Then they are mixed thoroughly and poured over the sample. Three types of cold mounting resins are available. Epoxy Epoxies have the lowest shrinkage of all cold mounting resins. The curing time is relatively long, but the adhesion to most materials is excellent. They are also used for vacuum impregnation.
Epoxy resins polymerize through a chemical reaction after being mixed in the correct proportions.
The hardened epoxy is duroplastic, and not affected by moderate heat or chemicals. They consist of self-polymerizing components which harden upon the addition of a catalyst. Hardened acrylic is thermoplastic and chemically resistant. Polyester Polyesters belong to the catalyzed system, like acrylics. Curing times are relatively short and the hardened sample is duroplastic.