Services / Onsite Testing

Mobility
Redefined

Microlab deploys state of the  art site testing facilities.

Onsite testing can help determine whether a system or solution meets the design criteria. When trying to establish the in situ performance of unknown construction types, onsite testing is crucial. In order to verify installation workmanship, on site testing is essential.

Portable Optical Emission Spectroscopy

We are focused on improving the on-site testing of our customers by assisting technical staff with many years of experience in the field of chemical analysis. 

The portable OES can analyze elements at limits as low as 0.03%, for instance can help characterize L-grade (304:, 316L) Aluminium and Vanadium in low alloy steel. Precise analysis and material identification including N, C, P, S, Sn, As & B can also be detected. Currently Fe base, Ni base and Cu base samples can be analyzed with high accuracy.


MICROLAB helps to ease customer inconveniences by providing a convenient, reliable and flexible on-site metal analysis for inspection and quality control, instead of having the customer machine samples and send them out. This eliminates days of waiting that could hamper material construction.

Some of the application industries include Mechanical Engineering, Metal recycling, Power plants, Construction, Petrochemical and more
The procedure is as per ASTM E135, ASTM E1476 and ASTM E 1916.

PMI (Positive Metal Identification)

Positive Material Identification is a well established analytical materials testing and materials identification technique used throughout industrial plant as well as within the metal assembly and component manufacturing industries. It guarantees a material’s elemental composition as required for safety compliance and quality control.

Currently most alloy manufacturers, petroleum refineries, and other businesses responsible for alloy grade verification use technology to quickly and easily separate various grades of stainless steel. The most common, portable, and easy-to-use tool for this purpose is a handheld XRF (x-ray fluorescence) analyzer. These instruments are highly accurate at determining the chemical composition of alloys, and thereby their grade. Moreover, they do so within a matter of 5 seconds or less for most stainless steel grades, without significant sample preparation, and safely.

Another advantage is that these measurements are non destructive in nature and hence the material composition is not compromised and the customer can go ahead with using the same material.

Ferrite content measurement using Ferritoscope

Features:

  • Fast, non-destructive measurement of ferrite content on-site or in the lab
  • Measurement rage in 0.1 to 80% Fe or 0.1 to 110 FN
  • Ferrite measurable either in Ferrite percentage or Ferrite Number
  • Measurements according to ISO 17655 or “Basler Standard”
  • Calibration standards are traceable to internationally approved TWI secondary standards, which fulfill ISO 8249 and AWS A4.2M requirements
  • Corrective calibration with customer-specific standards possibleTypical Fields of application: Measurement of ferrite content in:
  • Duplex steel
  • Austenitic steel welds (tube, sheets)
  • Normal steel with austenitic chrome alloy steel welded cladding (boilers, vessels)

Portable hardness Testing

Applications

  • Hardness testing on all metals
  • Ideal for production level testing
  • Excellent for material selection and acceptance test
  • Can give an indirect idea of the tensile strength

Surface Roughness Measurement

  • Portable surface roughness measurement measures the surface roughness. The surface topography plays a variety of roles including the coating adhesiveness, corrosion prevention, and fracture resistance.
  • Manufacturers need to measure the surface topography to produce consistent and reliable products.

Coating thickness Measurement

  • XRF is a method generally used for material characterization and in special cases can also be used for coating thickness measurement. The coating and the substrate both produce X-ray fluorescence radiation, but the coating attenuates the substrate’s radiation. The degree to which this attenuation takes place can help determine the thickness of the coat. There are general difficulties in this method due to interference of the signals, but our lab can overcome this difficulty having understood the cause, by using high resolution detectors.
  • Typical industries are: Electronics, Jewellery, coatings, platings, manufacturing
  • The procedure is as per ASTM B568

In-Situ metallography

  • In-situ metallography is a useful tool for non destructive testing of materials and studying the phase composition of the metal that has failed or is being used for an application.
  • Damage mechanisms like creep, fatigue, stress relaxation, improper case hardening, manufacturing defects, intergranular corrosion, hydrogen attack can all be quickly analyzed and preventive action be taken before serious damage can occur.
  • MICROLAB has vast experience in conducting metallographic studies and also failure analysis to quickly report any case of material deviation and early case of material discrepancy.

Some of the identifications are:

  • Microstructural Evaluation
  • Decarburization depth measurement
  • Weld evaluation
  • Grain size
  • Corrosion
  • Inclusion rating

Benefits include

Heat treatment confirmation, Monitoring early signs of fatigue, Safe and reliable operation

Adhesion test

This test checks the compatibility of the primer with a surface or even between two paint coats. We carry out different adhesion such as:

X-Cut: This is a qualitative test performed as per ASTM D3359. We make an X-shaped cut on the coating.

Cross-Hatch: In this method, we make a cross-hatch pattern instead of an X-shaped cut and place the tape on the surface. We remove the tape to study the remaining cross-hatch for its adhesion property. It is also a qualitative test and performed as per ASTM D3359.

Pull-Off test: We stick a dolly to the coated layer with a strong adhesive. We use a portable pneumatic device to apply a tensile force progressively until the dolly Pull-Off occurs. The standard procedure is as per ASTM D4541 and ISO 4624

Conical & Cylindrical Mandrel: We use different cones of diameter measuring from 3 mm to 32 mm to check the diameter at which the coating peels off.

Salt Contamination Test

The presence of salts on the blasted surface decreases the adhesion of the coating with its surface. Therefore, the surface needs a check for salt content before application begins. If this is avoided, the paint system may show blisters or peel off with time.

Determination of the concentration of soluble salts (salt contamination) on metal surfaces is carried out in accordance with ISO 8502-6, 8502-9.

Dry Film Thickness (DFT)

We can measure Dry Film Thickness on the coated sample at site.

Surface Roughness

A surface roughness test is crucial to create a good bond between the paint and the substrate. If the surface is too smooth, the tendency of the paint coating to adhere to the substrate will drop. On the other hand, if the substrate is too rough, a large volume of paint will be required to create the same DFT needed to form a proper coat.

Holiday Test

To identify the presence of pinholes or other defects in the coating, we perform a holiday test. Pinholes occur if the curing of the paint is not as per specification and is hard to catch visually. These are small pockets of space that later enlarge that cause corrosion to the substrate.