This 4.5-hour workshop provides a practical introduction to the rheology of polymer melts and solutions, emphasizing concepts that directly support plastics processing and product development. The content is organized into three 1.5-hour sessions that build from fundamentals to applications. In Session 1, participants are introduced to linear viscoelasticity, key rheological functions including storage and loss moduli, complex viscosity and relaxation modulus, and how they are measured in oscillatory and transient experiments. Session 2 focuses on classical viscoelastic models (Maxwell, Kelvin-Voigt, generalized Maxwell, Burgers) as intuitive tools to describe polymer relaxation behavior and relate it to molecular architecture and morphology. Session 3 is devoted to time-temperature superposition (TTS): how to construct master curves, when to use WLF vs. Arrhenius equations, and how to use TTS to predict long-term creep and stress relaxation or translate lab data to processing conditions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Define and interpret key rheological quantities for polymers: G′, G″, η*, tan δ, and G(t).
2. Use simple viscoelastic models (Maxwell, Kelvin-Voigt, generalized Maxwell, Burgers) to rationalize polymer relaxation and creep behavior.
3. Construct and interpret time-temperature superposition master curves and select appropriate shift models.
4. Relate rheological “fingerprints” (plateau modulus, terminal region, crossover frequency, relaxation spectrum) to molecular structure and morphology.
5. Connect rheological behavior to processing-relevant properties such as melt strength, sag, dimensional stability, and long-term creep or stress relaxation in service.

Design engineers who need to predict the long-term creep and stress-relaxation behavior of plastic parts in demanding applications.
Failure analysis specialists who use rheological tools to evaluate the performance and failure mechanisms of plastic components.
Materials scientists and product development engineers who must relate viscoelastic properties to molecular architecture, formulation, and overall material performance.
R&D specialists seeking to understand polymer relaxation behavior, long-term performance, and structure–property relationships.
Technical service and application engineers who evaluate rheological “fingerprints” to diagnose material behavior or support product recommendations.
Laboratory and characterization personnel who conduct oscillatory or transient rheology and want a deeper foundation in linear viscoelasticity, classical viscoelastic models, and time–temperature superposition.
Graduate students or early-career professionals looking for a practical, application-oriented introduction to polymer viscoelasticity.

Do you need to understand how a polymer’s elastic and viscous responses—captured through G′, G″, η*, tan δ, and G(t)—translate into real product performance?

• Are you responsible for predicting the long-term behavior of plastic parts in demanding applications?
• Do you want to use rheology not just as a measurement technique, but as an engineering tool to understand molecular structure, formulation strategies, and performance limits?
• Are you looking for a clear, practical approach to building and interpreting time–temperature superposition (TTS) master curves that extend laboratory results into months or years of predicted behavior?
• Do you struggle to connect rheological fingerprints to molecular architecture, morphology, and product consistency?
• Are you involved in product design or failure analysis and need to use viscoelastic data to explain creep, relaxation or instability?

If these questions reflect your daily challenges, this workshop is for you.

Key Questions You’ll Be Able to Answer
What do G′ and G″ really indicate about stiffness, polymer mobility, damping, and elastic recovery?
How does the relaxation modulus G(t) describe time-dependent deformation, and how is it used to understand creep and stress relaxation in service?
Which viscoelastic models (Maxwell, Kelvin–Voigt, generalized Maxwell, Burgers) best represent your material’s relaxation mechanisms?
How do you build TTS master curves, and when should you use WLF or Arrhenius equations to shift data?
How can TTS transform short tests into long-term performance predictions?

Why This Workshop Matters
Modern polymer applications increasingly demand predictable long-term behavior, especially in sectors where dimensional stability, creep resistance, and controlled relaxation are critical. Traditional mechanical tests alone cannot capture the time- and temperature-dependent processes that govern real-world performance.

Rheology provides a unified framework to:

• analyze elastic and viscous responses,
• interpret relaxation mechanisms,
• build master curves,
• connect behavior to molecular structure,
• and reliably predict long-term deformation.

By balancing fundamental understanding with practical application, this workshop equips you to use rheology as a powerful engineering tool—supporting material selection, product design, qualification, and failure analysis.

If you want to confidently evaluate and predict how your plastic part will behave from seconds to years, this workshop is your next step.