Surface analysis and material testing

Which of our material testing methods is most effective for solving your problem will be defined in advance in a personal discussion with you. Our quotations are individually tailored to your specific problem. Our reports provide not only pure measured values but often also concrete indications of possible causes of e.g. contamination, damage or material failure.

We have a variety of methods of material testing and material analysis at our facilities, e.g.: Photo-Electron Spectroscopy (XPS, ESCA), Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Light Microscopy, Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), Profilometry and many more.

If you wish, you can also look over the shoulder of our staff during the material testing of your sample and thus interactively intervene in the processing. Many questions can be answered extremely efficiently and quickly in this way.

Damage examinations

The actual cause of damage is often hidden in microscopic dimensions. The morphology and characteristics of a defect at high magnifications often already provide the necessary indications for identifying the cause, such as inclusions, hydrogen embrittlement or stress corrosion cracking. If supplementary or further investigations are necessary, we also have the appropriate material testing methods for this purpose.

Operational monitoring and quality control

Does your production require continuous, independent monitoring for quality assurance? We can offer you a solution customized to your needs. Modern spectroscopic and analytical methods are available. If you wish, we can also monitor your production around the clock, take samples at your site and transmit the results to you online within a very short time.

Purity testing

By selectively examining the chemical composition, we can determine the purity of the surface and, for example, make statements about whether prohibited chemicals (e.g. chromium plating with Cr (VI) salts) have been used.

Methods of analysis

For surface characterization and material analysis

X-ray photoelectron (XPS, ESCA) and Auger electron spectroscopy

• With these methods of material analysis, the chemical composition of a sample can be determined directly at the surface. In addition to the elemental composition, information about the chemical bonding state of the existing elements can be determined. By removing material with argon ions, the composition can also be determined in deeper areas of the sample (depth profile).

For the determination of compounds

FT-IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy

• These two methods can be used to determine the presence of functional groups on solid, liquid or gaseous samples. In the case of IR spectroscopy, both transmission and reflection can be measured.

For surface imaging

Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

• Thin section preparations can be made using a variety of microtomes and ultra-mills. Stereomicroscopes and light microscopes equipped with incident and transmitted light are available for visualization. For very high resolutions and extreme depth of field, a scanning electron microscope is used.

For coating analysis and corrosion tests

• Electrochemical methods are used to determine the corrosion resistance of surfaces or to make statements about the degree of coverage of an applied coating. Coating thicknesses are determined with a profilometer.