Experiment § Resin for powder molding
The production process of powder molding is as follows: Mix the solid epoxy resin, curing agent, and magnetic powder (Figure 1) uniformly in the solvent, and then bake or dry to remove the solvent. This product is a black mass of solid, the resin and curing agent did not react, they just wet the powder and stick the powder together. Then use a pulverizer to crush this mixture and sieve to obtain a powder of a specific size, and then press these powders into cylindrical molding materials for use (Figure 2). Usually, these molding materials are stored at a low temperature to prevent the resin and curing agent from reacting, and they are only placed at room temperature before production. These molding materials are placed in the molding machine during production. Because the resin will melt in a high-temperature environment, the molding materials can be mechanically pressed into the mold, followed by a curing reaction, and finally, the finished product of the magnetic component is obtained after demolding (Figure3). The application of resin in this area has many challenges to overcome. First of all, the amount of resin must not only be small but also be able to wet the powder (Only the less the resin, the more the magnetic powder, the better the function of the magnetic components, the weight ratio of the two is 5 to 95). Secondly, only if the softening point of the resin is high, the pressed cylinder will not be sticky, and it must have good fluidity at high temperatures, and it can be cured quickly after entering the mold. Finally, after curing, there must be qualified strength and no chipping will occur in the subsequent processing. In fact, things that seem simple are not simple, right?
—Author: Mr. Xu-Bo, Liye
Activity § Obtained IATF16949 certification and final shipment
We got good news at the end of the year. Everwide Chemical officially transferred from ISO/TS16949 to IATF16949 (International Automotive Task Force) and this new is a great encouragement to the quality control department. Looking back on the past two years, we have been constantly participating in education and training, understanding the direction of the recession, actively conducting group discussions, and asking consultants to guide various projects. During the transference, we have also strengthened the risk management of the organization and products, as well as supplier management and corporate social responsibility. After the first external audit, we improved the shortenings and finally obtained the transfer certificate. We have spent a lot of energy participating in the application of the automotive industry, and we will continue to work hard in the future. In addition to this news, we have another new, because the Spring Festival is approaching. The last shipping date of Everwide is February 15th and February 20th are New Year’s holidays and return to normal work after February 20th. Because of the Spring Festival holiday, Everwide’s newsletter for one week, and the next issue is on February 26th. We hope you can continue to support Everwide’s Newsletter and wish you all a good year in the new year!
Knowledge § Reaction principle of coupling agent
Many applications will involve both inorganic interfaces and organic interfaces. Some additives(Such as resin or plastic) are placed in the organic composition to help the organic ingredients wet the inorganic surface(Such as to adhere to or filler). This additive does not produce chemical bonds between the inorganic and organic interfaces, so it cannot improve the strength of the interface and this additive is called a wetting agent or dispersing agent. The coupling agent is mainly designed to promote the bonding between the inorganic interface and the organic interface and improve the strength of the interface. The working principle of the coupling agent is to use the coupling agent to have a part of the structure in the same molecule that can react with the inorganic surface, and the other part of the structure can react with organic composition, which is like a bridge between two interfaces to reach its purpose. Such bonding can not only increase the strength of the adhesion but also delay the decline rate of the adhesion strength in the detection of high-temperature and high-humidity environments and it is a common component of adhesion.
Living § The evolution of R&D education and training
Everwide Chemical seems to be a company like a school so we place great emphasis on class. Around 2005, classes were held on Wednesdays and senior colleagues served as lecturers to teach us the basic knowledge about resin formulation. Since 2010, this part of the course has been video-recorded and turned into a textbook for new colleagues. New colleagues not only have paper textbooks to watch but also DVDs to watch, but we only need to add knowledge after class. A foreign business friend asked me: “Why bother to cultivate R&D and why not find a shortcut?” Then I passed the R&D exam questions to him, and he wrote back to me: “I can’t understand at all and I know why you did that.” Each company can only meet its own needs by training its own R&D. Since 2012, the company has held 30 classes every year. Colleagues will take turns to teach the content of foreign training courses to others, and the open book will be issued immediately after class. The satisfaction survey on the back of the test papers. Many visitors will be curious to ask: “What will happen if the test fails? Will the salary be dedicated?” The answer is“No”. We believe that everyone has a strong thirst for knowledge and will not just sit there and waste time. The training was originally intended to let colleagues only need to “Knowing what”. In recent years, “Knowing who and knowing what” is more important and it is the new focus of the class.
—Author: Dr. Ming-Yu, Li
