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Copper - Metallographic Sample Preparation

Copper - Metallographic Sample Preparation

Copper can be prepared for metallographic analysis easily using OnPoint Abrasives' consumable supplies and procedures. Below is a guide for preparing copper samples containing >95% Cu.

Sectioning: Section specimen with TitanSec abrasive blade or multi-purpose diamond blade.

Mounting: Compression mount specimen using PhenoMount phenolic powder. Phenolic mounting compounds are available in black, green, and red color. For samples that require castable mounting, we recommend using EpoPro liquid epoxy system.

Grinding and Polishing: In this section, we've provided two methods for preparing your copper specimen for analysis, Traditional Method and Advanced Method.

The Traditional Method uses a series of Silicon Carbide grinding papers to first planarize and grind the surface to around 3-5 micron (1200 grit), before moving to polishing steps using suspensions and cloths. This method is effective for general purpose metallography, although it can introduce some relief, or rounding of the specimen's edge.

 TRADITIONAL METHOD FOR PREPARING COPPER FOR METALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Step Abrasive Surface Lube Load/Sample RPM Time
1 240 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 5 lbs 200 Planar
2 320 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 5 lbs 200 1:00
3 400 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 4 lbs 200 1:00
4 600 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 4 lbs 200 1:00
5 800 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 4 lbs 200 1:00
6 1200 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 4 lbs 200 1:00
7 1µm Alumina UltraViolet Cloth Lubricant/Extender 4 lbs 150 2:00
8*

0.05µm Alumina

0.05µm ProPrep Colloidal Silica

 FinalFloc Cloth - 4 lbs 150 2:00

*For the final step, alternate between the alumina and ProPrep colloidal silica at 20 second intervals. Finish with a large dose of alumina when 0:30 seconds remain. 

Note: Clean specimen by gently scrubbing the surface with a cotton ball under running water. Repeat until all alumina is removed. Use of an ultrasonic cleaner is highly recommended for samples with high porosity content or intricate geometries.

Our Advanced Method uses one or two steps of SiC grinding paper to initially planarize the mounted specimen. This is followed by a series of "loose" abrasive polishing steps that utilize diamond and alumina suspensions along with polishing cloths. The less aggressive nature of this method preserves the specimen's edge and produces ultra-flat results. This can be critical for analysis such as coating thickness measurements or samples that are examined near the specimen's edge. It is viewed by many that the "advanced" methods of preparation offer superior results and higher consistency when compared to traditional methods.

 ADVANCED METHOD FOR PREPARING COPPER FOR METALLOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Step # Abrasive Surface Lube Load/Sample
 RPM Time
1 180 or 240 Grit CarbiPro SIC Water 5 lbs 200 Planar
2 320 Grit CarbiPro SiC Water 5 lbs 200 2:00
3 9µm Diamond MasterPlan Cloth Lubricant/Extender
 4 lbs 150 5:00
4 3µm Alumina UltraViolet Cloth Lubricant/Extender 4 lbs 150 3:00
5*

0.05µm Alumina

0.05µm ProPrep Colloidal Silica

 FinalFloc Cloth - 4 lbs 150 2:00

 *For the final step, alternate between the alumina and ProPrep colloidal silica at 20 second intervals. Finish with a large dose of alumina when 0:30 seconds remain. 

Note: Clean specimen by gently scrubbing the surface with a cotton ball under running water. Repeat until all alumina is removed. Use of an ultrasonic cleaner is highly recommended for samples with high porosity content or intricate geometries.

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ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with PSA Backing 10in
$120.00 - $120.00
$120.00
$120.00 - $120.00
$120.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 10in (254mm), PSA

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$120.00 - $120.00
$120.00
$120.00 - $120.00
$120.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with Rubber Magnetic Backing 12in
$170.00 - $170.00
$170.00
$170.00 - $170.00
$170.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 12in (305mm), Magnetic Rubber Back

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$170.00 - $170.00
$170.00
$170.00 - $170.00
$170.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with Rubber Magnetic Backing 12in
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 12in (305mm), Magnetic Steel Back

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with PSA Backing 12in
$150.00 - $150.00
$150.00
$150.00 - $150.00
$150.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 12in (305mm), PSA

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$150.00 - $150.00
$150.00
$150.00 - $150.00
$150.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with PSA Backing 12in
$95.00 - $95.00
$95.00
$95.00 - $95.00
$95.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 8in (203mm), Magnetic Rubber Back

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$95.00 - $95.00
$95.00
$95.00 - $95.00
$95.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
ChemPro Polishing Cloth with PSA Backing 12in
$140.00 - $140.00
$140.00
$140.00 - $140.00
$140.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 8in (203mm), Magnetic Steel Back

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$140.00 - $140.00
$140.00
$140.00 - $140.00
$140.00
ChemPro Polishing Cloth
$75.00 - $75.00
$75.00
$75.00 - $75.00
$75.00

ChemPro Polishing Cloth, 8in (203mm), PSA

ChemPro is a dense, porous, non-woven cloth designed for high-performance materials preparation. With its fine, porous polyurethane surface, ChemPr...

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$75.00 - $75.00
$75.00
$75.00 - $75.00
$75.00
1 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice Diamond Suspension, 1 micron, 1 Gallon, High Viscosity

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates on a wide range of materials. Use in combinati...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
1 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice Diamond Suspension, 1 micron, 1 Gallon, Low Viscosity

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates on a wide range of materials. Use in combinat...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
1 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Choice Diamond Suspension, 1 micron, 16oz, High Viscosity

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates on a wide range of materials. Use in combinat...

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$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
monocrystalline diamond suspension
monocrystalline diamond suspension
$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$24.00 - $220.00
$24.00 - $220.00
$24.00

Diabrasive Choice Monocrystalline Diamond Suspension - ALL SIZES

Diabrasive Choice Monocrystalline Diamond Suspensions are an excellent solution for polishing of your metallographic specimens. Water soluble for e...

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$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$24.00 - $220.00
$24.00 - $220.00
$24.00
3 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 3µm, 1 Gal, HV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in ...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
3 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 3µm, 1 Gal, LV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in ...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
3 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 3µm, 16oz, HV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
3 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 3µm, 16oz, LV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
9 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 9µm, 1 Gal, HV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
9 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 9µm, 1 Gal, LV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
$220.00 - $220.00
$220.00
9 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 9µm, 16oz, HV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

View full details
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
9 micron monocrystalline diamond suspension
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Choice, Mono, 9µm, 16oz, LV

Diabrasive Choice is a Monocrystalline diamond suspension that provides good material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
1 micron polycrystalline diamond suspension
polycrystalline diamond suspensions
$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$40.00 - $395.00
$40.00 - $395.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Premium Polycrystalline Diamond Suspension - All Variants

Diabrasive Premium Polycrystalline Diamond Suspensions are the ultimate solution for polishing of your metallographic specimens. Water soluble for ...

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$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$40.00 - $395.00
$40.00 - $395.00
$40.00
1 micron polycrystalline diamond suspension diabrasive metadi DP-Suspension
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00

Diabrasive Premium, Poly, 1 micron, 1 Gal (3.78L), High Viscosity

Diabrasive Premium is a Polycrystalline diamond suspension that provides high material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in c...

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$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
1 micron polycrystalline diamond suspension diabrasive metadi DP-Suspension
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00

Diabrasive Premium, Poly, 1 micron, 1 Gal (3.78L), Low Viscosity

Diabrasive Premium is a Polycrystalline diamond suspension that provides high material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in ...

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$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
$395.00 - $395.00
$395.00
1 micron polycrystalline diamond suspension diabrasive metadi DP-Suspension
$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$79.00
$79.00 - $79.00
$79.00

Diabrasive Premium, Poly, 1 micron, 16oz (473ml), High Viscosity

Diabrasive Premium is a Polycrystalline diamond suspension that provides high material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in ...

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$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$79.00
$79.00 - $79.00
$79.00
1 micron polycrystalline diamond suspension diabrasive metadi DP-Suspension
$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

Diabrasive Premium, Poly, 1 micron, 8oz (237ml), High Viscosity

Diabrasive Premium is a Polycrystalline diamond suspension that provides high material removal rates with minimal subsurface deformation.  Use in ...

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$0.00 - $0.00
$0.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00