The role of a Materials Testing Lab in Business Today
Chemicals and Materials testing enable us to better understand and quantify whether a specific material or treatment is suitable for a particular application. While a particular combination of elements or parts can seem perfect in a design, real world exterior pressure may render it inoperable. Chemical and materials testing can help narrow down the wide variety of materials and/or treatments in the marketplace until you have the best suited materials for the proposed application. The knowledge that testing gives to engineers and product developers can make those products stronger, safer, more attractive and durable.
The purpose of material testing is to provide the manufacturer, or related business, with as much information as possible. We are referring to data about the composition, strength and quality of the components, or ingredients, employed in the production of the product.
The business of manufacturers involves a large portion of innovation through research and development. With the level of financial and competitive pressure to beat the competition to the market, skipping steps to save time can be tempting, but risky. Skipping the third party materials testing for a product that goes to market with a faulty component or problematic material comes with a whole new set of hazards. The subsequent product failure can result in product recalls, steep fines and penalties, down time, additional costs, injuries and even loss of life. Think spontaneous combustion of smartphones, flaming hoverboards, downed aircraft and more.
Regulatory Standard Adherence Testing
Today, businesses are held liable for those losses. There are strict quality control and safety standards for most industries. It is a disconcerting thought to realize that many of the product failures could have been avoided with proper pre-production material testing.
Because product failure can sometimes result in dangerous situations, organizations such as the ASTM international standards, and the International Standards Organization have set best practices standards for business and the Consumer Product safety commission (CPSC) holds businesses accountable when consumers are injured.
The Information Bridge
Everyday consumers are reading reviews and labels, reading up on manufacturers and making product choices. Materials testing forms the bridge between product reliability and the components that go into the manufacture of those products. And materials testing firms like NSL Analytical Services are serious about providing reliable results, each time on everything from the composition of a medical device to the flammability of fabric and other materials. From composites to glass, from subtractive to additive manufacturing materials, materials testing informs businesses whether the core materials of a product can perform to specification. It can also guide businesses to a different formula component or method of construction where appropriate. Material testing can influence everything in a product from the selection of materials, the product design, regulatory compliance to the verification of production. The world of chemical and materials testing is a large one, and it enables manufacturers and those using the parts they produce to provide safer products to consumers around the world.
In business since 1945, NSL Analytical Services is an ISO/IEC 17025 and Nadcap certified Independent Testing Laboratory providing reliable and cost-effective materials testing to customers throughout the United States and around the world.