Cold Mounting in Metallography: An Overview

Cold mounting—also known as castable mounting—is a technique used in metallography to encase specimens in a liquid mounting medium. This method is especially well-suited for laboratories with lower throughput but high sample volume, and is essential when working with porous, brittle, or heat-sensitive materials.

Cold mounting involves pouring a liquid resin—typically epoxy, polyester, or acrylic—over the sample. A catalyst is then added to initiate curing, resulting in a hardened mount that preserves the sample’s integrity and makes it easier to handle during further preparation and analysis.

Types of Cold Mounting Media

We offer a complete range of mounting materials to meet diverse laboratory requirements:

Polyester Resins

• Cost-effective and ideal for labs with lower sample volume

• Best suited for applications with less critical edge retention requirements

• Offers quick and simple mounting for general use

Acrylic Resins

• Known for fast curing times, making them ideal for quick turnaround

• Provide good abrasion resistance and moderate edge retention

• Well-suited for creating multiple mounts when hot mounting isn’t feasible

• When used with a pressure chamber like the LECOMAT Pressure Vessel, they produce semi-clear mounts

Epoxy Resins

• Deliver the hardest, most chemically and abrasion-resistant mounts

• Offer superior flow and minimal shrinkage, making them ideal for intricate or delicate specimens

• Preferred for mounting challenging samples, especially in vacuum environments where air removal and void filling are critical

• Available in long-cure and quick-cure formulations (some setting in under an hour)

Whether you’re working with fragile specimens or need high-performance mounts for critical analysis, our range of cold mounting resins offers the flexibility and performance your lab needs. Let us help you choose the best material for your specific application.