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Quantitative in-use pressure measurements were taken from packaging ceramic substrates with the SoftMountSM technology and two more traditional technologies, stuffing and tourniquet. Each technology was assessed using four separate mat materials. Mat selection enhanced the application of the SoftMountSM technology through the reduced pressures applied to the substrate during packaging. High temperature and low temperature thermal cycling studies were performed on the canned converters for the three packaging technologies so that an evaluation could be made of converter durability. The SoftMountSM packaging technology yielded the lowest pressures of all the processes studied, regardless of mat type. The laminar hybrid mat evaluated yielded the best combination of pressure and durability performance. Low temperature residual shear strengths following thermal cycling of the converters showed good correlation between the SoftMountSM technology and the stuffing method.

Application of new ultra-thinwall ceramic substrate technology to many new vehicle exhaust emission applications has lead to an interest in better understanding the pressures to which substrates are exposed during packaging operations. A recently identified thin film load cell technology has permitted a more analytical evaluation of pressure distributions that develop during ceramic substrate packaging. The optimum configuration of this technique for studying canning operations will be investigated as part of the study. In addition to identifying the characteristic pressure distributions created during canning processes, the impact of various process parameters on this distribution was also investigated.