What causes printed circuit boards to fail? Ionic contamination ranks high on the list, accounting for an estimated 25% of failures. Contaminants can be introduced in virtually any step of the manufacturing process. Some examples include inorganic or organic acids from product components such as flux, sodium and chloride from poor handling, and potassium and […]
Articles on Ion Chromatography
The Future of Food: How Analytical Techniques Are Changing Our Food
From veggie burgers that taste, smell, cook and look like real beef to transforming water into wine, the way we “grow” and make food and drink is changing—and analytical chemistry techniques are playing a major role. “The future of food is synthetic,” Alec Lee, co-founder of Ava Winery, said in a recent interview with the […]
Analytical Testing News Roundup: Turning Water into Wine & Craft Beer for Aquatic Conservation
Read about how analytical testing methods are being used uncover things like turning tap water into wine.
What’s the Difference between GC/MS and Ion Chromatography?
All manufacturers aim to create the highest quality and safest products for their customers. Often times, analytical testing services from a materials testing lab are enlisted to make sure manufacturers are doing just that.
Why Cleanliness Testing is Essential for Medical Devices
When medical devices are created for implantation into someone’s body, quality is of the utmost importance. While the actual construction and materials used in the medical device are essential to product quality, cleanliness is equally—if not more—important. Cleanliness testing can ensure that your medical devices are free from contaminants that could lead to product failure, […]
Evolving Microcontamination Testing Methods
Hard drive manufacturers have been pushing the limits of technology since the medium of data storage was invented. It’s amazing that while storage capacity has increased exponentially, the size of the storage vessel has decreased significantly. State of the art devices now store as much as 6 and 8 Terabytes (TB), and hard drives in […]
How Material Testing Supports Good Manufacturing Practices
Product quality and safety is of the utmost importance for all manufacturers. Good, safe products are part of doing good business. But for manufacturers of products such as drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and some food items, ensuring product quality and safety is also part of compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. GMP standards are […]
Are You Worried About Sulfites in Food?
A bit of oil and vinegar in your salad makes for a simple, but delicious dressing. However, if you tend to get headaches often, that little bit of vinegar may trigger an aspirin craving. Sulfites, the inclusive term for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), are an allergy concern and are also hypothesized to trigger headaches. Because of […]
Your Guide to Discovering What Type of Materials Testing You Need to Solve Product Quality Issues
As a quality assurance specialist, you’re trained to spot quality issues and product defects. You know that if the fit isn’t right or the specified color mixture is slightly off, you need to find the cause and a solution to fix it. However, quality control is difficult when there’s an unknown contaminant on your products […]
How IC Analysis Aids in the Production of Biofuels
Many Americans have started using ethanol fuel as an affordable and environmentally-friendly alternative to regular gasoline. The highly publicized E85 fuel is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline and can only be used in specially designed vehicles known as “Flex-Fuel”. However, did you know that even if your car isn’t flex-fuel, you may […]
