methodological specificities

Multi-physical and phenomenological approach

We integrate all the determining phenomena in the behavior of resins:

• Phase transitions (gelling, vitrification, fusion, etc.)
• Structural changes (polymer networks, crystallinity, interfaces, etc.)
• Couplings meanwhile, temperature, constraint, environment

Flexible and configurable experimental means

Our tools are configured to allow:

• Tracking in situ developments (e.g.: polymerization under UV, under stress, in a dry or humid atmosphere, etc.)
• Possibility of testing on small volumes, sensitive or multi-component systems
• Development of specific assemblies to your real use cases

Interface with the formulation, process and quality control professions

We build our analyses for interact with all levels of the technical organization (formulators, methods, production, quality managers), by providing readable, reproducible and usable criteria.

Some case studies

• Accelerated formulation of an epoxy resin for application in extreme environments
• Optimization of UV exposure conditions of a glue resin for industrialization
• Optimization of industrial crosslinking parameters
• Quantification of kinetics and mechanical and rheological parameters in the setting of thermoplastic and thermosetting resin

Would you like to discuss your issues directly with our specialists? Do not hesitate to leave us a message, we will respond within 48 hours maximum.