IMR Test Labs 2013 Year in Review

Transcription

1 IMR Test Labs 2013 Year in Review January 16, was an amazing year for the IMR Test Labs family. Find out all the latest information as we embark on 2014! Does VISION Matter? By Joseph Springer, CEO IMR s vision is to be the World s First Choice Materials Test Lab. Our vision is very different from our competitors. We aim to be your first choice for materials testing, no matter where you are in the world. Even if you end up choosing a competitor, perhaps because they are nearer, or possibly cheaper our vision will be fulfilled as long as IMR is the lab you wish you could have used, if we couldn t be the lab you were able to use. To achieve this vision we employ two strategies : 1. Lowest Risk Provider - Getting the customer the right answer, on time 2. Superior Customer Service - Great people who make doing business easy We have to make absolutely sure we are your lowest risk provider of testing services, and that we make each experience doing business with us enjoyable and easy. Our tactics? We measure, adjust, and reward based on reaching quantitative and qualitative goals set in each these areas. Each functional area has a set of dashboard metrics that must be continuously improved. We drive relentlessly towards best-inclass performance in CAR s and on-time delivery. We conduct scientific customer satisfaction surveys - by lab, and by department in each lab. We invest heavily in our lab information management system (MATware), and each of our labs uses it, guaranteeing that our customers get a consistent experience. IMR Test Labs Celebrates 15 Year Anniversary Ithaca Materials Research & Testing opened for business in 1998 with a single 5,000 square foot facility and 20 employees. This early team broke off and set out to offer high-quality materials testing and most importantly, superior customer service. In just 15 years, we have added four additional labs in the US and Asia, a variety of new capabilities and our staff is approaching 175. We were also acquired by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation in July of 2011, which has provided us with new resources for growth & expansion. Our three US labs have added square footage, staff, equipment and new capabilities in response to your needs. We ve added new methods, including fatigue testing, XRD analysis, cleanliness testing and become the world s go-to thermal spray coatings lab. Most recently, IMR opened facilities in Singapore and China to serve the aerospace, automotive and other high-technology industries. (Learn more on page 4) We look forward to continuing to grow with you, as well as serving your testing needs for the next fifteen years and beyond. We thank you for your business! Ithaca Materials Research & Testing Staff - Lansing, NY - April 1998 Each lab is run according to the same IMR quality policy and system, again ensuring consistency to our customers. Our staff also receives technical training such as our industry leading Met Tech Academy courses, our ASM partnership courses, supervisory & leadership training, and customer service training. Lastly, special cross-divisional project teams are Continued on Page 5 Page 1 of 6 IMR Test Labs New York Staff - October 2013

2 Accreditation/Approval Updates The staff at IMR Test Labs is always working to get the approvals required to meet the demands of your customers. For the most up-to-date information on our accreditations, visit us at and click the Accreditations link. All of our labs have passed numerous NQA-1 and customer audits. Please contact us if you need to audit one of our labs, or need to know if we carry specific accreditations. Ithaca Reapproved Nadcap Materials Testing (MTL) Nadcap Non-Metallic Materials Testing (NMMT) Gulfstream Snecma Louisville Reapproved IEC/ISO (A2LA) Pegasus Steel TOPY America Singapore IMR Test Labs - Singapore opened late in 2012, and has already grown an expansive list of approvals and accreditations. Recent additions & expansions are listed below. Nadcap Expanded GE S-400 AJ Approval IEC/ISO Singapore Accreditation Council (SAC) Approval - Services CAAS Weld Qualifications ICP Chemical Analysis Carbon & Sulfur Creep and Stress Rupture Elevated Temperature Tensile Coatings Tensile/Bond Strength Hydrogen Embrittlement Pratt & Whitney F-23 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, 7e, 7f, 7h, 9, 12, 12a Portland Reapproved Nadcap Materials Testing (MTL) IEC/ISO (A2LA) Gulfstream NIAC Sikorsky Suzhou IMR Test Labs - Suzhou opened in January of 2013 and has earned numerous accreditations. Nadcap Materials Testing (MTL) IEC/ISO (A2LA) GE S-400 Avic Commercial Aero-Engine Visit our accreditations page to see all of our certs! Page 2 of 6

3 IMR Metallurgical Services Gets New OES New spectrometer benefits clients with shorter turnarounds & wider range of analyses available. IMR s Louisville lab has added a new SpectroLab OES analyzer and remelt furnace. This equipment benefits our clients in numerous ways including: Analysis of a wider range of alloys, including copper, nickel, titanium and cobalt alloys Analysis of carbon, sulfur, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen Analysis of powders and small samples Lower detection limits Faster turnaround (3 days on most samples) Competitive pricing IMR Metallurgical Services is committed to offering volume chemical and mechanical testing services so that you can keep product flowing smoothly through your manufacturing facility. Contact Chemistry Manager Andy Waldron (andy.waldron@imrlouisville.com) for a quote or more information. Singapore Facility Adds SEM Capabilities IMR s Singapore facility can now offer failure analysis & additional microscopy services Singapore has added a Zeiss Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX/EDS). With this addition of the SEM, Singapore is offering services including metallurgical failure analysis, fractography, elemental analysis, and high-resolution photomicrographs. Singapore s analytical power is increased with the SEM, as it provides detailed insight into the failure mechanism of a material/part, as well as any contributing factors. Adding the X-ray Spectroscope provides the ability to get elemental composition of samples including contaminants, corrosion products and debris, as well as to make elemental maps to show the distribution of contaminants. Contact us at sales@imrsingapore.com for more information. IMR s NY Lab Adds New Scanning Electron Microscope New SEM maintains IMR s competitive advantage with failure analysis and microscopy services IMR Test Labs in Ithaca, NY has purchased a Tescan Vega-3 XMU variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM) with silicon drift detector (SDD) EDS system, wide field optics, low-vacuum secondary electron (SE) detector and LaB6 filament capability. This new instrument offers improved image resolution, evaluation of a wider range of materials and faster, more informative analyses. This upgrade is especially important in continuing to serve our clients in the aerospace and power industries as the next generation of nickelbased turbine alloys require inspection at higher levels of magnification. It has also enhanced our extensive failure analysis and litigation support services, providing more in-depth analysis of metals, polymers, composites, contaminants and corrodents. Ithaca Adds New Automated Microhardness Indenter New indenter increases speed & consistency, expands capabilities. Ithaca s metallurgical group has recently added a new Struers Durascan 70 automated hardness indenter. This has improved efficiency for extensive microhardness studies while maintaining the same high-quality results you ve come to expect from IMR. With this new addition, we can also provide macro- Vickers testing with loads up to 10 kg. Contact us today for a quote or more information! Page 3 of 6

4 IMR Test Labs - Singapore IMR s first facility in Asia has added accreditations, staff, equipment and expanded the lab s capabilities since first opening late in Some of our recent highlights: In December of 2012, IMR s Singapore facility added IEC/ISO approval from SAC. In February, we added to our list of SAC accredited services with CAAS weld evaluations, creep and stress rupture, hydrogen embrittlement and more. See page 2 for a list of all of the added services. In January of 2013, we were pleased to expand our GE S-400 scope to include AJ approval for coatings evaluations. We offer a wide range of thermal spray evaluation services, including metallography, erosion testing, chemical analysis, coating adhesion/tensile & more. Nadcap accreditation was earned in February, opening up our high quality testing services to the aerospace industry. Most recently, in August, a scanning electron microscope was added in order to offer advanced microscopy and failure analysis services to our customers. (See article page 3.) IMR Singapore is a premiere testing facility offering a wider range of services including chemical analysis, mechanical testing, metallurgical evaluations, coatings evaluations and failure analysis. Contact us at (sales@ imrsingapore.com) for a quote or more information. IMR Test Labs - Suzhou IMR s facility in China has been working diligently to meet your needs for testing in China with new staff, equipment and approvals. Some of our recent highlights: Sales Manager Wendy Cai joined the IMR team in December of Bringing nearly a decade of sales experience with her, Wendy has been on the road promoting IMR to the Chinese market. The staff has also installed a new SEM (scanning electron microscope) to provide failure analysis and advanced microscopy services. Our Suzhou team has earned Nadcap, ISO and GE S-400 approvals IMR s Suzhou location held a grand opening celebration at our facility in the Suzhou Industrial Park. Festivities included a lion dance, ribbon cutting, firecrackers, food and presentations. Do you have suppliers in Asia? Do you need testing before materials are shipped to you? Contact Wendy Cai (wendy.cai@imruszhou.com) today, or visit for more information on services offered. Page 4 of 6

5 Does VISION Matter? IMR s Experts Edit the Third Edition of ASM s International s Understanding How Components Fail Continued from Page 1 commonplace. They are held to budgets, schedules, and progress reporting, and are held accountable for their deliverables. In short we pay relentless attention to the simple blocking and tackling of good managerial practices. Brett Miller, P.E., one of our most knowledgeable and experienced failure analysts, served as editor for the 3rd edition of Understanding How Components Fail by Donald J. Wulpi,and published by ASM International. We even evaluate our future growth options using our vision and strategies as the criteria. Our acquisitions criteria are extremely selective, based on shared values, a stellar reputation in customer service, complimentary technical capabilities, and the ability to truly integrate the acquisition into the IMR brand. This volume is universally regarded as one of the standard reference texts for failure analysts. As Brett states in his editor s preface to the third edition, this is one of the first reference books I hand to new engineers and technicians. It is quite an honor for Brett to have been selected as editor for this book, and it s a testament to his professional expertise and reputation in the industry. In addition to his preface to the edition, Brett also co-wrote the introduction, and reviewed and revised Chapter 6 on Basic Single-Load Fracture Modes. The project of editing the publication took over one year and countless hours of review and reading. In addition to Brett s many contributions to the process of publication and editing, IMR Louisville s Laboratory Director Tom Ackerson, P.E. and IMR s President Ron Parrington P.E., FASM also contributed to the edition. Tom reviewed and revised Chapter 2 on Mechanical Properties, and Ron reviewed and revised Chapter 8 on Brittle Fracture. Our greenfields in Singapore and Suzhou (China) have been in direct response to customer requests to make IMR s unique blend of quality and service available in Asia, not just North America. We have also received suggestions to expand into Europe, which is under consideration. We hope you will agree that this approach to running and growing the business is the best. We ve been honing this approach for years, and it pervades every aspect of our thinking. We think it shows. So...Does Vision Matter? Go ahead. You be the judge Quick Turn Failure Analysis IMR s New York facility offers Quick Turn FA service on parts with simple geometries. With a lower cost and one week standard turnaround, material or production problems can be corrected on a much faster time line when an exhaustive analysis is not required. We can quickly provide answers about fracture mode, microstructure and/or material properties, as well as eliminate specific causes of failure on parts with simple geometries, such as shafts, fasteners and springs. For more information, please contact our NY lab at or sales@imrtest.com. Page 5 of 6

6 2014 New York Training Schedule 2014 Singapore Training Schedule This year we are pleased to offer the following at our New York facility: Save S$250 by registering at least 30 days in advance. This year we are pleased to offer the following at our Singapore facility: Aerospace Metallography & Coating Evaluation $2,950 USD March 24-28, 2014 June 9-13, 2014 September 29 - October 3, 2014 Aerospace Metallography & Coating Evaluation S$4,650 March 3-7, 2014 Evaluation of Machined Surfaces $1,975 USD TBD Corrosion Practical Fracture Mechanics $1,050 (Non-ASM Member) $935 (ASM Member) May 12-13, 2014 October 20-21, 2014 Evaluation of Machined Surfaces November 3-5, 2014 Introduction to Polymers & Polymer Testing September 18-19, 2014 Practical Fractography $1,050 (Non-ASM Member) $935 (ASM Member) May 14-15, 2014 October 22-23, 2014 Introduction to Thermal Spray December 1-2, 2014 Scanning Electron Microscopy $2,105 (Non-ASM Member) $1,870 (ASM Member) September 15-18, 2014 Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist S$3,750 August 18-21, 2014 Practical Fractography July 16-17, 2014 Introduction to Polymers & Polymer Testing $1,405 (Non-ASM Member) $1,245 (ASM Member) August 25-27, 2014 Practical Fracture Mechanics July 14-15, 2014 To learn more about any of these classes, or to register, please visit us at New York index.html Singapore November 10-12, 2014 Practical Interpretation of Microstructures February 10-12, 2014 Principles of Failure Analysis May 19-21, 2014 September 15-17, 2014 Welding Metallurgy & Inspection June 9-11, 2014 Don t forget to use your AAIS ATV s! Page 6 of 6