Metallographic Specimen Mounting Device Suitable for Industrial or Educational Purposes

This work presents a compact, easy-to-manufacture, low-cost, and friendly mechanism capable of producing samples encapsulated in a polymeric material of the same quality as those obtained from commercial equipment. The device is easy to manufacture, has efficient maintenance, is low-cost, and can also be used in any commercially available hydraulic press. It was designed considering factors such as the requirements of the system, the geometry of the sample, and the dissipation of heat. The House of Quality (HoQ), a key tool within the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology, was utilized in the design of a this device to ensure it met both customer needs and technical requirements effectively. The HoQ matrix was then used to ensure that the operation of the device was safe, which included a prioritized list of customer requirements, their relative importance, and their correlation with technical specifications, as well as benchmarks comparing the device’s performance against competitors. It affirms that the designed devices are capable of mounting a metallography specimen, allowing easy handling and conditioning of the surface of interest. It also adapts to any commercial hydraulic press, making it a versatile and accessible solution.