Material Testing Services

Material testing services test, analyze, and certify a wide range of materials for purity, chemical compatibility, and environmental impact. Tested products include adhesives and sealants, ceramics and glass, concrete and mortar, chemicals and coatings, composite materials, fuel cells, metals, nanomaterials, paper, petroleum, plastic, polymers, powders, rubber, soil, textiles, water, welds and joints. Test media and services are the most important specifications to consider when searching for providers of material testing services. Available services include ash testing, chemical extraction, chromatography, combustion, deformulation or reverse engineering, diffraction, environmental testing, failure analysis, geotechnical services, plastic emission spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, microscopy, metallography, non-destructive testing, property testing, rheology, scanning electron microscopy, standards testing or certification, thermal analysis, wet chemical analysis, and X-ray fluorescence. Some material testing services test materials used in aerospace, automotive, marine, medical, military, pharmaceutical, or packaging applications. Other test chemicals are used in electronic devices, semiconductors, or integrated circuits (ICs). 

Selecting material testing services requires an analysis of testing methods. Ash testing quantifies fillers and inorganic pigments. Chemical extraction removes elements through a reaction with a solution. Chemical analysis with inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy (ICP) excites atoms for atomic emission spectroscopy and ionizes atoms for mass spectrometry. Combustion is an exothermic chemical reaction due to rapid oxidation. Diffraction evaluates crystal structure, grain size, texture and/or residual stress. Environmental testing subjects media to conditions such as temperature and humidity. Failure analysis determines how and why materials fail. Geotechnical services apply the science of soil mechanics, rock mechanics, engineering geology and other related disciplines to engineering and environmental projects. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy measures the wavelength and absorption intensity of infrared light. Microscopy uses instruments such as optical and electron microscopes to study the structure and composition of materials. Non-destructive testing (NDT) examines materials without impairing their future usefulness. Property testing measures electrical, thermal, mechanical, or chemical characteristics. Rheology analyzes fluids based on viscosity and elastic response. Thermal analysis includes calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic thermal analysis (DTA). Other testing methods include chromatography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wet chemical analysis, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. 

Material testing services are located across the United States and around the world. Some companies test or certify materials according to U.S. military specifications (MIL-SPEC) or standards from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), or the American Welding Society (AWS). Other companies test or certify materials according to requirements from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Facility accreditations and assessments ensure that material testing services meet requirements from organizations such as the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) and the International Standards Organization (ISO). Facility accreditations also include National Aerospace and Defense Contractor (NADCAP) requirements, the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), and Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) certification.