4.12 Attaching the polishing foil onto the carrier
There are two different types of carrier available. One steel carrier which is useful for
the diamond foils used for hard and brittle material. Using this carrier the so called
“edge rounding” is almost avoided but the durability to the foil is less than with the
other carrier which is equipped with a rubber layer and recommended for use with
aluminium oxide foils.
Before attaching the foil, clean the carrier with ethanol to make sure no particles are
on the surface which could influence the polishing result.
The polishing foils have an adhesive film which is covered by a transparent foil.
Remove this foil with the finger nail or razor blade. Place the polishing foil on a finger
tip and avoid touching the adhesive film. Centre the polishing foil to the carrier and
press it onto the carrier starting at the rim to avoid air bubbles between foil and
carrier.
Recommended scope of the polishing foils:
Diamond polishing foils
are suitable for hard and brittle materials like:
glass, ceramic, chilled cast iron, carbide, silicon, sapphire.
Aluminium oxide foils are suitable for materials like:
aluminium, brass, copper, titanium, mild steel, tool steel, high-grade steel,
nickel and some hard polymers.
For hard and soft material (e.g. gold wire bonding on Si) the use of SiC foils on
steel carrier subsequent a diamond past applied on the neoprene cloth is
recommended.
Page 15 Operating Manual Leica EM TXP 10/10
