Element Materials Technology announces a substantial investment in its materials testing facility based in Newtown, PA, with the site receiving new equipment, including a metallograph and a state-of-the-art automated dimensional inspection device.
The new testing technology provides the laboratory, a Nadcap-accredited provider of non-destructive testing services nationwide, with the ability to deliver an unprecedented level of service to clients and significantly increases its capabilities.
Newtown is the first Element facility to receive the new automated dimensional inspection equipment. The device can scan 99 percent of an object such as a nut, bolt, screw or rivet within three seconds, before automatically uploading dimensional figures into a file for trends analysis. Replacing a manual system of reporting, this technology means that Element Newtown will be able to offer clients incredibly quick and highly accurate certification. It also allows technicians to offer three levels of fastener inspection to clients for the first time, across systems 21, 22 and 23, with the ability to verify components at the maximum material limit.
The metallograph, an Axio Vert.A1 manufactured by Zeiss, has been selected because of its tried and trusted ability to deliver robust results, which can be definitively measured against a wealth of historical data for unparalleled accuracy. The machine allows for the visual inspection of metallic and alloy samples in fine detail, automatically processing information and detecting defects before calibrating findings against a vast database to ensure high fidelity. It also produces high resolution, full-color digital images to illustrate statistical analysis.
Colin Speedie, VP, U.S. Operations at Element says: “These pieces of equipment give the laboratory a new suite of functionality and will vastly improve its optical analysis, delivering data and images for use in quality control and product improvement programs. Element Newtown’s staff of metallurgists, engineers and chemists has been providing leading support to industries such as aerospace and power generation since 1982, and this investment will allow it to continue offering the accurate, timely results it has become renowned for.
“Element is continually looking at ways in which it can invest in each of its labs in order to offer clients the very best expertise supported by the most accurate equipment, in keeping with a long-term strategic goal to be globally recognized as the leading materials testing company in the world”, he concludes.
About Element
Element is a global network of laboratories with experts specializing in materials testing, product qualification testing and failure analysis for the Aerospace & Defense, Oil & Gas, Power Generation, and Transportation sectors. Their team of 1,400 scientists, engineers and technicians work in 40 laboratories located throughout the U.S. and Europe.