Hello and welcome to this guest interview. Today I present
to you Mr. Paolo Negri founder and owner of
Isotattica. We have the chance to
learn about analysis on polymer flow behaviour with
innovative methods.
Enjoy the interview!
Tell
us about yourself, your current role, and about Isotattica.
Thank
you for having me on your blog. I am Paolo Negri founder and owner of
Isotattica.
I have
always worked in the fantastic world of polymers and I am driven by the passion
of offering innovative service with multidisciplinary approach.
My
Vision is to become a valuable reference for industrial rheology with
innovative methods to be used with concrete problem-solving purpose.
With
over 25 + years of transversal activities in the field of polymers, extrusion,
rheometry, we provide technical support to solve problems that arise during
processing phase of the materials, with strong focus on rheology as methodology
and “tool” to elucidate and optimize processes and equipment.
What
is the rheological investigation method and device you developed and what is
the practical usage of it?
Rheology
is concerned with measuring the stress in a material and relating it to its
deformation in the molten flow of the material.
Rheology
is still little known in the industrial field because it is considered complex,
of impractical implementation and does not bring practical results, vice versa
I want to propose a different way of utilization of it: if findings are
expressed in an understandable reading and applied in a pragmatic and concrete
way to industrial processes, rheology becomes a valid approach to understand
and resolve critical issues.
Understanding
the flow properties of polymers through tests directly on extrusion-connected
equipment can help optimize products and process conditions, thus saving costs and
minimizing potential waste.
My motto
is: Stop turning the knobs and apply hands-on rheology to troubleshoot and
design your materials and equipment!
Isotattica
offers analysis on flow behaviour with innovative methods: flow visualization
and rheometric measurement through flow-induce birefringence and elongational
experiments made with a filament stretching apparatus.
The
first approach is innovative (the optical cell is patent pending) and allows
flow visualization and mapping of stresses and deformation inside the geometry
of flow channels. Thanks to the so called “optical rule” is it possible to
sequence and calculate stresses and finally to determine viscosity in the melt
stream where elongational specifically takes place.
The
second approach, filament-stretching-method, is mainly used as complementary
test and allows assessment of the melt quality in extensional experiments.
I
invite readers to learn more on my website www.isotattica.com.
What
are some potential applications?
The
proposed methods of analysis are very sensitive: it is possible to replicate
industrial process condition and capture the details that explain the
difference in extrudability, for example due to the smallest of batch
fluctuation;
In
addition, it is possible to understand the contribution of elongational
deformation in “complex flow” and correlate structure-property-processing-performance.
Die
designers benefit from this because they can finally size the channels paths
and tooling’s based on the specific and well understood flow responses of the
materials and not based on generic data.
Where
can the readers find out more about you and the services of Isotattica?
Whatever
you would like to know about Isotattica including practical examples of
utilization of these analysis, you can visit our website www.isotattica.com or
simply mail or call me asking to provide specific details and offers.
With
the pandemic continuing, we are more enhancing on in-direct communication via
video conferences.
Who
do you turn to?
We
provide concrete and pragmatic support:
- To
those who need to design new materials / compounds and perform rheometric
characterizations for mapping and quantifying flow response, with emphasis in
the extensional field in the various channel’s geometries or in downstream
operation like blowing, cast film, profile extrusions, strand palettization,
injection molding and many others
- To
those who need to design and manufacture process equipment and layouts
(co-extrusion heads / dies, extruders, downstream equipment) for specific
industrial applications where knowledge of the shear characteristics but above
all in elongation are vital.
- Who
must study the extrusion process and its efficiency based on the rheological
response of the materials and their stability when changing extrusion settings.
- To
producers and converter of materials, or to deepen the intimate rheological
aspects that cannot be captured with conventional approaches and that can make
the difference.
- To
those who need material consultation, for proper material selection, design review,
feasibility study.
- To
those who want to acquire mastery in dealing with and solving problems and
improve business by distinguishing themselves from competitors.
That was the guest interview with Paolo Negri from
Isotattica – thank you Paolo for the interesting insights into the polymer rheology
world!
Thanks for reading!
Greetings and #findoutaboutplastics
Herwig Juster
#rheology #guestinterview #Isotattica
Interested to talk with me about your plastic selection and part design needs - here you can contact me
