Above:
A. SEM micrograph of a surface defect.
B. SEM micrograph of fiber bundle ends indicate the number & size of fibers.
C. SEM micrograph of a glass fiber and mineral filler residue after pyrolysis.
D. SEM micrograph of a woven fiber medical product.
Work We've Done
Failure Analysis (Contamination Analysis)
A client provided an injected molded part exhibiting highly visible defects. SEM was used to image a defect on the surface of the part and identify the source of the defect as a contaminant by its elemental composition (determined by EDS).
Polymer Compound Analysis:
A client was interested in characterizing the filler content and type of a molded part being supplied to them from a secondary source. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was conducted on the part to quantify the level of carbon black and inorganic filler. The inorganic filler residue was then imaged and characterized by SEM-EDS in order to identify the filler type as clay.
Competitor Product Analysis
A client was interested in determining the number of layers and weave pattern in a competitor’s medical fabric. In this study both the fabric surface and a specially prepared cross-section of the fabric were imaged by SEM. The number of layers and their relative dimensions in the construction were identified. The surface images provided measures of the fiber diameters and the weave pattern.
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