LECO Cold Mounting Castable Mounts for Metallographic Sample Preparation

Cold mounting—also known as castable mounting—is a metallographic sample preparation technique that uses liquid mounting media to fully encase a specimen. Common mounting materials include polyester, acrylic, and epoxy resins. After the sample is positioned in a mold, a catalyst is added to initiate curing and hardening of the mounting compound.

This mounting approach is especially suitable for laboratories with lower throughput but a high diversity of samples. Cold mounting is often the preferred—or required—method for porous, brittle, irregularly shaped, or heat-sensitive specimens that cannot withstand the temperature and pressure of hot mounting. Once cured, the mounted samples are easier to handle during grinding, polishing, and analysis, while preserving edge integrity and microstructural features.

LECO: Cold Mounting Castable Mounts for Metallographic Sample Preparation

Cold Mounting Media Options

We offer a complete range of cold mounting materials to support different laboratory needs and sample types:

• Polyester Resins
  Polyesters are an economical solution for laboratories processing lower sample volumes and where edge retention is not a primary concern. They allow for fast and straightforward mounting and are well suited for routine applications requiring quick turnaround.
• Acrylic Resins
  Acrylics cure faster than most other castable mounting materials and offer good abrasion resistance with fair edge retention. They are commonly used when multiple mounts are required and hot mounting is impractical. When used with a pressure chamber, such as the LECOMAT Pressure Vessel, acrylics can produce semi-clear mounts.
• Epoxy Resins
  Epoxies provide hard, chemically resistant, and abrasion-resistant mounts with excellent edge retention. Although they generally require longer curing times, they offer superior flow characteristics and minimal shrinkage. Long-cure epoxies are ideal for challenging samples and can be vacuum-impregnated to remove trapped air and fill internal voids. Quick-cure epoxy formulations are also available, curing in less than one hour.

Available Products (Models)

• Castolite – Polyester
• LECOSET 7000 – Polyester
• LECOSET 7008 – Acrylic
• Quick-Cure Epoxies
• Long-Cure Epoxies

Accessories and Options

• Ring molds
• Silicone rubber molds
• Mold cups
• General mounting supplies
• LECOMAT Pressure Vessel for pressure impregnation and improved clarity