Experiment § Application of Epoxy resin potting
Many parts are protected by resin encapsulation. If the competitor wants to remove it and pry into the secrets inside, they can soak it into the paint stripper to make the resin swell and peel off. However, this method is time-consuming, especially for formulations with good solvent resistance. Another method is to use a chisel to break the softened resin at high temperatures (Figure 1) However, if there is a need for damaging resin, there are countermeasures to prevent damage. The easiest way is to use a high Tg formula to keep the resin hard at high temperatures. This kind of resin has great stress with the aluminum shell during the process of thermal expansion and contraction, so it is prone to cracking and peeling (Figure 2). As long as we add toughening materials to increase the energy required for crack growth, the cracking phenomenon can be solved (Figure 3). As for the peeling between the resin and the aluminum shell, it can be solved by improving the adhesion of the resin to the aluminum shell or reducing the shrinkage of the resin. The former can be improved by considering the chemical structure or using primer, while the latter has to be achieved by adding a large amount of inorganic powder. Through the design of the formula, it is possible to find a combination of high Tg, crack resistance, and delamination prevention, which is equivalent to foreign resins (Figure 4). However, sometimes, having other requirements can make R&D more difficult. For instance, if we desire that the above formulation can have flame retardant properties, it is not easy, because flame retardants have a great influence on the crack resistance of resin.
─Author: Tung-Chiao, Yang
Activity § New project presentation
The Everwide R&D Department will hold a "New Project Presentation" every month. Each group will send 1 to 2 colleagues to report on the progress of the experiment, related results, new discoveries, etc. We ate simple lunch boxes, and the lunch break was particularly short, so as to remind everyone to cherish time: After a month, everyone should think about what progress they have made and what knowledge to share with colleagues. We have always felt that the cost of equipment and personnel training are the main problems, but the most difficult thing is actually communicating with each other and developing the wisdom of the group. Perhaps the 10-minute report content of colleagues on the stage can save others from having to spend days exploring. This is the spirit of the new project presentation.
Knowledge § When will the simulation experiment be done?
The products of some chemical reactions are not easy to analyze, so model reactions will be done. For example, after the composition of epoxy resin is cured, it is all part of the network structure, which is difficult to take out and analyze. Therefore, the monofunctional epoxy compound is used to conduct model reactions at this time. Since the product will not be cross-linked, the unknown substance can be separated and identified by column chromatography. The weather resistance of polymers is often conducted model reactions: the actual solarization may take several years, so we can use artificial light sources to simulate the aging reaction. When it is expensive to evaluate materials with real components, simple methods are also designed to simulate actual applications。 For instance, in the application of epoxy resin perfusion transformer, Washer test piece will be used to simulate. Furthermore, the model reaction needs to pay attention to whether it is the same as the actual reaction mechanism. Only after this matter is confirmed, it makes sense to use the model reaction to study the actual behavior.
Living § Backpacker in America -Yellowstone Tour
Yellowstone National Park in the United States is the first national park in the world. It is about a quarter of Taiwan's size, fulling of exotic landscapes and wild animals, and almost no internet and telecommunications signals. We often took a walk on the trail near the dormitory. At the other end of the trail was the magnificent Grand Canyon. On weekends, we carried our handwritten cardboards and our suitcases, and beckoned cars along the road in order to climb mountains and see beautiful scenery. Everything here was kept as primitive as possible. There was no light pollution at night, and the Milky Way and meteors were visible to the naked eye. The interesting thing was that there would be traffic jams on the road because of encountering bison herds, and elk had also been encountered when climbing mountains. Once on the trail, We met a mother bear with two baby bears. When they spotted us, they stared at us. Since we didn't have any weapons, we could only speed up our pace to retreat and escape quickly. It was a shocking and exciting experience. I am always surrounded by technology products. This time I could get rid of them and enjoy the quietness away from the world in the deep mountains, which gave me a brand new experience. After the trip to Yellowstone, I also went to several national parks on the West Bank. I admired the supernatural workmanship of nature, which was really amazing.
─Author: Ting-Yu, Chen
